Our Impact

We Are Just Getting Started, and That Is the Point

Most nonprofit impact pages show you the past. Ours shows you the future, and invites you to build it. The People Union’s direct-service programs are launching now in California, which means this page will grow in real time as our first young people move in, get licensed, get hired, and get free.

The Need, in Numbers

• 15,000+ young people age out of U.S. foster care every year; in Los Angeles County alone, roughly 1,000 youth age out annually.
• About 1 in 4 former foster youth experiences homelessness by their early twenties.
• Over 40% of youth who age out are incarcerated by age 20; 17% of the U.S. prison population has foster care history.
• More than 80% of youth offenders are rearrested within five years, a cycle that stable housing and employment are proven to help break.
• Former foster youth at age 26 earn about 50% less than their peers, and only about half are employed at 21.

Our First-Year Goals

• Open our first transitional home and provide safe housing for 10 young adults in Los Angeles County, California.
• Help 15 young people earn their California driver’s license, and put the keys to a first reliable car in the hands of 5 participants through the Keys Program.
• Place 20 participants into jobs or vocational training programs, with at least 12 still employed six months later.
• Provide a full year of food, personal care items, and essentials to every resident, roughly 11,000 meals served.
• Recruit and train 25 volunteer mentors so that every participant is matched with a mentor from day one.

How We Will Measure Success

We will publish our results: housing stability at 6 and 12 months, employment rates, licenses earned, cars purchased, and program completion, on this page and on our Transparency page, updated quarterly. When we fall short, we will say so and explain what we are changing. That is what accountability looks like.

Stories

As our first participants complete the program, their stories (shared with their written permission and on their terms) will appear here. Behind every number on this page is a name, and we intend for you to meet them.