JBAY’s Foster Youth Tax Credit Boosts Financial Stability with 17% Increase in Filers
Knowing what to do as a young adult can be challenging, particularly for foster youth who haven’t had a parent beside them each step of the way to teach them. Tax filing is one good example of a tedious, but necessary task of adulthood. Thanks to John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY), more foster youth […]
Wednesday Pope, Youth Advocate and Former Foster Youth, Appointed to California Youth Empowerment Commission
Preventing trauma is a strong motivation for Wednesday Pope, a Youth Advocate at John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY). This is just one of the goals she plans to pursue as a newly appointed member of the California Youth Empowerment Commission, the first statewide advisory body to consist exclusively of youth, aged 14 to 24. […]
National Coverage of JBAY Features 42% Increase in College Enrollment for Foster Youth
As children around the country were headed back to school, John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) was featured in the national publication, the Chronicle of Philanthropy, for its work to increase college success among foster youth in California. The feature-length article tells the 20-year story of how JBAY has worked to make higher education within […]
JBAY Unveils Ambitious Plan to Halve Educational and Homelessness Gaps
This month, John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) released its newly adopted strategic plan, a comprehensive roadmap to guide the organization through 2027. The centerpiece of the plan is an ambitious ten-year goal: to reduce the equity gap for postsecondary educational & career attainment among youth impacted by foster care and housing insecurity by half […]
JBAY’s Critical Needs and Opportunity Program Assists 1,392 Youth
The tally is complete: a total of 1,392 young people were assisted by the John Burton Advocates for Youth’s Critical Needs and Opportunity Program. The program runs from July 1 to June 30 of each year. It provides direct, financial assistance to youth who have been in foster care or experienced homelessness to address an […]
Debbie Raucher Promoted to Chief Program Officer at JBAY
Veteran staff member Debbie Raucher has been promoted to Chief Program Officer at John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY), effective July 1st. Debbie has led the JBAY education team since 2011 and thanks to her leadership, access to higher education has been fundamentally improved for youth who have been in foster care or homeless in […]
JBAY Celebrates Positive Urban Institute Evaluation of NextUp Program
“They’re like my second family…” That is how one student enrolled in the NextUp program described the quality of support staff members provided in a recent evaluation conducted by the Urban Institute. This was music to our ears at John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY). JBAY sponsored the legislation to establish NextUp in 2014 and […]
From Car to Capitol: Wednesday Pope Champions Foster Care Reform
John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) Youth Advocate Wednesday Pope lived in her car for a full year while she was in foster care because her foster care payment was not adequate to pay rent. She considered her car her “saving grace” because without it she would have had to live in much less safe […]
Rose Wilhem’s Voice Prevails: $13.7 Million Victory for Foster Youth
Surreal. That is the description that Rose Wilhem gave when she learned that the $13.7 million Housing Navigation and Maintenance Program was spared in the recently adopted 2024-25 California State Budget. Rose is a Youth Advocate at John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) and had been working to preserve the program since January 10th when […]