PASADENA, Calif. — After going through many hardships, Sky Celine is still persevering and trying to accomplish her dreams. 

What You Need To Know

  • Roughly half of the approximately 1,100 hundred young adults between the ages of 18 and 21 who are transitioning out of the foster care system experience homelessness or housing instability.

  • County Supervisors recently agreed to increase payments in the Breathe Guaranteed Income Program    

  • LA County has the highest population of foster youth in the country

The 21-year-old entered the foster care system at 14, and after four years as a foster youth, she didn’t know where should would sleep.

“I was 18. I was homeless,” said Celine. “I couldn’t stay at the foster home I was at. I was couch surfing and had to put my stuff in a storage unit. That was pretty rough.”

Celine was able to get a second chance.

She connected with First Place for Youth, a local nonprofit that works with young people in the foster care system. The organization partners with Pasadena City College to help students who are aging out of the foster care system and provide them with housing when they’re enrolled at the school. 

“I don’t have to worry about where I am going to lay my head down,” Celine said. “I don’t have to worry about a roof over my head. I am able to continue my education, meaning I will be able to go further in life.”

According to LA County, roughly half of the approximately 1,100 hundred young adults between the ages of 18 and 21 who are transitioning out of the foster care system experience homelessness or housing instability.

Recently, the LA County Board of Supervisors voted to expand the Breathe Guaranteed Income Program, which would increase payments to young people transitioning out of the foster care system.

Under the new guidelines, people who are 18 and 19 years old and transitioning out of foster care will get monthly payments of $500 for 18 months. While individuals who are 20 and 21 years old and are aging out of the system will receive quarterly payments of $1,500 for 18 months. 

Thomas Lee is the CEO of First Place for Youth, and has worked with Celine and many other young people in foster care. Lee says it’s nice to see the government step up efforts to aid those transitioning out, but he would like to see more efforts at the community level.

“It might be as a volunteer, it might be as a mentor, it might be as a donor, or it might be that this is a profession you want to be a part of,” Lee said. “You can contribute to supporting and helping young people navigate the world that we have as we know it.”

For Celine, the opportunity to finish her education while at PCC and having her own to come home to every night is a blessing.

“I didn’t think I’d make it past 16,” she said. “So to be here, it’s amazing.”