Beloved Youth CollectiveOverview
The Beloved Youth Collective aims to reduce the use of institutional placements for girls and young women by providing stable housing alternatives and peer-led community support services. The program will provide direct services to affected youth, develop a family and community ecosystem for youth on probation, and address the systemic drivers of incarceration. The Hellman Collaborative Change Initiative LAUNCH grant will allow Beloved Youth Collective to implement a pilot program that aims to decrease annual incarceration by 50% among girls/young women in Alameda County. The collaboration aims to provide wraparound community-based services for vulnerable youth, with a network of peer mentors, family partners, and financial support like a guaranteed basic income to help youth thrive in their communities. The Collaboration |
The Problem
Young people of color are overrepresented in California’s youth incarceration system. This has been especially problematic in Alameda County after the pandemic, where the average youth arrest rate has soared. For youth on probation, there is an excessive reliance on institutional care and a lack of available foster families. In 2023, only 26 of 1,264 probation youth lived with foster families; most youth on probation are housed in foster care facilities or living independently. The Young Women’s Freedom Center’s 2019 report found that young people in the juvenile justice system experienced significant housing instability and chronic disruption of their living situations; the report found that 73% of the foster youth surveyed were detained in the justice system. An additional report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation found that youth of color are more likely than their white peers to be placed on probation, which is associated with a higher risk of future incarceration, and face longer delays in being released from incarceration. These issues disrupt youths’ education, employment, and can lead to generational incarceration. "Affordable housing is crucial to the empowerment of youth and not having it is a key driver of criminalization. Beloved Village is a groundbreaking new initiative, rooted in over 30 years of advocacy and successful programming by Young Women's Freedom Center to create real alternatives to incarceration. Along the way, we recognized that to truly end the incarceration of girls and trans youth, prevent family separation, and support reunification in California, we had to address poverty and the lack of stable housing. In just its first year, Beloved has already achieved significant milestones in supporting youth and their families." - Julia Arroyo, Executive Director of Young Women's Freedom Center
For more information, contact:
Alexandra (Alex) Volpe Executive Director Beloved Village [email protected] |