Seeing Foster Youth for Who They Truly Are
Over the past several months, our team has listened deeply — to youth navigating the transition out of foster care, to practitioners who have dedicated their careers to supporting them, and to organizations that understand this work at every level. Those conversations made one thing clear: these young people carry extraordinary talent, grit, and ambition.
They are dreamers.
They are builders.
They are leaders on the rise.
What limits their futures is not a lack of potential — it’s a lack of opportunity. Too often, the systems meant to support them operate in pieces, without the alignment needed to help them grow and thrive.
Answering the Call for Alignment
The data is sobering. Many young people exiting foster care face high rates of homelessness, limited job opportunities, and persistent instability. But those outcomes aren’t inevitable; they are structural. And structural challenges require coordinated solutions.
That’s where United for Youth comes in.
This $5 million partnership brings together more than 40 youth-serving organizations across San Diego County, all committed to a shared vision: creating the conditions for young people leaving foster care to flourish.
While the scale of the collaboration is impressive, the most important number is one—one young person at a time, supported with the relationships, stability, and opportunities they need to step into their power.
Built Around What Young People Told Us They Need
Youth were the architects of this initiative. Their insights shaped three core pillars:
1) Pathways to meaningful careers
Not just jobs, but career-building opportunities that allow young people to grow, contribute, and pursue self-defined goals.
2) Stable, secure housing
A foundation that frees their energy and creativity for the future — not for survival.
3) A network of consistent, caring support
Relationships matter. No one builds a life alone. A connected community — trusted adults, mentors, and peers — helps young people stay anchored and seen.
These are the elements that allow young people to thrive. United for Youth is designed to ensure they are within reach.
Collaboration at a New Level
What gives me profound hope is not only the funding powering this effort, but the way it came together. More than 40 organizations have chosen coordination over going it alone, alignment over fragmentation, and shared purpose over individual programs.
That kind of collaboration signals something powerful: a belief that investing in young people is not charity — it’s one of the smartest investments that we can make for our collective future.
Creating Space for Possibility
The youth who inspired this work are not defined by the challenges they’ve faced. They are defined by their resilience, intelligence, creativity, and potential. They are stepping into adulthood with courage few of us have ever had to summon.
Imagine what becomes possible when that courage meets opportunity.
United for Youth is about setting the stage for possibility. It’s about building a region where young people can shape their futures in an environment that believes in them just as fiercely as they believe in themselves.
A Long-Term Commitment
For the Prebys Foundation, this is not a one-time announcement. It’s the beginning of a long-term commitment — to partnership, deeper collaboration, and a future where the success of foster youth is not exceptional but expected.
To every organization that helped shape this initiative: thank you for your wisdom and your heart.
To the young people who shared their voices: thank you for your leadership.
And to the partners across our region leaning into this effort: thank you for helping build a San Diego where opportunity matches potential.
And to community members who want to be part of a better tomorrow, take the time today to give of your time, talents or treasures to make a difference in the life of a young person.
This is belief in action.
This is community at its best.
And this is the future we’re determined to make possible — together.
