Updated November 19, 2025
WHY THIS MATTERS: When disasters like wildfires, floods, or earthquakes strike, children and youth in foster care face some of the greatest risks and the fewest supports. Their homes and belongings may be lost, their routines and relationships disrupted, and they often lack the financial safety net or extended support system that many families rely on. A dedicated disaster response fund would help ensure foster youth and caregivers can stay safe, stable, and connected during and after a crisis.
WHAT MOVEMENT MEMBERS ACCOMPLISHED: More than 300 Children’s Movement organizations from across California joined together to call for a Child Welfare Disaster Response Fund. Through two coordinated letters, members urged state leaders to:
- Create a one-time $2 million disaster response fund through the state budget, and
- Advance Assembly Bill 689 (Rubio) to establish a dedicated source of flexible, emergency aid for foster youth and their caregivers.
These letters were delivered to key decision makers in the Administration and Legislature, demonstrating strong, statewide support for protecting foster youth in times of crisis.
Click here to view a downloadable PDF version of the letter and signatories.
May 2025
Governor Gavin Newsom
The Honorable Robert Rivas,
Speaker of the Assembly
The Honorable Jesse Gabriel, Chair
Assembly Committee on Budget
The Honorable Dr. Corey Jackson, Chair
Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 2
The Honorable Mike McGuire,
Senate President pro Tempore
The Honorable Scott Wiener, Chair
Senate Budget & Fiscal Review Committee
The Honorable Dr. Akilah Weber Pierson, Chair
Senate Budget & Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 3
RE: Creation of a Child Welfare Disaster Response Fund–$2 million (one-time)
Dear Governor Newsom, Speaker Rivas, President pro Tempore McGuire, Chair Gabriel, Chair Wiener, Chair Jackson, and Chair Weber Pierson:
We, the undersigned organizations, respectfully request your support to establish a statewide Child Welfare Disaster Response Fund, which will ensure resources are immediately available to disaster-impacted communities to mitigate the urgent needs of children and youth in foster care and their caregivers, including their needs for transportation and interim housing and to replace essential belongings.
The state is legally responsible for meeting the needs of children and youth in foster care, which is particularly critical in the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster. Despite the state’s legal responsibility to support these children and youth, there is no dedicated funding available to cover extra, unexpected costs, including replacing lost belongings, securing temporary housing, or traveling between a temporary home and appointments or school.
While everyone struggles in the face of natural disasters, children and youth in foster care and their caregivers have a unique set of challenges after a fire, flood or earthquake. When children and youth in foster care are evacuated or displaced, it becomes extremely difficult to ensure stability, nurture important relationships, and minimize disruptions in services, which compounds their trauma and instability. To mitigate these challenges, foster families and transition age youth in foster care must have access to critical supports and dedicated resources to help them heal and rebuild.
For these reasons, we request a one-time appropriation of $2 million to establish a statewide Child Welfare Disaster Response Fund to ensure disaster-impacted children and youth and their caregivers have the resources they need. Thank you for your consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned Organizations
Click here to view a downloadable PDF version of the letter and signatories.
September 2025
Governor Gavin Newsom
The Honorable Alex Lee, Chair
Assembly Committee on Human Services
The Honorable Buffy Wicks, Chair
Assembly Committee on Appropriations
The Honorable Jesse Arreguín, Chair
Senate Committee on Human Services
The Honorable Anna Caballero, Chair
Senate Committee on Appropriations
RE: AB 689 (Rubio) Foster Youth: Disaster Aid Assistance – SUPPORT
Dear Governor Newsom, Chair Lee, Chair Arreguín, Chair Wicks, and Chair Caballero:
We, the undersigned organizations, respectfully request your support for AB 689 (Rubio), which will establish a statewide Child Welfare Disaster Response Fund to ensure resources are immediately available to disaster-impacted communities to mitigate the urgent needs of children and youth in foster care and their caregivers, including their needs for transportation and interim housing and to replace essential belongings.
The state is legally responsible for meeting the needs of children and youth in foster care, which is particularly critical in the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster. Despite the state’s legal responsibility to support these children and youth, there is no dedicated funding available to cover extra, unexpected costs, including replacing lost belongings, securing temporary housing, or traveling between a temporary home and appointments or school.
While everyone struggles in the face of natural disasters, children and youth in foster care and their caregivers have a unique set of challenges after a fire, flood or earthquake. When children and youth in foster care are evacuated or displaced, it becomes extremely difficult to ensure stability, nurture important relationships, and minimize disruptions in services, which compounds their trauma and instability. To mitigate these challenges, foster families and transition age youth in foster care must have access to critical supports and dedicated resources to help them heal and rebuild.
For these reasons, we request your support for AB 689 (Rubio) to establish a statewide Child Welfare Disaster Response Fund to ensure disaster-impacted children and youth and their caregivers have the resources they need. Thank you for your consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned Organizations
211 LA County
211 Tulare County
826 Valencia
A Better Way, Inc.
Ability Awareness Project
AbilityPath
Acoustic for Change
Adorable Babies Jump Start Corporation
Advokids
African American Network of Kern County, Inc.
African American Wellness Center for Children & Families
Agape Villages Foster Family Agency
Aging UP
Alex Rorabaugh Recreation Center
All of Us or None
Alliance for California Computing Education for Students and Schools (ACCESS)
Alliance for Children’s Rights
Almaden Valley Counseling Service
Almaden Valley Rotary Club
American Indian Child Resource Center
American Sports Institute
Amundson Consulting
Applied Survey Research
Arriba Juntos
Arts Bridging the Gap
Aspiranet
BANANAS, Inc.
Barbara Stroud Training and Consultation
Bay Area Academy
Bay Area Salvadorian American Chamber of Commerce
Bay Area STEM Ecosystem
Bay Area Tutoring Association and Code Writing Kids
Beach Mom’s Child Development Center
Benevolence Health Centers
Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County
Black Youth Leadership Project
BonusBabies.org
BOSS, Inc.
Boys & Girls Club of Laguna Beach
Boys & Girls Clubs of Mid Central Coast
Boys2Men Girls2Women
Bridge the Gap College Prep
Brooke Frost and Associates
BUILD
Build Up San Mateo County
California Alliance of Caregivers
California Alliance of Child and Family Services
California Behavioral Health Association
California Education Partners
California Family Resource Association
California Health Collaborative
California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network
California School-Age Consortium
California State Association of Counties
California STEM Network
California Youth Connection
Camp Fashionista
Canyon Children’s Legal Services
CASA of Los Angeles
Caulder Lamm Alliance for Children, Inc.
Center for District Innovation and Leadership in Early Education
Center for Engineering, Science, and Mathematics Education – Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Center for Health Justice
Center for Leadership, Equity, and Research (CLEAR)
Ceres Community Project
Chamber San Mateo County
Change Begins With ME (Indivisible)
Child Abuse Prevention Council of Contra Costa County
Child Care Coordinating Council of San Mateo County
Child Development Resources of Ventura County, Inc.
Child Studies Program at Santa Clara University
Childcare Business Institute
Children Now
Children’s Advocacy Institute
Children’s Cause Orange County
Children’s Institute
Children’s Law Center of California
Children’s Pre-School Center
Children’s Receiving Home of Sacramento
Children’s Resource & Referral of Santa Barbara County
Coalition for Family Unity
Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice
Community Food Bank of San Benito County
Community Foundation of Merced County
Community Resource Center
Contra Costa Youth Service Bureau
Cookie Good
County Welfare Directors Association of California
Cradle to Career Santa Cruz County
Creative Alternatives
Crime Survivors, Inc.
Cultural Brokers, Inc.
Determined to Succeed
Disability Rights California
Divine Awareness Awakening Intervention
Dovetail Learning
Dunsmuir Community Resource Center
East Bay Asian Youth Center (EBAYC)
East Bay Sanctuary Covenant
East LA Rising Youth Club
East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC)
Eastside College Preparatory School
EcoBirth – Women for Earth and Birth
Ecumenical Hunger Program
EDMO (Edventure More)
Educate California
Education Justice Academy
El Sol Science and Arts Academy
Elemental Synchronicity
End Child Poverty in California (ECPCA)
Escuela de la Raza Unida
Everychild Foundation
Evolve California
Expressions of Hope
Families Forward Learning Center
Family Connections
Family Paths, Inc.
FIRST 5 Santa Clara County
First 5 Santa Cruz County
First Congregational Church of Palo Alto, UCC
First Graduate
First Place for Youth
FirstGen America
Footsteps Child Care, Inc.
Forget Me Not Children’s Services
Fostering UNITY
Fresh Approach
Fresh Lifelines for Youth
Fresno Community Health Improvement Partnership (FCHIP)
Fresno Council on Child Abuse Prevention
Friends of the Children L.A.
Gardner Rodriguez
Girls Inc. of Orange County
Give Every Child A Chance
Gold Arrow Camp
Good River Partners
Grail Family Services
Guatemalan American Chamber of Commerce
Habitat for Humanity Greater SF
Healthy and Active Before 5
Heisters Generative
Help Me Grow San Mateo County
Hillsides
Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, San Francisco
Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley
Hively
Hmong Cultural Center of Butte County
HOMEY (Homies Organizing the Mission to Empower Youth)
HopSkipDrive
Hub for Integration, Reentry & Employment (HIRE)
Huckleberry Youth Programs
Humboldt County Transition Age Youth Collaboration
Hunger Action, LA
Hunger at Home
iFoster
I’m a Movement Not a Monument
Imperial County Public Health Department Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program
Inn at Mavericks
InnerCity Struggle
InsideOUT Writers
Integrated Behavioral Health Research Institute
ISAFE Enterprises LLC
James Morehouse Project
JobTrain
John Burton Advocates for Youth
JourneyGPS
Joyful Parenting Coaching
Keyes Union Elementary School District
Kid City Hope Place
Kid Power Academy
Kids in Common
Kidsave
Koinonia Family Services
Krause Center for Innovation
LA Best Babies Network
LA Voice
Latin American and Caribbean Business Chamber of Commerce
Law Offices of Barbara A. Goode
Leah’s Pantry
Legal Services for Prisoners with Children
LEMONADE Creative Consulting
literacytutor.org
LMT & Associates, Inc.
Local Planning Council for Child Care Development for the County of Nevada
Long Beach Latino Chamber of Commerce
Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer
MACLA/Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana
Margolis Consulting
Media Alliance
Menlo College
Mental Health and Recovery Counseling Education and Training (MHRCET)
Merced County Office of Education, Local Child Care Planning Council
Milpitas Unified School District
Mindful Methods For Life
MindSpark Custom Learning Solutions
Monterey County Building Healthy Communities
Mountain View/Los Altos/Los Altos Hills Challenge Team
National Council for Jewish Women Los Angeles
National Women’s Political Caucus of California
National Women’s Political Caucus, Silicon Valley
Need 4 Bridges
New Hope Chinese Cancer Care Foundation
New Hope for Youth
Newman Hall Non Violent Peacemaking Group
Nicaraguan American Chamber of Commerce
North Coast Energy Services
North Star Family Center
Nuevo Amanecer Latino Children’s Services
On The Move
ONEgeneration
Optimal Solutions Consulting
Orange County Child Care Association
Orange County Food Bank
Our Generation Cares
Parent Engagement Academy
Pathways LA
Peace Over Violence
Peace4Kids
Perfect Pixel Photo Booth
Persyn Law and Policy
Pesticide Free Zone
Peter and Candis Doerken Foundation
PFLAG Los Angeles
Placer Independent Resource Services
Positive Results Center
Precious Life Shelter, Inc.
Public Counsel
Rape Counseling Services of Fresno
Reading Is Fundamental of Southern California
Realized Potential Inc.
River City Democratic Club
Roberts Family Development Center
S. Fitch Consulting LLC
Safe & Sound
Salesian Family Youth Center
San Diego Council on Literacy
San Diego for Every Child
San Mateo County Economic Development Association (SAMCEDA)
San Mateo County Office of Education
seeMYchild
Sententia Vera, LLC
Shasta Cascade Health Centers
SHIELDS for Families
Silver Giving Foundation
Siskiyou Community Resource Collaborative
Sisters of the Holy Family
Social Justice Learning Institute
SOMOS Mayfair
Sonya Heisters Consulting
Southland Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Southside Coalition of Community Health Centers
Special Needs Network, Inc.
Success Together, Inc.
Sutter County Children and Families Commission
Teen Cancer America
Teens4Teens Help
Ten Strands
The Aieste Star Foundation
The BASIC Fund
The Big Lift
The Carol and James Collins Foundation
The Child Abuse Prevention Center
The Family Spirit Center
The GRAD Partnership
The Lake School
The Little Mud Puddles Learning Center, Inc.
The Los Angeles Trust for Children’s Health
The Oakland Public Education Fund
The Philip and Muriel Berman Foundation
The Rhythmic Arts Project
The RightWay Foundation
The SETI Institute
The Source LGBT+ Center
The Tech Interactive
The Unity Council
Therapeutic Play Foundation, Inc.
Thriving Families CA (TFC) Foundation
Ticket to Dream Foundation
TransFamilies of Silicon Valley
Transition House
Trinidad Civic Club
Turning Green
UC Davis Upward Bound
United Cerebral Palsy of Central California
Untitled No. 1 School
Urban League of San Diego County
Urban Strategies Council
Vacaville Neighborhood Boys & Girls Club
Valley Achievement Center
Valley Improvement Projects
VOICES Napa
VOICES Solano
VOICES Sonoma
Waking the Village
Wayfinder Family Services
Western Center on Law & Poverty
Willows and Dunes Childcare
Worksite Wellness LA
WOW Explorations
YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles
YMCA of San Joaquin County
Young Storytellers
Youth Law Center
Youth Leadership Institute
Youth Transforming Justice
WHERE THINGS STAND: Proposals to create a Child Welfare Disaster Response Fund moved forward through both the state budget process and AB 689. While the 2025-26 state budget did not ultimately include a dedicated disaster fund, AB 689 passed the Legislature but was later vetoed by the Governor. Although the policy has not yet been adopted, this campaign significantly raised the visibility of disaster response for foster youth and caregivers. The strong show of support from more than 300 organizations has laid important groundwork for future budget and legislative efforts to secure flexible disaster aid for foster youth.
HOW TO STAY INVOLVED: While this campaign has concluded, The Children’s Movement continues to mobilize around policies that prioritize California’s kids. If you’d like to stay informed and receive action alerts about future Pro-Kid campaigns, sign-up here: https://www.tfaforms.com/4632170
