LOS ANGELES, CA — Reimagined Freedom—founded in 2020 by the Young Women’s Freedom Center—last week announced the launch of Foster Family Agency (FFA) from Beloved Village.
According to Beloved Village, FFA is a “groundbreaking initiative” to provide “safe, nurturing” homes for girls and trans youth in California aged 14 to 21.
“Every young person deserves a loving home,” said Alex Volpe, executive director of Beloved Village, adding, “Our mission is to keep families together, whether biological or chosen, by resourcing them with what they need to not just survive but thrive.”
In addition to Beloved Village’s original mission in providing community-based housing solutions for “women, girls, and trans individuals of all genders who have faced violence, incarceration, poverty, and homelessness,” FFA said it strives to challenge “traditional foster care models” while still prioritizing “family togetherness,”
“When returning home is not an immediate option, our FFA allows youth to make choices about the community they want to reside in and the people they believe will best support them, instead of being subjected to living wherever and with whomever the existing foster care system can most quickly find a ‘bed,’” Volpe noted in a statement.
Volpe then added that in “other FFAs, young people are often placed with strangers who do not share their cultural background and live far from their community and prior schools. Unsurprisingly, these youth often quickly run away from these new ‘homes.’”
Volpe, who has more than 20 years of experience “supporting underserved youth and families” with a master’s in social work, a Clinical Social Worker License, and J.D, maintained, “Our innovative FFA is informed by over 30 years of listening to youth, families, and communities telling us what they truly need to heal and thrive.”
Beloved Village, in a statement, cited “poverty, housing instability, child welfare involvement, and incarceration” to be intertwined influences on foster youth.
Beloved Village added it will “disrupt the cycles of harm,” including the “current, future, and intergenerational cycles,” by providing that stability in housing and dedicated caretakers.
“Our direct service staff have lived experience with some, if not all, of the hardships our participants and their families have endured, making us uniquely poised to form rapport, build trust, and create hope. We intentionally hire staff and recruit caregivers from the communities we serve,” Beloved Village stated.
Volpe concluded that Beloved Village is “proud to honor their voices and provide the needed support” that will “make real change in their lives.”
