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Ventura County, California. There are approximately 1,200 youth in out-of-home care across the County
As a non-profit organization, RaisingHOPE relies on volunteers and donations from individuals and businesses!
Volunteers are needed for year-round events and activities, including the Hope4Kids Festival & Run, Holidays of HOPE and more! Please contact info@raisinghope.org.
Any of the following will directly help a youth:
Up until 2016 our annual HOPE4Kids event was the sole income source for RaisingHOPE, Inc. During that time 100% of the proceeds from that event went directly to help children in foster care in Ventura County. Recently we have grown and transitioned to offer more programs for foster youth and families. To that end we now have costs associated with our mentor program training and our legal advocacy. However we work hard to keep the costs down both in planning the event and in covering our overhead so that we can continue to support as many children in foster care and those transitioning out of foster care as we can.
Requests for financial support come in many different forms. We view ourselves as a gap filler. Ventura County has many support organizations for foster youth but there are still needs that are not covered in any way. One example is orthodontic care. This is not covered by Medi-Cal and sometimes the need is so severe that it can affect a child’s health in addition to their self-confidence. Some organizations will cover several of these per year for a certain age group but RaisingHOPE is not limited. We are able to assess each individual need and make a determination based on the benefit to the child and the funds available.
Another common need is for youth who are aging out or transitioning out of the foster care system. We are so proud of these young people because they are pressing on against all odds toward success. We want to support them as much as possible in order to prevent homelessness, depression, unemployment and other unfortunate consequences of being in the foster care system. Transitioning aged youth often need help paying for college textbooks – remember how expensive those can be? They might need a rental deposit or car repair or a refrigerator for their apartment.
We can also assist with travel expenses for a child to meet with relatives that could eventually become a placement. Sometimes children have relatives that they may not have met or may not have seen since they were very young. These relatives could become caregivers for the child but for the fact that the child doesn’t know them so there is no comfort level there. The county doesn’t have the funds to send a child to connect with their family but we can help with this if there is a genuine possibility of placement. In doing this we can assist children in finding homes rather than languishing in the foster care system.
Basically, as long as we have the funds, we will assist with anything that benefits a child who has an open child welfare court case in Ventura County or who recently transitioned out of the child welfare system.
In Ventura County you can become a “resource family” in one of two ways. A resource family is similar to a foster family home except that it includes relative caregivers as well as foster parents. Beginning in 2016 Ventura County is licensing all relatives as well as foster family homes for both foster care and adoption.
Families can become licensed through Foster VC Kids, a division of Children & Family Services or they can become licensed through one of the four foster family agencies (FFA’s). Each organization is slightly different and it is important to ask questions to determine which one is right for your family.
The requirements to foster in Ventura County are:
- Complete an application.
- Complete the resource family training (varies depending on the agency)
- Become certified in CPR/First Aid for both infants & adults
- Have a medical exam
- Pass a background check
- Pass a home inspection
Aspiranet – www.aspiranet.org
Koinonia Family Homes – www.kfh.org
Bethany Christian Services – www.bethany.org
Casa Pacifica Foster Family Agency – www.casapacifica.org
Foster VC Kids (Ventura County Children & Family Services) – www.fostervckids.org
RaisingHOPE can assist with any items that benefit a child in the child welfare system or who has recently transitioned out. We are unable to assist foster parents with things like rent or car repair that do not directly benefit a youth. If you know of a child who is in need of financial assistance, please complete this form [hyperlink to form]
Complete the form [link] completely.
Once you complete the form you can email it to info@raisinghope.org or mail it to
1772-J. E. Avenida de Los Arboles, Suite 204
Thousand Oaks, CA 91362.
Financial awards are determined on a case by case basis.
Complete the form [link] completely.
Once you complete the form you can email it to info@raisinghope.org or mail it to
1772-J. E. Avenida de Los Arboles, Suite 204
Thousand Oaks, CA 91362.
Financial awards are determined on a case by case basis.