Mother is in need of the following household items: 2 dressers and 2 window gates Mother is a single mother of 3 and has limited income. Although, mother is having this challenge, she has been meeting the case plan goals/court orders, has completed most of her programs and is working to have her case successfully close. During my work with mother I have identified the following strengths: ability to cope with stress, motivated to succeed, resourceful committed to her family. Mother’s goals are to continue working to provide for her family, obtain a second job due to financial stress and start her own business. For these reasons, I am advocating for mother to have the needs identified met. The main reason I am requesting this need to be fulfilled is because in order to provide a safe, clean, healthy and comfortable environment for her family. It is essential to have these items as mother is having to eat out often, the house can be better organized and safer for the children. DCFS has assisted the family by providing rent assistance to the family. DCFS will continue to link the family to community services such as food banks, counseling, etc. in order to ensure the family continues in maintenance. For other items needed, I will explore other DFCS options for funding and in-kind donations. This need is being requested through Care Portal because unfortunately DCFS does not provide these items. Updated on June 01, 2023 by an Agency Worker
Dresser is no longer needed. The family consists of 3 children and 1 parent.

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.

Youth came to the attention of DCFS in 2012 at the age of 9 due to general Neglect, physical abuse and emotional abuse by his parents. Youth in a Foster Family Agency Home. On 6/8/23, youth will reach age 21 and his case will terminate with Department of Children and Family Services and the Dependency Court. Youth plans to move to a relative’s home in Reseda and needs help moving his belongings. Youth does not have the financial means to hire movers nor he has a vehicle to transport his belongings. Youth does not have extended family to assists him with the move . Youth’s belongings consist of his clothing, a television, 2 bed frames and a desk. If youth does not get help, he might lose his belongings.

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!!!

We have an absolutely amazing family at one of our Elementary that has been going through a very difficult time. Mom is the sole provider that has recently had an injury preventing her from working the number of hours she usually does to support her family. On top of this, the family is being currently evicted from their domicile as the garage they have been living in has been declared unfit for habitation by the City Of Los Angeles. Any assistance or resources around helping the family find a dwelling unit would be a blessing for the family as they have until 5/28 to stay at this location. In addition, we are requesting rental assistance/down payment assistance for the family to be able to secure any housing unit for the family. We humbley ask for assistance for this family as Mom is experiencing substantial turmoil during this time. Blessings, and thank you.

Client is a 7-year old currently residing with her paternal aunt. Mother is in reunification services. Paternal Aunt has limited means as she provides for client and her own children. Client current shares a bunk bed with her cousin, however the bunk bed frame is broken. Client would benefit from a new bunk bed frame to ensure she has a safe space to sleep. Only a frame is needed at this time

This is a family of 4 with two children ages 3 and 7. Both parents work and have limited income. Currently the family of 4 rents out one room in a house. Due to the limited space, sleeping arrangements are challenging. The children are getting older and will benefit from having their own bed for safety. The family is requesting a bunk bed for their children. The family would appreciate assistance to support their family.

This is a family of 5 with 3 children ages 3, 12, and 14. The father works and the mother recently found part time work to support the family. The father struggles with mental health issues and his income is not consistent. The family is in need of items for their children. Their 3 year old does not have a bed and needs one as he is transitioning to sleeping alone. The daughters also need new tennis shoes. The family can also use items for their home such as a new stove and cooking supplies. The landlord will not replace the current stove, which is not working properly. The family would like to have a working stove to cook healthy meals at home. Any help would be greatly appreciated by this family so they can work towards self sufficiency.

This is a family of 4 with 2 young children, 1 year old and 2 years old. They just moved to a new home. They prepared financially for their move but once they moved, they encountered unplanned expenses. They are asking for one time support in any amount to support them with this month's rent.

This is a family of 4 with two young children ages 1 year old and 7 years old. The family had a recent death in their family and it impacted the father's work hours. This impacted their ability to have enough income to pay their rent. Their monthly rent is $1,800 and they need support with 1/2 of their rent. This one time support would ensure that this family would not go into further debt and prevent possible eviction.

Bio mom has recently reunified with her two children. She is in need of a toddler bed for her young daughter. She had been sleeping in a play pen and it broke. Her son's bed frame was ruined due to a leak. In order for the bio mother to be able to stay with her children, she will need to be able to have safe beds for both of her children. With your assistance, this family will be able to maintain reunification during this challenging time in their lives.

We have a family that has been experiencing many different struggles. The family is currently living in a hotel because they lost their house, and Mom lost her job and the car after having an accident. The mother also recently experienced domestic abuse from her ex-partner that is now in jail. She has 4 children 18, 12, 8, and 6 years old. Her 18-year-old son is currently helping her pay for the hotel where she is also sleeping. We are currently helping the mom find a job placement and assisting mom in finding additional resources such as food banks and counseling for them. We are in the process of providing different supports to meet the needs of the family in and outside of school. A food voucher/ card to a local grocery store would provide a huge level of support for the whole family.

There is a non-minor dependent (NMD) male 19 years of age in need of a laptop. The NMD has been attempting to complete his high school coursework via phone but has not been successful to completing assignments consistently due to the device not being operable for classwork assignments. Although, the NMD is having this challenge, he is meeting the case plan goals and is enrolled in continuation school. The youth also desires to obtain a driver’s license and seek employment. During my work with youth I have identified the following strengths: hard working, respectful, diligent, and respectful. This need is critical to ensuring that the youth can complete high school. This need is being requested through Care Portal because unfortunately DCFS does not provide this item. The cost of the laptop is $300.

There is a Non-Minor Dependent (NMD) in need of refrigerator and window repair. The NMD reported her freezer is still working just fine, however the refrigerator is no longer keeping items cold. The NMD also has a front window that was broken due to intimate partner violence. During these cold winter moths it decreases her ability to keep the home warm for herself and her daughter. The NMD has been applying for employment but has not been successful. The NMD does not have enough income to cover expenses beyond the basic needs of her household. Although, the NMD is having that challenge, the NMD is meeting the case plan goals/court orders and is enrolled Adult Education. Furthermore, the NMD is committed to maintaining custody of her daughter & her eligibility in the AB12 program. During my work with the NMD I have identified the following strengths: when employed she is hard working, she takes great care of her daughter, and she is both a talented cook and hairstylist. For these reasons, I am advocating for the NMD to have the need identified met. The main reason I am requesting these needs to be fulfilled is because it directly impacts the safe environment for her child.