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The Children’s Movement builds power for kids by bringing diverse voices together to sign letters calling on policymakers to take bold actions that benefit children.
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Organizations signed on (as of 6/9/2026)
Current Campaign
Sign on to make sure kids get housing support
California is about to pass the biggest housing bond in a decade, but not a single dollar of it is dedicated to kids. Organizations across the state are calling on policymakers to change that.
Updated: 5/26/2026
What’s Happening
Right now, the California Legislature is moving forward with the biggest housing investment in a decade — $10 billion to build affordable housing across the state — and it doesn’t dedicate a single dollar to housing kids.
That’s not new. The last big housing bond Californians passed in 2018 left kids out, too. More than 287,000 students in California experienced homelessness last school year, doubled up with other families, living in cars, or on the street.
The Legislature is going to act on housing this year. The question is whether they act with kids in mind.
The Fix: Putting Kids in the Bond
California’s leaders can change this by dedicating funding for kids inside the $10 billion housing bond, making sure community organizations that serve youth can apply for resources directly, and that kids aren’t crowded out by large housing developers. In plain terms, that means:
- Kids finding comfort and stability instead of struggling to find a safe place to sleep.
- Community organizations that serve youth getting funding directly, instead of being crowded out by large housing developers.
- A real shot at stopping the pipeline from youth homelessness into chronic adult homelessness.
Why Kids, Why Now
California has the most youth experiencing homelessness in the country. Over 60% of them are unsheltered, living on the streets, or in terrible places not meant for human habitation. Fewer than 4% of California’s homelessness beds are set aside for youth.
In San Francisco and Los Angeles, roughly half of all adults experiencing chronic homelessness first lost their housing before they turned 25. When we don’t help kids, we pay for it for decades.
The burden falls unevenly. About 40% of youth experiencing homelessness identify as LGBTQIA+. Black youth are 83% more likely than other youth to experience homelessness. The pattern is especially stark for foster youth. Nearly 1 in 3 youth and young adults experiencing homelessness have spent time in foster care. California spent years extending foster care into early adulthood, but without somewhere safe to live, those investments collapse the day a young person ages out of the system.
The Legislature is discussing housing right now, yet few are talking about how it impacts kids. We must make sure kids are a priority.
SUBJECT: Support for Including Youth in State Housing Bond
Dear Governor Newsom, Pro Tem Limón and Speaker Rivas,
We, the undersigned organizations, urge you to include youth in a state housing bond to combat homelessness and housing instability for California’s most vulnerable youth. By prioritizing building housing and supporting capital expenditures for acquiring and rehabilitating housing for youth, California will increase the availability and accessibility of youth housing to help stem the pipeline of youth homelessness to chronic adult homelessness.
Housing instability and homelessness significantly hinder the pursuit of higher education, meaningful employment, and self-sufficiency for transition aged youth. The California Budget and Policy Center reports: “Lack of stable housing seriously disrupts individuals’ ability to keep a job or get a job or to make sure that children are able to attend and focus on school. Homelessness exposes individuals to serious health risks and makes it difficult to take care of one’s health and access health care, and therefore homelessness can exacerbate chronic or acute health conditions.” These issues are even more acute for youth who are currently or formerly in foster care, youth experiencing homelessness, and youth under probation supervision as they transition to adulthood.
We must build a system rooted in healing — one that gives young people the support, stability, and opportunity they need to escape homelessness for good. Without meaningful action, we are effectively creating a permanent pipeline from systems of care and youth homelessness into chronic homelessness later in life.
The evidence is undeniable. Research shows that nearly half of people experiencing chronic homelessness first became homeless when they were young. Recent reports found that in San Francisco, 49% of adults experiencing homelessness first lost stable housing before the age of 25. In Los Angeles County, that number is 45%.
These numbers are more than statistics — they are a warning. When we fail to intervene early with trauma-informed and developmentally appropriate care, housing stability, and long-term support, we allow temporary crises in youth to become lifelong cycles of homelessness. Investing in healing-centered systems today is not only compassionate; it is essential to preventing chronic homelessness tomorrow.
Including youth in a state housing bond, which will increase the availability and accessibility of youth housing to help prevent the pipeline of youth homelessness to chronic adult homelessness. This must include allowing community-based non-profit organizations to be eligible for these funds so they can provide the necessary support to individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness through targeted and developmentally appropriate services. Invested in improving communities, these organizations are experts in identifying specific housing needs and gaps and coordinating efforts to support transition-aged youth as they transition to stable housing.
Our systems are failing to protect our young people and failing to set them up for success after they age out of the foster care system. Including youth in the state housing bond will address the ongoing need to develop housing to support current and former foster youth and youth experiencing or at risk of homelessness. We must increase housing stability and enhance the impact of California’s investments in housing for youth by creating a dedicated funding source to combat youth homelessness. Funds will be used to develop housing specifically for youth experiencing homelessness.
Every community believes in supporting its children. We rally behind school programs, youth sports, and opportunities that help young people thrive. But we must also ask ourselves whether we are doing enough for the most vulnerable youth — those who do not have the safety, stability, and support of a caring family.
Today, far too many young people are surviving without a safe place to call home. They are sleeping in cars, in abandoned buildings, or moving from couch to couch with strangers. Others cycle through shelters designed for adults decades older than they are. These youth deserve more than survival; they deserve the stability, care, and opportunity to build a future with dignity and hope.
For these reasons, we urge you to prioritize youth in the state housing bond that allows public agencies and nonprofit community-based organizations with specific youth expertise to apply for the youth bond funds.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned Organizations
Updated: 5/26/2026
- Isn’t there already a housing bond moving through the legislature? Yes, and that’s exactly the problem. The $10 billion housing bond moving toward the 2026 ballot doesn’t dedicate any funding to kids. We’re asking lawmakers to fix that before it goes to voters in November.
- What exactly are we asking lawmakers to do? We’re asking Governor Newsom, the Senate Pro Tem, and the Assembly Speaker to make sure California’s $10 billion housing bond includes dedicated funding for kids before it moves to the November ballot. That means funding youth housing and youth centers and letting youth-serving community organizations apply for the funds, not just traditional housing developers.
- Won’t kids benefit from the housing bond anyway? In practice, no. The bond funds general affordable housing, which means the projects most likely to win funding are large multifamily developments built by traditional developers, not youth housing built by youth-serving community organizations. Kids get left out. Dedicated funding for kids inside the bond would fix that, letting youth-serving community organizations and local governments apply for funds directly.
- Hasn’t California already passed housing bonds? Yes, and the last big affordable housing bond (Proposition 1, 2018) included no targeted funding for youth. The result: only 3.4% of California’s homelessness beds today are dedicated to young people. We’re asking lawmakers to make sure that mistake isn’t repeated.
- What happens after I sign on? Your organization’s name will be added to the letter going to Governor Newsom, the Senate Pro Tem, and the Speaker. We may also be in touch about additional ways to help like sharing the campaign with your network. There’s no obligation beyond the sign-on.
- Does my organization have to be based in California? No, but most signers will be. National organizations with a stake in California youth are welcome to sign.
- Does my organization need to be part of The Children’s Movement to sign on? No. Any organization that supports housing California’s homeless and at-risk youth can sign on, whether or not you’re a current Children’s Movement member. We hope you’ll consider joining the Movement after this campaign, but it’s not a requirement to add your name.
- Can individuals sign on, or is this for organizations only? For this campaign, sign-ons are limited to organizations. The letter to California’s leaders carries the most weight when it speaks with the collective voice of organizations from different communities and sectors across the state. If you’re an individual who wants to help, the most useful thing you can do is share the campaign with organizations in your network and encourage them to add their name.
Updated: 6/9/2026
211 Tulare County
211 Ventura (Interface Children and Family Services)
21st Century Alliance
4Cs of Alameda County
A Coming of Age Foster Family Agency
Abbey of Saint Mary Theotokos, Inc.
AbilityPath
Access California Services
Advokids
Aeries Software
African American Network of Kern County, Inc.
Agape Villages Foster Family Agency
Aidcal
Alan M Vietze, LCSW
ALAS Ayudando Latinos a Soñar
Alder Graduate School of Education
Alex Rorabaugh Recreation Center
Alhambra Educational Foundation
Alliance for Children’s Rights
Alliance of Relative Caregivers
Allies for Every Child
Almaden Valley Counseling Service
Almaden Valley Rotary Club
Amaro Family Child Care
American Academy of Pediatrics, California
American Academy of Pediatrics, California Chapter 2
American Academy of Pediatrics, California Chapter 3
American Relief Organization dba Got Your Back San Diego
American Society for the Positive Care of Children (SPCC)
American Sports Institute
Amigos de Guadalupe Center for Justice and Empowerment
Amundson Consulting
Angels In Waiting
Applied Survey Research
Aquatic Park School
Art of Life Cancer Foundation
Arts Bridging the Gap
Asian American Donor Program
Aspiranet
Association of Community Human Service Agencies (ACHSA)
Avant-Garde Foster Family Agency
Barbara Stroud Training and Consultation
Barnabas Charity Outreach
Bay Area Academy
Bay Area Salvadorian American Chamber of Commerce
Bay Area STEM Ecosystem
Bay East Legacy and Associates
Berhe Group Home, Inc.
Bill Wilson Center
BonusBabies.org
BOSS, Inc.
Bounce Back Generation
Boys & Girls Club of Hollywood
Boys & Girls Club of Mid Central Coast
Boys Republic
Brain Wise Solutions Group, Inc.
Breath of Evolution, Inc.
Bridge the Gap
Cal Poly Pomona Foundation Inc.
California Alliance of Child and Family Services
California Black Health Network
California Coalition for Youth
California Early Childhood Mentor Program
California Education Partners
California Family Resource Association
California LGBTQ Health and Human Services Network
California STEM Network
California Women Neutrals
Camp Wamp
Canary Health
Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County
Caulder Lamm Alliance for Children, Inc.
Celia Center, Inc.
Center for Engineering, Science, and Mathematics Education – Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
Center for Environmental Health
Center for Family Strengthening
Center for Farmworker Families
Center for Health Justice
Chamber San Mateo County
Child Abuse Prevention Council of Contra Costa County
Child Development Institute
Childcare Business Institute
Children Now
Children’s Advocacy Institute
Children’s Network of Solano County
Children’s Receiving Home of Sacramento
Children’s Resource & Referral of Santa Barbara County
Chinatown Service Center
City of Claremont Teen Committee
City of Lathrop Youth Advisory Commission
City of San Jose, Council District District 2
Civicorps
Classroom Matters
Cloud Forest Institute
Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth
Colusa County Arts Council
Comisión Femenil of the San Fernando Valley
Communities In Motion
Community Equity Collaborative
Community Foundation of Merced County
Community Health Partnership
Community Housing and Shelter Services
Community Institute for Psychotherapy
Community Resource Center
Comprehensive Youth Services of Fresno, Inc.
Congregation Beth Am
Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE)
Conscious Kitchen
Cookie Good
Cope Consulting LLC
County of Santa Clara Social Services Agency
Courage California
Covenant Community Services
Cradle to Career Santa Cruz County
Create Now, Inc.
Creative Alternatives
Crime Survivors, Inc.
Crittenton Services for Children and Families
Crystal Clear Learning Center LLC
Cultural Brokers, Inc.
Cultural Bytes
CuriOdyssey
Danger Aware
Determined to Succeed
Developing Organizing Visions for Everyone
Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services
DignityMoves
Doing Good Works
Dorris Dann Kids Campus
Dovetail Learning
Dreams for Schools
Dunsmuir Community Resource Center
Early Education Action League
East Contra Costa Community Alliance
East LA Rising
East Oakland Community Project
ECEPTS (Early Care & Education Pathways to Success)
EcoBirth – Women for Earth and Birth
Ecumenical Hunger Program
EDMO (Edventure More)
Educate California
El Rescate
El Sol Science and Arts Academy
El/La Para TransLatinas
Elemental Synchronicity
Elementary Institute of Science
Ensuring Opportunity Campaign
EntreNous Community Empowerment, Inc.
Envisioneers, Inc.
Equine Empowerment Foundation
EQuip Our Kids!
Ersoylu Consulting
Escuela de la Raza Unida
Esperanza Community Farms, Inc.
Everychild Foundation
Evolve California
ExpandLA
Expressions of Hope
FACTS (Families Advocating for Chemical and Toxics Safety)
Families Forward Learning Center
Families in Schools
Family Connections
Family Resource Center
FASD Network of Southern California
FASDNow!
Feel the Bern San Fernando Valley
Fertile Ground
Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California
FINA Resouces LLC
Finding Kids
First 5 San Mateo County
First 5 Yolo County
First Congregational Church of Palo Alto
First Graduate
FirstGen America
Footsteps Child Care, Inc.
Foster Greatness
Fresh Approach
Fresno American Indian Health Project
Fresno Fire Chief’s Foundation
Friends of the Children L.A.
Gardner Rodriguez
Girl Scouts Heart of Central California
Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles
Girl Scouts of San Gorgonio
Girl Scouts San Diego
Girls Inc. of Orange County
Girls on the Run of the Bay Area
Give for a Smile
Goatlandia Farm Animal Sanctuary
Gold Arrow Camp
Good Samaritan Family Resource Center
Good2Know Partners
Greater New Salem Missionary Baptist Church
Growing Minds Science
Guatemalan American Chamber of Commerce
Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco
Half Moon Bay Brewing Company
Healing Hearts one at a time
Health Care Integrated Services
Health Equity Rising
Healthier Kids Foundation
Hearing Loss Association of America – Los Angeles Chapter
Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA)
Heisters Generative
Help Me Grow San Mateo County
Helpline Youth Counseling
Hemophilia Foundation of Southern California
Hill Country Community Clinic
Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, San Francisco
Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley
Homies Organizing the Mission to Empower Youth (HOMEY)
Hosanna Pathways
Howard K. Watkins Photo Archives
Imperial County Children and Families First Commission (First 5 Imperial)
Infant Child Enrichment Services
Inn at Mavericks
Innovate Public Schools
Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma
Integrated Behavioral Health Research Institute
iSAFE Enterprises LLC
James Morehouse Project
Janet Levine Consulting
JDM Advanced Advocacy
JobTrain
Joshua Tree Highlands Artist Residency
JourneyGPS
Joyful Parenting Coaching
Kahlon Family Services LLC
Kahlon Family Services School
Kid Power Academy
Kids Artistic Sense, Inc.
Kids Konnect Infant Care and Preschool
Kidsave
Kindful Restoration
Koinonia Family Services
LA Voice
Laguna Food Pantry
Larkin Street Youth Services
Latin American and Caribbean Business Chamber of Commerce
Law Offices of Barbara A. Goode
Lead4Tomorrow
Leap Childcare Center
Learning Economy Foundation
Legacy Bridge CDC
Life On Art
Lisa Cleri Reale & Associates
literacytutor.org
Live Oak Mental Wellness Project
LMT & Associates, Inc.
Long Beach Latino Chamber of Commerce
LOUD For Tomorrow
Love & Luxe
LOVE GOOD COLOR
LUCHA
Luna Dance & Creativity
Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer
Lutheran Office of Public Policy – California
MACLA/Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana
Main Street Youth and Family Services
Margolis Consulting
Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom Center
Maternal and Child Health Access
Maximum Care Team Organization
Menlo College
Mental Health and Recovery Counseling Education and Training (MHRCET)
MENTOR California
Merced County Office of Education
Mesa
Mia’s Homes Foster Family Agency
Milpitas Unified School District
MISSSEY
Momentum Youth Sports Training
Monterey County Building Healthy Communities
Morada de Mujeres del Milenio
Napa County Office of Education
National Foster Youth Institute
National Network for Youth
National Women’s Political Caucus of California
National Women’s Political Caucus, Silicon Valley
New Child Fundamentals
New Horizon Community Services, Inc.
Newman Hall Non Violent Peacemaking Group
Nicaraguan American Chamber of Commerce
Niswa Association, Inc.
No Limits for Deaf Children and Families
No Sister Left Behind
North Bay Leadership Council
North Coast Energy Services
North Star Family Center
Nourishing Generations Educational Project
Oakland Feather River Camp
Oasis of Hollywood
Office of Child and Youth Success
Ojai Valley Whale Society
Omni Youth Programs
One Step A La Vez
Open Source Wellness
Operation New Hope
Optimal Solutions Consulting
Orange County Child Care Association
Orangewood Foundation
Organic Intelligence
Organization for the Legal Advancement of Raza
Our Generation Cares
Outside The Lens
P.S. I Love You Foundation
Pacific Clinics
Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes
Para Los Niños
Parent Engagement Academy
Parent Teacher Home Visits
Parents Against Vaping E-Cigarettes
Parents Helping Parents
Peace Over Violence
PEACH
Peninsula Family Service
Persyn Law and Policy
Philippine International Aid
Placer Independent Resource Services
PODER
Poder Popular de Santa Paula
Positive Discipline Community Resources
Positive Results Center
Praxis Health Empowerment
Prismatic Research & Strategy
PRO Youth and Families
Project Color Corps
Project Hope Alliance
Promises2Kids
Public Profit
Puente de la Costa Sur
Pushing for Peace
Queer Healing Arts Center
Raíces y Cariño
Rancho Cordova Food Locker
Reaching Youth Through Music Opportunities (RYTMO)
Realized Potential, Inc.
Redwood Community Action Agency
Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center
Richmond Police Activities League (PAL)
Ringwood Grant Writers
River City Democratic Club
Roberts Family Development Center
Root and Bloom
Roots Education
S. Fitch Consulting LLC
Sacramento Educational Cable Consortium
Sacramento Independent Learning Center Corporation
Sacramento Valley Section NCNW, Inc.
Safe & Sound
Safe Kids San Benito County
Safe Place for Youth
Sage Transformations
Salesian Family Youth Center
Salinas League of United Latin American Citizens #2055
Samoan Community Development Center
San Diego Council on Literacy
San Diego for Every Child
San Fernando Community Health Center
San Fernando Valley Youth Chorus
San Joaquin Valley Medical Advocates for Healthy Air
Santa Barbara School of Squash
School Fuel
School on Wheels, Inc.
Second Chance for Women and Children, Inc.
Second Nurture
Secular Student Alliance
Sententia Vera, LLC
Serving People In Need, Inc.
Shaback Altruistic, Inc.
Shasta Cascade Health Centers
Shasta County Arts Council
Shasta County Office of Education
SHIELDS for Families
Silver Giving Foundation
Simply Friends
Sims Living
Siskiyou Community Food Bank
Siskiyou Community Resource Collaborative
Sisters of the Holy Family
Social and Emotional Wellness Initiative
Social Emotional Learning Alliance of California (SEL4CA)
Solano Family and Children’s Services
SOMOS Mayfair
Sonya Heisters Consulting
Southland Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Spirituality for Kids International, Inc.
Stanford Sierra Youth & Families
Stein Family Fund
Stoner Mertz & Co, LLC
Stories From the Frontline
Strategies for Youth, Inc.
Success in Challenges, Inc.
Summit Bank
Sunnyvale School District
Sunset Youth Services
Surf Bus Foundation
Tahoe Family Hearing Clinic
Tahoe Youth and Family Services
Teams and Dreams Foundation
The Academy Project (TAP)
The Assistance League of Los Angeles
The BASIC Fund
The Black Resiliency Project
The Carol and James Collins Foundation
The Center for Powerful Public Schools
The Changemaker Project
The Child Abuse Prevention Center
The Child Unique Montessori School
The Children’s Lifesaving Foundation
The Dragonfly Art for Life
The Emilia Free Foundation
The Emily Shane Foundation
The Family Spirit Center
The Knowledge Shop
The Latina Center
The Miller Institute for Learning with Technology
The Oakland Public Education Fund
The Parent Notebook
The Public Works Alliance
The Salvador E. Alvarez Institute for Non-Violence
The SETI Institute
The Source LGBT+ Center
The Southern California Ceasefire Committee
The Village Method
Theatre of Hearts, Inc. Youth First Artist-In-Residence
Thriving Families CA (TFC) Foundation
Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural
Ticket to Dream Foundation
Tikun Olam Foundation
Tiny Scholars Academy, Inc.
Together Let’s Rise
Tracy Community Connections Center, Inc.
TransFamilies of Santa Cruz
TransFamilies of Silicon Valley
Transition House
Trinidad Civic Club
Tuolumne County Arts Alliance
Turning Green
UC Davis Upward Bound
Un Mundo de Amigos Preschool
Unidos South OC, Inc.
Unite A Nation
United Cerebral Palsy of Central California
United Cerebral Palsy of the Inland Empire
Urban League of San Diego County
Urban Tilth
Valley Oak Children’s Services, Inc.
Ventures
Victims Empowerment Support Team (VEST)
Vision to Learn
Voices of Music
Waking the Village
Watsonville Taiko
Watts of Power Foundation
Wayfinder Family Services
We Lead Ours (WELO)
Weaving Earth
Williams Family Childcare
Willows and Dunes Childcare
Wilson-Dalzell Family Foundation
Worlds Alive Equine
YES Nature to Neighborhoods
YMCA of San Joaquin County
Youth Alliance
Youth for Innocence
Youth Inspiration Nation, Inc.
Youth Leadership Institute
Youth Mentoring Connection
Youth Transforming Justice
Yreka Lanes