Model and Strategy
Foster youth are some of the most vulnerable members of our community. Already impacted by trauma and adversity, they are often further marginalized upon entering the foster care system.
SFCASA trains caring adult volunteers who commit at least 18 months to act as court-appointed advocates to abused and neglected foster youth in San Francisco. Advocates (CASAs) ensure their youth have safe, stable housing and access to vital health, education and permanency planning services. They also build a trusting relationship with their youth, providing them with a caring, consistent adult presence that is so important to healthy development.
In 2016, SFCASA launched a growth plan to expand the number of youth we serve to 400 annually by 2020. Now in the third year, we have surpassed our goals for number of youth served for the last two years, serving 327 youth last year.
Given the impact a consistent, caring CASA volunteer can have, SFCASA seeks to expand to serve all of San Francisco’s foster youth. We will build on our recent growth, increasing volunteer recruitment and piloting new approaches to support the approximately 1,000 youth in San Francisco’s foster care system.
Impact
A CASA can make a tremendous difference in a foster youth’s life. As officers of the court, CASAs have legal access to the files and decision-makers in the court, the human services agency, schools and healthcare systems that other mentors don’t, bringing substantial power to their advocacy. The presence of a consistent adult has enormous impact for youth whose longest adult relationship is often with their attorney. With a CASA at their side, youth identify their strengths and explore their interests, succeed in school, and develop a natural community of support. They receive guidance to navigate school and life choices that they would otherwise have to make on their own. With support from Battery Powered, SFCASA will ensure the majority of San Francisco’s foster youth receive the advocacy and mentoring that they need and deserve for healthy development and a successful transition to young adulthood.
Specifically, support from Battery Powered will enable us to:
- Provide 400 foster youth with court appointed advocacy and mentorship in year one, 430 or more youth in year two, with a plan to grow to serve all foster youth who need a CASA (approximately 1,000 youth annually).
- Ensure 80-95% of SFCASA client youth graduate from high school (compared to 56% statewide).
- Facilitate engagement in activities such as summer camps, sports, and the arts for 100 or more youth annually to encourage development of self-identity, resiliency and peer networks.
Leadership
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Renee Espinoza
Executive Director
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Erika Dirske
Program Director