JBAY Works to End Campus Policies that Restrict Financial Aid
When the pandemic struck, college students quickly went to distance learning, including JBAY Youth Advocate Taivon Payne, a former foster youth enrolled at City College of San Francisco. For Taivon, the pandemic was a disaster. He no longer had access to in-person student support services and found himself struggling with on-line classes. His grades quickly […]
JBAY Helps Young Parents in Foster Care Start Out Right
Diapers, wipes, onesies, car seat, stroller, crib… As any parent knows, these are among the many items that expectant parents purchase in preparation for the big day: the birth of their child! Thanks to John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY), youth in foster care can start their lives as parents prepared. JBAY was part of […]
Tipping Point Support Helps JBAY Go to the Next Level
We are delighted to report that Tipping Point renewed its support to JBAY with a $400,000 grant for 2022. This grant will provide funding for a fourth year of its multi-year initiative, Better Futures for Foster Youth. Launched in 2019, this ambitious initiative aims to change policy and practices to make it easier for foster […]
Bring in the Pro: Introducing Corrine Levy!
John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) is thrilled to announce that we have hired a Director of Development. Corrine Levy comes to JBAY with over two decades of development experience in the Bay Area and throughout California. Ms. Levy has dedicated her career to social change and has worked as a nonprofit fundraising professional, serving […]
On Your Mark, Get Set: Advocate!
Welcome to 2022! For those of us at John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY), 2022 means it’s time to get busy advocating for our legislative agenda! This year, we are proposing our most ambitious agenda yet. We know how deeply young people have been impacted by the pandemic and we are proposing policy solutions to […]
Time to Build! JBAY’s Advocacy Results in Housing for Youth
Life is about to get a little better for youth experiencing homelessness in Kern County, thanks in part to John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY). JBAY successfully advocated for state funding to address youth homelessness and in December, Kern County was the first jurisdiction to be awarded funding. The newly available funding will provide 34 […]
Speaking Truth to Power: JBAY Youth Advocate Cody Van Felden
Cody Van Felden knows all too well that California often overlooks the needs of homeless youth. Cody became homeless at age 18, after being kicked out of the home of her former foster parents. While homeless, she slept on floors, in a car for three months and tried to get into shelters, which were dangerous and unsympathetic to her experience as a young adult. “I felt […]
Introducing JBAY’s 2022 Youth Advocates
JBAY is delighted to introduce our team of Youth Advocates for 2022! This inspiring group of 11 young people are a key part of our success. Each were formerly in foster care or have been homeless and bring their direct, lived experiences to our work in the areas of education, housing, and health. The class […]
JBAY Makes the Holiday Season Brighter for Foster Youth
The holiday season can be hard for youth who have been in foster care or homeless. They often don’t have an extended family, or even a single person, to welcome them into their home to celebrate. They also struggle financially, lacking the resources to pay rent, let alone buy gifts. Former foster youth Alexis Barries […]