On any given night, more than 1,300 San Francisco youth don't have a safe place to call home. This is unacceptable. I was inspired to champion the effort to earmark $10 million in the state budget to get California's homeless youth off the streets and succeeded in getting the funding.
It was exciting for me to announce earlier this month that Larkin Street Youth Services is among the four organizations approved to receive a $2.5 million grant to address youth homelessness. The money will provide rental assistance, transitional and supportive housing. Larkin Street has a wonderful history of working with people under the age of 25 and putting them on a path to productive lives. 24-year-old Anubis Daugherty is one of the organization's clients headed in the right direction. He was born homeless and spent most of his life sleeping in cars and parks or couch-surfing. He finally accepted help from a Larkin Street outreach team in 2016, and today he has housing, attends school and interns at the same non-profit that turned his life around.
I want the same for the thousands of other youth in our state like him who end up on the streets through no fault of their own. Some need to get away from abusive situations. Others are rejected by family for identifying as LGBT. Whatever the reason, we need to confront this crisis and invest in solutions.
The other three grants went to shelters in Santa Clara, Los Angeles and San Diego counties. With this boost in funding, we give homeless teens and young adults a chance in life. Stabilizing them today means they have a better shot of not living on the streets in ten years.
Internships Available
Speaking of brighter futures...do you know a college student interested in getting hands-on experience in public policy by working at the State Capitol?
The Asian Pacific Islander Capitol Association (APICA), in conjunction with the API Legislative Caucus, is searching for exceptional candidates for its Capitol Summer Internship Program for college students. This is a full-time, 11-week internship from June 18th to August 24th at the State Capitol in Sacramento that includes a $4,500 stipend to help cover expenses.
Interns will be offered the opportunity to work in a legislative office in either the State Assembly or State Senate. There, they can learn about public policy, participate in the legislative process, expand their professional networks, and position themselves for successful careers upon graduation. Interested applicants should complete an application (which can be found here) by May 1, 2018.
For more information about the internship and application instructions, please visit https://apicasac.org/internship/.
Internships at my San Francisco District Office are also available. The program exposes students to district office operations and activities of a legislator's work. These experiences include working with constituents, conducting community outreach efforts, assisting community based organizations, organizing civic events and projects, databases, staffing the office, and other activities. There is no compensation, but some colleges and universities offer course credits. Please click here for more information and an application.
Sincerely,
