The event will feature speakers United Way President and CEO Dr. Dawnt\u00e9 Early, SMUD General Manager Laura Anguai and Mary Daffin, co-owner of The Jacqueline<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The UWCCR Chief Resource Development and Marketing Officer Amber Lovett explained the organization\u2019s beginnings. Its current guaranteed income program<\/a> originated in 2024. The program gives former foster youth from both Sacramento State and UC Davis $900 per month for a year.<\/p>\n \u201cA very low percentage of foster youth actually graduate from college,\u201d Lovett said. \u201cThrough our program, we\u2019re looking to help provide them with support for all those other things that pop up while you’re in school.\u201d<\/p>\n With growing costs in California, students can use the money on rent, groceries, vehicle repairs, transportation and textbooks. Lovett said these costs can interfere with a student\u2019s ability to remain enrolled in college.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey can stay in school, take a full load, maybe not work two jobs, just one job,\u201d Lovett said.<\/p>\n The program is intended to provide stability in a period where former foster youth are expected to become independent quickly without any assistance.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAll of a sudden there on their own and that support stops,\u201d Lovett said.<\/p>\n Staying housed<\/p>\n Local organization AcademySTAY provides housing for young adults ages 18 to 24. It operates a 32-unit campus in the Sacramento area, housing approximately 50 former foster youth at a time while they go to school.\u00a0<\/p>\n Suzanne Gwin, AcademySTAY\u2019S development manager said many of the young adults entering the program are already experiencing housing insecurity.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSeventy to 75% of the kids who come to us are unstably housed, so they are either living literally on the streets or are couch surfing,\u201d Gwin said.<\/p>\n According to the organization\u2019s website, roughly 170 youth age out of the foster care system each year in Sacramento County.<\/p>\n Gwin said former foster youth often lack the financial and emotional safety net other youth adults take for granted.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMost 21-year-olds still have a home to call when their car breaks down or their rent goes up, and young adults who are transitioning from foster care really don’t,” Gwin said.\u00a0<\/p>\n For residents at AcademySTAY, receiving this stable housing is sometimes the first time they feel secure.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of them say \u2018this is the first time I’ve had a bed in months or years,\u2019 because a lot of them have been living on the streets for months,\u201d Gwin said.<\/p>\n Although many organisations are working to bring housing and financial resources to former foster youth, Gwin explained the need for more support.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe amount of support that they get when they age out of foster care is really still lacking,\u201d Gwin said. \u201cI\u2019d like to see the number, the amount of dollars be higher and resources vaster.\u201d<\/p>\n Supportive adults<\/p>\n Tiffany Sickler, the CEO of CASA Sacramento, talked about how young people who are facing emancipation can experience mental health challenges, housing instability and increased vulnerability to exploitation.<\/p>\n \u201cIt makes them so vulnerable to be trafficked into the sex industry, to be exploited in other ways and even be brought into gangs,\u201d Sickler said. \u201cIf they don’t have a positive adult role model, they’re susceptible to anything because they’re in survival mode.\u201d<\/p>\n Recruiting and training volunteers to advocate for youth involved in juvenile justice systems and child welfare, CASA Sacramento aims to help young people access medical care, jobs, housing, mental health services and education.<\/p>\n Sickler explained how the relationships between CASA volunteers and youth are especially important.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIts often the only non-monetized relationship our kids have,\u201d Sickler said. \u201cIt shows them that they have value, that they have worth and that someone finds them fun to be around or worth spending time with.\u201d<\/p>\n She said financial resources are important but can never replace a consistent supportive adult relationship.<\/p>\n \u201cOur kids that have been harmed through relationships, that type of healing can only happen through a healthy relationship,\u201d Sickler said.<\/p>\n Housing is another major barrier for foster youth in Sacramento. With rising housing costs and no additional support, going to college can be difficult. According to Zillow<\/a>, an average apartment in Sacramento can cost up to $1,970 a month excluding additional costs like utilities, food and hygiene.<\/p>\n The event on the 8th will give attendees the chance to learn more about the efforts while hearing from local women leaders and former foster youth.<\/p>\n \u201cWe really wanted to provide an event that offered women a chance to network,\u201d Lovette said.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/100526_academystay.jpg\")
A living space at AcademySTAY in Sacramento. The organization provides furnished apartments to up to 56 former foster youth.Courtesy of AcademySTAY<\/p>\n