Pray for the ones on the street...

Weather has been cold this past week...I have been seeing a lot of people on the street...It has been making me think? I know that God is BIGGER than this and will come through...If you are seeing my blog...Please continue to pray. I have a vision and want to help all of those that I can...It may only be a few here and there for now but I know God is bigger.

Happy Thanksgiving...

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I just want to say how thankful I am for Jesus, family, friends and all that I wake up for...We need to keep pushing for the Government to help with the homeless situations of today, we also need to realize that this is not the only answer. You and I have to be humble and realize that it could be you or I if it was not for the grace of God. My challenge to you all as you spend Thanksgiving is to just remember how blessed you are even for the little stuff.(olives...LOL!)

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I will be blogging more next week, don't forget to comeback and support our ventures...Check us all out.

What is Poverty?

What is poverty?

Poverty is a complicated state of being that has been described using many different theories, frameworks and definitions. Like most complicated things, these explanations all reveal bits of truth and all suffer from a lack of complete understanding.

Poverty isn’t just about a lack of money. It has a lot to do with social isolation, something many of us don’t think about.

Ask yourself these questions:
“If I were to lose all my physical assets and money, how long would it take to get a meal?”
“How long would it take to find a place to sleep for the night? For a couple of weeks?”
“How long would it take to get a job?”
Another way of looking at poverty relies on the concept of shalom. The word shalom describes a world in which every person has a position where they are useful and fulfilled and we have good healthy relationships with God, ourselves, the world and other people.

Thus, poverty is the lack of these healthy relationships. People living in poverty do not feel like their lives have meaning. People living in poverty are insecure and make bad decisions to cover up or distract themselves from what they do not like about themselves. People living in poverty work very hard and are not successful; they must consume more than they produce. Finally, people in poverty make daily mistakes in their interactions with others and they find that the other people in their social circle are unreliable. They suffer for the mistakes they make or that others make.

Many people who live in poverty are poor, but their financial problems are more a symptom of poverty than a cause.

Become an Adoptive Parent

In the California foster care system, there are over 80,000 children with a number of these available for adoption. Sadly, one out of five of these children turns 18 and leaves the foster care system without a family. Adopting through the foster care system (also known as fost-adoption) substantially reduces the costs usually associated with adoption and helps the children who need it most. Koinonia Adoption Services specializes in assisting families who wish to adopt through the foster care system and provide a waiting child with a loving, permanent family.

Families who adopt through Koinonia become certified foster and adoptive parents. Through our supportive process the families meet all of the legal and regulatory requirements allowing them to care for a child. In almost all cases, adoptive parents are expected to foster any potential child before an adoption placement is made.

Our commitment is to find families that can best serve these children and give them stable, loving and permanent lifelong commitments that they deserve. The ideal adoptive family is one that is loving, patient, supportive, and that is adopting to fulfill the needs of a child and not their own. While you may think a home like this is common place, the truth is most of these children have never had the opportunity to experience this and we feel it's our responsibility and mission to try and make that a reality.

In addition to the foster parent requirements, adoptive families go through a more detailed home evaluation. Some of the information that is gathered but not limited to includes:
Personal and family background – including the applicant's upbringing, education, marriage(s), life events, etc
Significant people in the lives of the applicants
Direct and extended family relationships
Motivation(s) to adopt
Expectations in adoption
Child ages and background the applicants can best serve
Experiences and feelings about infertility (if an issue)
Parenting and integration of the child into the family
Physical and health history of the applicants
Education, employment and finances – including insurance coverage and child care plans if needed
Criminal and Child Abuse background checks
For more information regarding adopting through the foster care system please read our adoption FAQ or explore our website to learn more about Koinonia and the quality and commitment we stand for.

If you're ready for the next step or simply want more information, please call us or apply online right now.

877-CHILDS-HOPE (877-244-5374)

Information gathered from Koinonia

200,000 Homeless Youth across the state of California...

SACRAMENTO – A new study released Monday underscored the need to improve the safety net for homeless youth in California.

The California Homeless Youth Project found an estimated 200,000 unaccompanied minors aged 12 to 17 experience homelessness each year in California

Studies of homeless youth have found that they are among California’s most vulnerable residents, showing an elevated risk of mental health problems, including anxiety disorders, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicide due to increased exposure to violence while living on the street

***Information gathered from a source of Internet sites***

Staggering Statistics...

Currently there are an estimated 1700 homeless youth that live just in the Sacramento, Ca. Region...At least 2 million youth ages 12 to 24 nationwide experience homelessness each year. It is a proven fact that 1 out of every 5 youth released from foster care will experience homelessness within three (3) years.

These are alarming statistics to me...Remember, all it takes is one person to help another...Can you do that today? Will you? I urge you to pray...The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow...

God Bless!

Help Homeless Youth

There are approximately one hundred and ten homeless shelters in California, and only three of those are teenage shelters. There are shelters for Men and Children, Women and Children, and Family Shelters. These shelters are mostly used just for women and men and families with small children. These shelters are not being used for teens due to the fact that most teens leave their homes and families because of their situation. The top ten reasons why teens end up in homeless shelters are because of:

1. “Kicked out - Mostly the reason why kids leave home isn't because they 'runaway,' it is because they get kicked out.
2. Sexual Abuse
3. Violence
4. Alcohol or Drugs
5. Verbal Abuse
6. Neglect - they don't get basic stuff other kids do, like food or it may be as if they aren't even there and no one cares about them.
7. Crime
8. Stress - someone is always on their case putting pressure on them to do something all the time like cleaning up or doing homework.
9. School - they get bullied at school and can't put up with it anymore or they get in really big trouble at school and just can't go home because of what might happen when their parents find out.
10. Someone is Gone - this could be because they died, or parents get divorced or separated. It also could be an older brother or sister moved out of home.”

The only teenage shelter in the Sacramento area is WIND. “WIND Youth Services is a local non-profit 501(c)(3) agency that was established in 1994 to directly address the immediate and long-range needs of the Sacramento area homeless, runaway, and street youth and their families.” They deal specifically with youth coming from bad areas and bad home circumstances. WIND not only gives teens a place to stay but helps feed, cloth, and school help.
“Their goals are that:

• Youth will have access to a safe environment that encourages healthy functioning and independence
• Youth will be offered opportunities to develop healthy and supportive relationships.
• Youth will be presented with opportunities to develop and share their gifts and talents.
• Youth will be exposed to positive activities and learning experiences to channel their energy.
• Youth will be encouraged in skill building activities that promote self-sufficiency.
• Youth will be supported in the discovery and understanding of their own self-worth.”

Right now WIND is on the verge of having to shut down due to fewer and less donations. Without this organization many teens will end up on the streets, joining gangs, and dropping out of school. Anyone can make a donation whether its money or clothes or even time to help out at the organization. WIND needs to stay open and available to the many teens it helps and has helped and will help.
California is not the ony place going through hardships. There are shelters that are on the verge of shutting down all around the U.S.. If you are interested in helping out, check out local youth shelters in your area.

For more information about WIND Youth Services go to their website http://www.windyouth.org/.