Foster youth are one unexpected event away from homelessness. You can help.
Emergency Funding Support
Too often, emancipated and aged-out foster youth live paycheck to paycheck, with no safety net or family to rely on, and are simply one emergency away from homelessness. A cut in hours, a sick child, or a doctors visit can mean the difference in being able to pay rent, afford groceries and gas, or provide other necessities for themselves or their family. With the current state of affairs nationwide due to COVID-19, most states have implemented the shutdown of any non-essential workplaces including many hourly employers such as restaurants, gyms, salons, offices, and retail stores.Ticket to Dream is working with our network of charity partners to determine the greatest needs nationwide for youth affected by COVID-19. Your support today will help us provide emergency support to foster youth to help stay current on their rent and utility bills, put gas in their vehicles, pay for groceries or childcare, and provide essential items such as hygiene necessities or clothing.
Helping Foster Youth Keep Up In School
Most K-12 and higher education establishments have moved to an online learning setting for the duration of the 2019-2020 school year. Statistically, 70% of foster youth do not have consistent and reliable access to a computer. Many foster youth do computer work during school hours, at the library, or from their phones. With schools and libraries shuttering their doors, one of the biggest needs we’ve heard from our charity partners is access to a home computer for foster youth to complete coursework and keep up with their peers.
Ticket to Dream is able to rapidly identify the need for computer access & dispatch a Chromebook within hours, with delivery occurring within days. Chromebooks are the current laptop of choice in many districts, utilizing the Google Docs applications. For districts that do not use Google Docs, students are able to use a work-around provided they have an Office 365 account.
NEW WAY TO HELP: Provide Summer Fun for Foster Youth While Home All Summer
Many schools, childcare centers & summer camps are closed through the fall. That means kiddos will be home & looking for entertainment. Your donations will help provide summer fun in the form of porch drops full of goodies like sidewalk chalk, board games & water activities.
The Need Is Great
Nearly every state now has regulations in place to protect people from the virus. That means in the first week of the pandemic we have only reached a small fraction of the foster youth that we serve and that are experiencing the effects of the virus. We need your help to ensure no former foster youth ends up homeless because of this crisis & no foster child falls behind in school. If you are able, please join the helpers who are making a difference.
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