The birth mother is a young 18 year old who has qualified for extended foster care services up to the age of 21. She was removed from her birth mother as a minor and has been in foster care since 2019 when there were allegations of general neglect and mother was intoxicated in Los Angeles County. This young mother is now enrolled in American Career College to become a medical assistant, and is on leave for three months after giving birth to her first baby girl in September 2023. The mother will resume school in three months and has submitted the required documents for school to justify leave. This client is being submitted for services/support/referrals in meeting her dental needs as she did not get braces prior to the age of 18 years old. She is willing to use her existing foster care checks to make payments, therefore she is requesting assitance in locating community resources for reduced orthodontic care for foster youth. She is also a new mother and has requested a playmat for her young baby who will benefit from a stimulating mat. This young lady is trying her hardest to carve a better future for her child by attending school and trying to better her circumstances. Any assistance is greatly appreciated. Items requested: Assistance/referrals for braces Playmat for infant daughter

This request is for 19 year old foster youth who is in need of a longer bed due to his large stature. He is 6'3" tall and has outgrown his twin bed. He is a great youth who attends college, plays on the college football team, and works part time at the school helping disabled students. He is a resilient youth who was living a transient lifestyle with his mom and siblings due to his mother's unresolved history of substance abuse. He has little outside support but identifies his former foster parents and the social worker as lifelong connections and they are able to attend his football games and encourage him. He is now learning independent living skills and moved into a transitional housing program located in Los Angeles County. Request: Extra long twin bed or Queen size bed and bedframe Bedding for the larger bed (sheets, pillow case and comforter)

Single mother and daughter (5 years old) are in need of support. They were previously homeless and were recently housed through a local agency. The mother is searching for employment. The daughter is autistic and often wets the bed and would benefit from a waterproof queen mattress cover. The family is also open to gently used items such as a couch.

The mother is a single parent with 4 children (ages 2, 3, 6 and 12). The biological fathers are now involved in the children's lives. The mother works full time and she got her own apartment after 6+ months of living in a shelter. She is need of a queen bed frame and a couch.

A single mother who has been working hard with DCFS to regain custody of her Special needs son has experienced temporary hardship due to losing her job due to lack of transportation because her car broke down. The mother is also requesting any leads for job opportunities in the fast food or customer service industry.

My client who is a young mother of two, is requesting help with getting a Christmas tree for her home. After a long year, this young mother has reunified with her children and has them both in her care just in time for the holidays. We are asking for help to make this holiday special by helping her get a Christmas tree for her home to really bring out the holiday spirit. We have referred to her and her children to our gift program so her children can receive gifts this Christmas and all she needs is a Christmas tree to be able to put those gifts under.

Urgent! The child, 7 month old girl, was removed from her mother and placed in the care of her father who is homeless. The weather in Palmdale is below 50 degrees at night. The father would benefit from assistance with a motel stay/housing and baby clothes. The father is in need of assistance with locating and paying for the first and last rent for an apartment or room for rent. The father is the primary caregiver for his 7 month old daughter, which has been challenging due to not having permanent housing. Although, the father is having this challenge, the parent/father is meeting the case plan goals/court orders and is enrolled in the father strong parenting program. Furthermore, the father is committed to continuing to provide care for his infant daughter. During my work with the father, I have identified the following strengths: Loving father, Advocate and consistent. The goals for the father are to locate permanent housing, child care and get DCFS out of his life permanently. For these reasons, I am advocating for the father have the need identified met. The main reason I am requesting this need to be fulfilled is because the father is caring for his infant daughter and no family should be homeless during the holidays. Which is the main reason, such as, in order to provide a safe environment for his child. For the father to be assisted with locating housing ensure child safety, improve parental capacity, and enhance the potential for permanency. Updated on December 05, 2023 by an Agency Worker
The father is in desperate need of housing. The department is seeking help with the father being housed for two weeks at a motel with his young child. This will allow the department to better assist the father in seeking suitable housing and avoiding the child from going into foster care. The father has no family in the Antelope Valley and has a strained relationship with the maternal family. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated

TAY's birthday is coming up and has never had the opportunity to celebrate her birthday due to past traumas. TAY stated having a target gift card allows them the opportunity to make personal choices, fostering a sense of agency and rebuilding a positive connection with their own needs and preferences despite them never having the opportunity to celebrate themselves. TAY requested Target Gift Card and Bath N Body works gift card

The family has an open FM case and consists of the parents, and 2 minor children, 17 and 10 years old. The family has an open FM case due to substantiated allegations of general neglect due to hygiene concerns and domestic abuse. The mother is currently unable to work due to health concerns and it awaiting surgery. The child has developmental disabilities and his behavior can be challenging to manage. The father is in an out of the home but is not working and helps care of the children and take them to school and other appointments. The family is struggling financially due to the mother not working and the children are in needs of tennis shoes and warm winter clothing. The assistance would alleviate stress for the parents and would make the children happy to have new clothes and tennis shoes. The mother shared that the child has wide feet and struggles to find tennis shoes that fit his feet. Mother shared that the child also needs a new backpack and school supplies.

The family consists of both parents and three minor teenagers. The family has an open FM case due to concerns of domestic abuse. The family is having some financial trouble and needs help paying for educational costs for the children. The minor twin girls are currently seniors at and need help paying for 2 AP tests $70 each and are in need of 2 pairs of dancing shoes, $120 each, for an upcoming performance at their high school. The twin girls are great students, are actively applying for colleges and are hopeful and determined to pursue higher education and careers in criminal justice and nursing. The parents income is only sufficient to pay for the basic needs, but they struggle to pay and come up with monies to pay for other expenses as mentioned above. The monetary assistance would alleviate stress and anxiety for the girls and the family while providing the girls with the opportunity to reach their educational goals.

This family consists of a mother and two children are in desperate need of a working refrigerator. The mother has been searching online for a refrigerator, but has not been successful with finding any within her budget. She also does not have a way of transporting a refrigerator, making the prices higher due to delivery charges. Although, she is having that challenge, she is meeting the case plan goals/court orders and recently received custody of her children again. The mother is working full-time and is resourceful, resilient and caring. The main reason I am requesting this need to be fulfilled is because it aids in preserving food, a basic necessity for living. Her current refrigerator broke and only the freezer part is working. The family is currently having to make multiple trips to the grocery store a week. This need is critical to ensuring the caregiver is able to budget and provide adequate and fresh amounts of food for the children. This need is being requested through Care Portal because unfortunately DCFS would be too long as some requests take up to 8 – 10 weeks.

This family has a voluntary Family Preservation case with SHIELDS since October 2023. The parents need assistance with obtaining a highchair and a toddler car seat. They have twins who are 8 months old in need of a highchair they can share, as the apartment is too small to store two highchairs. In addition, they need help obtaining a toddler car seat for their four-year-old, as she has not been secure in the booster seat they purchased. Thank you in advance for your assistance to this low-income family.

This family consists of two parents and three children. The boys are ages 9 and 8 and the girl is 6 years old. The family recently immigrated to the US and are asylum seekers as they have been displaced from their homes in Guatemala due to violence and poverty. They reside in one room in a house rented from a friend. The father works as a laborer while the mother is actively looking for employment but has encountered barriers in finding something consistent due to her being undocumented. The mother currently attends English classes in hopes of improving her communication skills. They are receiving support and assistance from a local family resource center. The services include food distribution, financial coaching, counseling services for the parents and children. This will also be the family's first holiday away from their family in Guatemala. The parents currently sleeps on the floor and the children share and rotate an air mattress. The family is in need of clothing and shoes. Mom pants size 16, tops size XL, shoes 7.5. Dad: shoes 9.5. Boy: clothing size 9, shoes size 1. Boy: clothing size 8, shoes size 1. Girl: clothing size 6, shoe size 12.Thank you!

The children ages 16 and 13 are in need of winter clothing. The father works full-time as a tree trimmer and the mother is a homemaker. The family is struggling financially as a father has a $12,000 bill for bail and attorney fees.

Mother has recently reunified with her 5 children ages 5-13. Mother was homeless a year ago and was able to obtain housing through section 8. The children have returned home but the family need beds and mattresses. Mother is able to care for her children and this will allow for the children to have appropriate sleeping arrangements to avoid future risk of neglect.

This family consists of father and his two children who are ages 10 and 12. The children were recently released into their father’s care and they are in dire need as father has limited resources. The children came into father’s care unexpectedly and the children were unable to bring any of their belongings with them. Father had to quit his job because they did not accommodate his schedule now that he has to care for his two children on his own. Father is struggling immensely and has little community and familial support. Father does not have the means to purchase beds for the children to sleep in and has asked for assistance. Father has limited space in his home and could use a bunk bed set for the children to sleep on. The children deserve a bed to get restful sleep at night to feel confident and have a healthy self-esteem at school in order to thrive at school and among their peers. With the approaching holiday season and cold weather upon us, a warm bed would benefit the children immensely, due to the loss of their items and their abrupt change in living situation. This assistance and support would help father and children restore their faith the intentions of the department and in their community, as we only hope to keep their family together and safe.

This family consists of father and his two children who are ages 10 and 12. The children were recently released into their father’s care and they are in dire need as father has limited resources. The children came into father’s care unexpectedly and the children were unable to bring any of their belongings with them. Father had to quit his job because they did not accommodate his schedule now that he has to care for his two children on his own. Father is struggling immensely and has little community and familial support. Father does not have the means to purchase beds for the children to sleep in and has asked for assistance. Father has limited space in his home and could use a bunk bed set and bedding for the children to sleep on. The children have few essential items such as a change of clothes and shoes, and in general require more clothing items. The children deserve a bed to get restful sleep at night for school. They appropriate and a sufficient amount of clothing to feel confident, increase their self-esteem in order to thrive in their classroom and among their peers at school. With the approaching holiday season and cold weather upon us, a warm bed and appropriate clothing would benefit the children immensely, due their abrupt change in living situation. This assistance and support would help father and children restore their faith the intentions of the department and in their community, as we only hope to keep their family together.

The children in the home are in need of beds. A bunk bed is need for the 2 children. The child is willing to come back to the home if she does not have her own bed. The 2 children are currently sharing a bed with the mother.

The parents recently separated and the mother is moving to a new apartment on 12/5 with the children. The mother is a homemaker and she does not have the funds to purchase a microwave. There are three children in the home, ages 1, 4 and 11.

We are asking support of our local community for a mother who has successfully reunified with her two minor children. Additionally, mother has a young adult child who is going to school, and helps the mother with the rent and bills. Mother worked every day to be as involved as she could while her children were placed with relatives. Mother currently does not have a kitchen table for her kids, and since reunifying the bond with her sister has been strengthened, as she was the relative caring for mother's children at the time. The maternal aunt and her children have been visiting the children a lot since the reunification. Mother works at a cafeteria, and is providing for the children's needs and extra-curricular activities, which is many. Her children are in early adolescence (middle school) and the separation from mother was very hard on them since mother has been the only parent in their lives. We would love if this family could be blessed with a new table and chairs set, and a large couch so the whole family can comfortable visit, the children can do homework, eat, and spend the end of the year together.