Orangewood Foundation, one of Orange County’s largest nonprofits serving vulnerable youth, is embarking on an aggressive expansion plan that sharply increases its housing footprint and calls for deeper business partnerships.
The Santa Ana-based nonprofit, which supports foster youth and young adults facing homelessness, plans to more than triple its capacity from 72 beds to 250 by 2030, a 250% jump designed to meet rising needs.
“For young adults, all roads lead to housing,” Sam Bobila, Orangewood’s chief development officer, told the Business Journal. “If they have a safe, stable roof over their head, then they can focus on the long-term: getting a job, finishing school, or pursuing advanced degrees.”
The 44-year-old foundation is now seeking support from developers, property owners and major funders to execute the five-year strategy. The plan also emphasizes advocacy, staff development and best practices to better serve youth experiencing homelessness, trafficking and child welfare challenges.
For the year ended June 30, Orangewood reported revenue increasing 14% to $43.1 million. It is the No. 19-ranked nonprofit in Orange County, with 204 employees, according to the Business Journal’s 2025 nonprofit list.
Building a Future
For many young adults, the leap to independence is fraught with obstacles: unstable housing, interrupted education and limited opportunity.
For four decades, Orangewood Foundation has helped change that trajectory through housing, education, life skills and employment support.
Founded in 1981 by homebuilder General William Lyon of William Lyon Homes and William Steiner, who went onto become an Orange County Supervisor, Orangewood Foundation was created to provide a safe shelter for abused and neglected children.
In its first five years, more than $8 million was raised, culminating in the 1985 opening of the Orangewood Children’s Home, which was later transferred to the County of Orange.
After that initial project, the foundation board realized the momentum built around foster care could be leveraged to provide ongoing support.
By 1990, the board launched a scholarship initiative for former foster youth. That program continues today, alongside 16 other initiatives that serve youth far beyond foster care.
“Around 2015, we made a conscious decision not to limit our programs just to young people who had spent time in foster care,” Orangewood Chief Executive Chris Simonsen told the Business Journal. “We felt it was important to open our doors to anyone who could benefit from our support. Today, a young person can access all of our services, whether or not they were ever in foster care.”
Providing Choices
Programs like Project Choice show Orangewood Foundation’s targeted approach.
Serving foster youth who are survivors of, or at risk for, sex trafficking, Project Choice includes The Lighthouse, a confidential housing program offering two to four years of stability. For those ready to transition, “graduate apartments” provide shared living with continued support.
Rosario is one such survivor.
(The last names of Orangewood program participants are not being disclosed to protect their privacy.)
After years of trauma and instability, she found a safe space at Project Choice. With guidance, she prepared for independent living, secured a housing voucher and furnished her first apartment. Today, she is pursuing school, employment and personal growth.
Orangewood is also addressing gaps for justice-involved youth through partnerships with CalOptima and the Orange County Probation Department. The Youth Connected Program offers a six-month transitional experience where participants live on campus during the week and return home on weekends, strengthening family support for reunification.
“Supporting justice-involved youth with guidance, care and a path to lasting reunification is a critical gap we’re excited to address,” said Tiffany Mitchell, chief program officer, Orangewood Foundation.
Day-to-Day Support
Beyond housing, Orangewood Foundation meets daily needs through its Drop In Center, offering hot meals, showers, laundry, counseling and a safe space to relax and meet friends.
“I use many Orangewood resources, such as the hygiene closet, groceries, and a safe place to go and talk to someone,” said Sierra, an Orangewood Foundation participant. “I was able to get a new bed and dress my toddler with their support. I love the person they have helped me become.”
For young parents like Alina, Orangewood Foundation is life-changing.
“As a single mom working two jobs and about to start college, I was deeply anxious about aging out,” she said. “My social worker connected me with Orangewood, and with their support, I applied for a housing voucher. I moved into my apartment the same month I graduated from college.”
Education and Support
Education remains a cornerstone, with the Samueli Academy playing a significant role in the foundation’s success.
“We created Samueli Academy to improve graduation rates for foster youth, and I’m proud to say that in our 13 years, we’ve achieved a 100% graduation rate for our foster students.
(That is) truly remarkable and almost unheard of,” said CEO Simonsen. “The majority of our students are not in foster care, yet many come from underserved backgrounds and they’re graduating at a 99% rate, with 94% going on to college, most as the first in their families.”
The Simon Scholars program complements this work, helping students transition to higher education and bridging housing, academics and life skills.
“Our ultimate goal at Orangewood is to make sure every young person has a roof over their head,” Bobila said. “Once that need is met, they can begin to focus on other parts of their life. That’s when real progress becomes possible.”
Community and Corporate Investment
Orangewood encourages companies to get involved through volunteering.
“Employees these days want to know their companies are giving back,” said Simonsen.
“Activities like cooking in our kitchen can be a fun team-building experience while directly helping youth in need.”
For Toshiba executive Maegan Lujan, her role at Orangewood has been transformative—for her and her mentees (see this page for more).
“You are a moment of impact for every youth that you encounter,” she told the Business Journal. “You never know who you are inspiring and who you are giving a vision to, of who they could become in the future. That woman will never know what she did for me when I saw her walk by. I’ll never be able to tell her, but she changed my life forever.”
The Glimpse that Changed a Life
Maegan Lujan says the moment that changed her life came at age 14 when, during a lunch with her grandparents at South Coast Plaza, she spotted a businesswoman wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase.
That polished woman knew “who she was, and where she was going,” Lujan told the Business Journal.
That momentary glance ignited Lujan, who was in foster care at the time.
“This blue flame inside of me just lit on, and suddenly, I knew that I could change where I was from, because my ceiling had changed,” Lujan said. “The vision of who I could become had changed just from that one glance at a woman walking by.”
Nowadays, Lujan is the director of Solutions and Services Marketing at Toshiba Business of Irvine. She’s written a book on creating a personal brand, “A Million Little Clicks.”
She’s also giving back by serving in a variety of roles on Orangewood Foundation’s committees, including as executive committee co-chair of its Business Advisory Council.
She’s a mentor to students at both Orangewood and the Samueli Academy, a tuition-free charter middle and high school founded by the foundation.
“My journey has taken me from high risk in the foster system to high potential in Fortune 500 boardrooms and beyond,” Lujan wrote on her LinkedIn page.
“I’m passionate about inspiring and encouraging people from all walks of life to feel comfortable in their skin and pursue their passions. I regularly dedicate my time and expertise, both on-stage and off, to assist and speak out for causes associated with foster care, domestic violence, and youth development, because we all rise together.”
She joins a long list of business executives who have supported Orangewood, from early backing by the homebuilding industry to current partnerships with Lennar and Snyder Langston. Banks, including Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank, Farmers & Merchants Bank, First Bank, and Bank of America, also provide significant support.
The nonprofit’s board includes Chair Paul Tobin, a partner at Haynes & Boone, Tedd Barr, CEO of Simplicity Media, Joe Lozowski, president of Tangram Interiors, Marissa Barth, a vice president at Fidelity National Title Company, Kris Theiler, a vice president at Disneyland, Mohit Mittal, a managing director at PIMCO, Susan Samueli, vice president of the Samueli Foundation, Vic Merjanian, founder and CEO of Titan HST, Alan Clifton, COO at Passco Companies, and Sean Foley, president of Orange County and Inland Empire markets for Banc of California.