Foster Care Counts: Putting the Heart in Partnership
John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) is committed first and foremost to policy change. We work every day to improve policies for youth who have been in foster care or homeless by advocating for better laws, training communities to strengthen local practices and conducting research to inform policy solutions. But sometimes, it’s not policy, but […]
Youth Advocate on the Rise: Xavier Mountain Reaches New Heights
Each year, John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) issues over a dozen policy reports and research briefs: we’re committed to getting the facts right. But what brings this research to life is our 11 youth advocates, who share their direct, lived experience to inform decision makers. This powerful recipe works: it has resulted in 52 […]
From Friend to Fighter: Meet John Garcia, JBAY’s New Board President
For incoming board president John Garcia, the mission of John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) is personal. As a boy growing up in Oakland, his neighbor and best friend, also named John, was in foster care. He fondly recalls spending time together, as ‘the two John’s’ playing and just being kids. One day, his friend […]
The Game of Life: JBAY Helps Foster Youth Win Against All Odds
Imani Gordon is a student at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill in Contra Costa County. He recently received $200 from the Burton Critical Needs and Opportunity Fund to help him obtain school supplies as a game design major. John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) established the Critical Needs and Opportunity Fund to help young […]
California’s Foster Youth Get Some Good News: An Extra Year of Safe, Affordable Housing
On July 1st over 2,000 former foster youth in California received some unexpected, good news: they’re eligible for an extra 12 months of safe, affordable housing. That’s thanks to the successful advocacy of John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY). JBAY successfully advocated to extend the length of the state’s transitional housing program from 24 to […]
JBAY Advocacy Expands Campus Support Programs to Every Publicly Funded Campus in California
Campus support programs make a huge difference in helping foster youth stay afloat and succeed in college. JBAY Youth Advocate Karen Lopez can attest to this. Like many foster youth, she struggled to find her foot at first in college. Because she didn’t have practical resources for college planning at her high school, she had […]
No Barrier too Great: JBAY Helps Foster Youth Stay on the Path to Higher Education
Maria Rocha is a student at Los Angeles City College. She recently received $120 from the Burton Critical Needs and Opportunity Fund to help her pay for internet services. John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) established the Critical Needs and Opportunity Fund to help young people like Maria. This year, the program will provide direct […]
JBAY Helps Youth Escape the Catch 22 of Housing and Education
Sometimes for youth, housing and education can feel like a Catch 22: without an education, you can’t get a good job to pay for housing. But without housing, it can be hard to have the stability to succeed in college. JBAY Youth Advocate Cody Van Felden understands this dilemma all too well. Cody became homeless […]
JBAY is Lifting Up Community Voices to Help Homeless Youth
John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) works closely with community-based organizations across California to improve the lives of youth who have been in foster care or homeless. That’s how we learned about the virtual absence of funding to help homeless youth. It’s also how JBAY successfully advocated for a 10% “youth set-aside” in the state’s […]