There's a family I've been working with this year that is low income.  The student I work with has a brother who is special needs and bound to a wheel chair.  Mother is a full time caregiver for her special needs son. The two students receive counseling services to assist with various family dynamics challenges and adjustment challenges in middle school.  My student has been having difficulty with peer relationships due to low self-esteem.  He has expressed interest in working on his health over the summer and asked mom if she could get him a gym membership. However, mother can't afford it due to various financial challenges including repairs needed for their special needs van.  Student doesn't show interest in many activities but initiated this request himself. Mom has also been working on her health and is attempting to make dietary changes for the whole family to support their wellbeing. Student is too young for the free Planet Fitness summer membership.  Mom would have to get a plan and take student with her. The price for the Black Card membership, which would allow mother and student to enter together, would be $75 for both the month of June, including start up fee, monthly fee, and annual fee (all of these are required to initiate a membership) and $25 for the month of July. A gift certificate for Planet Fitness, if they offer them, would be best, or a cash card to reimburse parent if possible. Thank you so much for your consideration.

We have a wonderful family of 5 that has been experiencing financial difficulties for several months now. Dad is the sole provider for the family and has seen a reduction in the number of hours he is able to work. With the school summer break approaching the family is very concerned on not having sufficient funds to provide food for the family. The three children will be at home during the summer break and will need breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We are submitting a request for support in securing food assistance which would lift a huge burden from them and the three students overall wellbeing. A food voucher of $500. to assist the family in providing meals, this assistance would greatly help the family with the nourishment of their daily meals. We are assisting the parents in finding other resources that could also provide some assistance. The family would greatly benefit from this assistance and would be enormously grateful for it. Thank you and may the Lord Bless you.

This is a family of a single Hispanic mother of five children 2 girls (12 years old and 6 years old) and three boys (3 years old, 17 years old and 16 years old). Mother is working full time, however, she is short on her rent for June. Mother shared that in a panic when she found out that the department was investigating her home, she went out and purchased beds for the children. Mother stated she was so worried that the DCFS would remove her kids because of the condition of their bedroom furniture. Since she spent $700 on the beds, she is short on her June rent. Mother is asking for assistance with paying $700 towards her rent for June.

This is US Veteran mother of five children. The mother currently has Child Welfare involvement. The mother is on track for the children to return home to the care of the mother. The mother is in need of 2 twin beds with mattresses. If the mother is blessed with the beds it will relive any concerns the Department may have regarding the children having a safe place to sleep. Thank you for the blessings you provide to the families.

This is a family of three young children, 2 boys and 1 girl. This family has current Child Welfare involvement and the children are currently in out of home care. The family is currently working on addressing issues in the home that are concerns of the Department. The home will be assessed and needs to be considered a clean and safe environment for the children. The family is in need of dressers for the bedrooms. If the family is blessed with dressers, it will allow the family to store their clothing and address the concern of clothing in boxes. Thank you for the good work you do for families.

Bowman High School is need of Back to school supplies for the coming school year. We would love if one of our community partners would help us with a back to school drive. We are in need of Backpacks- mostly black and blue or solid neutral colors- we serve Jr and Seniors. We can always use additional school supplies- Pens, Pencils, notebooks, folders, highlighters etc. We are a Title one school and many of our families cannot afford to buy much in the way of supplies for back to school. Any partnership would be greatly appreciated.

There is a homeless family that was living in the park. There are three kids and two adults. This family is living in a motel and is running out of money to pay. The district has paid for ten days for the family. The family only has one day left in the motel. They have found work, and kids are in school. They just need some more time in the hotel so they can find a longer term solution.

This dependent is a 7 year old child. The family has requested monies toward the child attending a therapeutic horse day camp for four days. The cost is $275.00. This camp experience would help to normalize and improve the child's well being. Updated on June 01, 2023 by an Agency Worker
This dependent is a 7 year old child who has experienced a chaotic lifestyle given her mother's mental health issues and substance use. The family has requested monies toward the child attending a therapeutic horse day camp for four days. The child has experienced physical harm which brought her to the attention of Child and Family Services. The caregiver has personal knowledge of wraparound services and thought this camp would help support the child's transition to her new placement with family. The cost is $275.00. This camp experience would help to normalize and improve the child's well being and adjustment to her new home environment.

The single mother has two children ages 14 and 9 along with an adult son (18). The family has struggled securing stable housing and has been in motels for the last several months. The mother is doing her best with limited resources. The children have grown out of their clothing and they would benefit from receiving new clothing.

Hello Careportal Family! Support is being requested on behalf of an 18 year old youth who is graduating from Antelope Valley High School this coming week! The youth has been in and out of the child welfare system since he was about 2 years old, due to issues of parental substance abuse and mental health. The youth has faced many challenges through navigating the system, but has managed to successfully graduate high school, and obtain stable housing. He is currently renting a room in a home, and is in need of a new bed. He is looking for a full or queen sized bed and mattress, as what he currently has is too small as he is quite tall. The youth plans to begin working and is considering enrolling in junior college as well in the fall. Any support provided is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Family came to the attention of DFS with a General Neglect allegation. Family lost their apartment few months ago and currently living in a motel and paying out of pocket. However, family’s savings are to be exhausted. The children’s father is the only parent working at a AM/PM Gas station. Family is in need of financial assistance at this time to be able to meet their children’s needs. Parents have a child that suffers from constant seizures and need a more stable place. In addition, children missed many school days due to parents vehicle was no in working condition and need assistance to repair the vehicle. The school and parents have a temporary agreement for school district to provide transportation but it is unknown how long this plan will last. Assistance with paying for motel room is being asked. Rate is $106 per night, asking for assistance for one week. The family is currently looking to get into section 8 for an apartment on their own. DCFS has referred family to DPSS and other housing agencies for a more permanent housing solution. However, applications are pending. Greatly would appreciate any assistance.

Mother is 24 years old and father is 22, with 3 small children under the age of 5. Father was recently incarcerated as a result of the current allegations for the family. CSW observed that the family all sleep in the same bed. Mother expressed that she cannot afford to purchase the children a separate bed at this time. Mother is requesting assistance with the purchase of a twin size bunk bed for the 3 children. Mother states that she plans to have the two female children aged 1 and 3 sleep in one portion of the bunk bed together and the 5 year old male sleep in one portion of the bunk bed. Children are also in need of clothing and shoes if possible, as now mother will be applying for DPSS assistance as father cannot work due to incarceration. Any assistance will greatly be appreciated.

Youth came to the attention of DCFS when his legal guardian/adult sister requested that her legal guardianship order be terminated and guardianship be transferred to the youth's adult brother in Arizona due to ongoing conflict with his adult sister and her family. DCFS submitted a request for Arizona to approve the brother's home ASAP to prevent having to replace him into a group home. His legal guardian is very overwhelmed, as she has five children of her own and a newborn baby. A family team meeting was recently held and the family was informed that Arizona is still working on the out state placement approval and will not be approved until later this summer. Since youth and his legal guardian are constantly arguing, it was suggested to keep youth busy out of the home with summer school and extra curricular activities. The youth identified boxing as an activity he wished to participate in as well as apply for work internship program. DCFS will be referring the youth to a summer youth program for when he completes his summer school. Sadly, all DCFS funding has depleted for this fiscal year and his legal guardian is on a fixed income and cannot afford to pay for the boxing program that the youth found near his placement home. Youth appears to be depressed and needs a positive outlet. He is a very smart adolescent and with his involvement in boxing, he could channel his mind and energy in a positive direction while he waits for his brother's home to get approved.

Hello, I am currently supporting a young mother with an open DCFS case. Baby was born with health issues including a heart condition and is fed through a feeding tube. Mother have been compliant with the court orders. She has experienced many obstacles including financial hardship. Mother is in need of the following items to help her get organized and keep baby safe. If this need is met, a big weight would be lifted and it would help her feel confident and allow family to remain together. Two dressers Two kitchen trash cans with lids Safety guard rail for twin bed, for both sides Queen size bed sheets Queen size blanket Twin size sheets Twin size boy's comforter Two hampers

Single client only receiving disability is struggling with purchasing a bus pass. Being able to provide client with a bus pass will strengthen the family in moving forward with reunification. Client would be able to get to the drug testing site, services and visitation, this leading to reunification.

A youth is in need of our support. She is a young adult that is participating in extended foster care. Unfortunately, she has experienced so much instability due to having issues with her former roommates. As a result, she has had to move three times in the past 2-years. As we all know, it is very difficult to move from one place to another. The youth has experienced so much stress from the lack of stability that she even had to take off a semester from school because she was so overwhelmed. This was a very difficult decision for her as obtaining a college degree is one of her goals. Nevertheless, she remains so resilient and she continues to persevere despite everything that she has experienced. The youth has yearned to have her own place, but most importantly she just wants to have a sense of stability in a place that she can call home. Luckily, she was able to find an apartment that she can afford all on her own. Unfortunately, since she was in a shared living settings, every time she moved she had to either leave some of her belongings behind, or sell them because they were purchased together with her former roommates. As a result, she needs to start over, and she needs help to purchase furniture for her new apartment.

Support is being requested on behalf of a non-minor dependent (NMD) living in Wellington, KS, but has an open case in Los Angeles. The NMD entered foster care at the age of 17, due to his difficult behaviors, including drug use and his mother’s inability to provide a safe and stable home. Throughout the past few years, the NMD had continued to struggle with addiction, but ultimately went through a rehabilitation program and is now sober (and has been for about 1 year). Since becoming sober, the NMD found it hard to continue to live in the Los Angeles area, as there were too many reminders of his childhood trauma, and being in the same area led to begin using drugs. The NMD then decided to move to Kansas with his girlfriend, as that is where she is from and where her family lives. For about the past six months, NMD and his girlfriend have been living together in Kansas and things have been going well overall. Both are working and making ends meet. However, their refrigerator has gone out and they are in need of a refrigerator. The NMD shared that he would be grateful with just a simple standard sized refrigerator, so they can store their food. Getting one donated would save them a bit of a struggle, as they are still trying to become stable. Thank you so much!!!

HELP REUNIFY MOTHER AND SON with HOTEL STAY assistance: Mother lives 236 miles away from her son in placement. Mother submitted a request to the Court for reunification services to be reinstated and it was granted; the Mother has made significant progress. The Department needs to assess unmonitored overnight and weekend visits for the mother and her son in order to meet the goal of reunification soon, if it is seen as safe. The mother needs assistance to pay for the hotel stays to help with bonding and further reunification assessment by the Department. Mother has done what she can to visit Child in person as many times as possible. Mother is a resilient, focused, motivated, and strong young woman who is doing everything in her power to reunify with her 6 year old son. Mother gave birth to her son when she was a teenager. At the time, Mother was in foster care, she was having some struggles herself and she was not provided with the family support she needed to raise her newborn. Therefore, her son was also placed in foster care.

Though mother lives 236 miles away from her son’s placement, Mother has done what she can to visit Child in person as many times as possible. Mother is a resilient, focused, motivated, and strong young woman who is doing everything in her power to reunify with her 6 year old son. Mother gave birth to her son when she was a teenager. At the time, Mother was in foster care, she was having some struggles herself and she was not provided with the family support she needed to raise her newborn. Therefore, her son was also placed in foster care. Mother has weekly phone contact with Child and according to the caregiver, they can be on the phone for over an hour. Mother engages with Child and always has activities prepared. Mother’s consistent visits with Child, and his 2 younger half siblings, give him a sense of belonging. . Mother submitted a request to the Court for reunification services to be reinstated and it was granted and the Mother has made significant progress. The Department needs to assess unmonitored overnight and weekend visits for the mother and her son in order to meet the goal of reunification soon, if it is seen as safe. The mother needs assistance to pay for gas, groceries, and hygiene products for her family as the hotel stays and the drive are expensive and are taking a toll on her family.