Message from the Founders

Pathways To Your Future
Gerald and Linda Thompson, Founders

BRINGING THE NEIGHBOR BACK TO THE HOOD ©

On behalf of our staff and Board of Directors, we would like to express our gratitude to all of the youth we serve as well as our volunteers, supporters and collaborators for helping to make the goals of Pathways to Success Transitional Housing Program a reality. Our goal is to ensure that transition age youth make a healthy and permanent transition to financial self-sufficiency and independent living.

We began Pathways to Success Transitional Housing Program while working with youth for over the past 10 years. We received countless telephone calls on where youth who were emancipating from foster care and on probation could find affordable housing and supportive services. We had very few referrals for housing.

In Los Angeles County each year, an estimated 20,350 youth, ages 14 – 21, are eligible to receive Emancipation Services 3,000 need housing and there are only about 700 beds. The Division of Juvenile Justice estimates that 45% of male wards and 65% of female wards in 2000 had mental health problems. Many of these youth are some of the most neglected and underserved in our society. They lack access to age appropriate health care, behavioral health care and social services.

We as agents of change must provide the necessary housing, support services, mentoring, protection and love that these young people desperately need. When our young people are safe, our communities, our cities and our nation becomes safer and stronger.