Unity Care explains the funds will help young adults impacted by layoffs pay for rent, food and basic necessities during the coronavirus shutdown.
Unity Care of San Jose, who, since 1993, has been helping transform the lives of foster youth, is now urging the public to help in order to ensure the continued well-being of this vulnerable young adult population.To that end, they have provided a link where those who are able to can donate to help youth during this crisis.
This plea for help comes at a time when thousands of lives hang in the balance due to the ever-increasing threat of the Coronavirus. Whether affected directly or indirectly, there is no question that our very way of life has been—and continues to be—severely impacted by this current turn of events. Without a doubt, everyone is already feeling the effects of this shutdown. A large group of Unity Care’s young adults who work in minimum wage jobs in retail stores or the service industry are particularly affected by the shelter-in-place order that has eliminated their ability to work.
Many of these young adults are recipients of Unity Care’s transitional housing services, which allows them to successfully overcome dire odds by receiving stable supportive housing, and providing them the opportunity to focus on their educational and employment goals. Unfortunately, this is now at stake as a direct result of circumstances beyond any of our control. This is why Unity Care of San Jose is making a plea for the public’s support by way of cash contributions to their emergency fund to support these foster youth in urgent need. By making a donation, we can ensure that a current or former foster youth will not end up homeless as a result of their inability to work.
Unity Care’s mission statement, as written on their homepage, is to “provide safe, secure, and positive living environments; educate and support underserved foster youth; and prepare young people to pursue professions in which minorities are chronically underrepresented”.
In late February, the nonprofit organization opened a new transitional home in San Leandro for female emerging adult foster youth ages 16 to 21. The house offers six new beds between three bedrooms and complements the 120 beds that Unity Care, San Jose, currently offers via its Northern California Transitional Housing Program. Through a combination of housing and community-based services, volunteer programs, and donations, Unity Care has been able to give underserved foster youth another chance at a brighter future.
These youths are extremely at-risk and they do not have family support systems to help them through times of crisis. The gifts that Unity Care, San Jose, is asking for go to an emergency fund to help foster youth pay their rent, pay their essential utility and communication bills, buy food, and other basic necessities. Founder and CEO of Unity Care Andre Chapman stated, “a gift of $500 will help cover the necessities of one young adult foster youth for a month, but any amount you’re able to share will immediately be put to good use in order to help foster youth weather this crisis.”
