Erasing barriers to employment and stable housing for foster youth.

Support for foster and systems-impacted youth

The RightWay Foundation works to end intergenerational poverty and trauma for foster youth and system-impacted youth by providing holistic supportive services for young adults as they exit the system. Our comprehensive programs are built on four pillars of support: mental health, employment, housing, and community. Without a support system, system-impacted youth are left to face a steep climb alone as they enter adulthood. Over 50% of foster youth will remain unemployed by age 25, with only 7% of working transition-age foster youth earning a livable wage at age 24. Less than 60% of foster youth graduate high school and only 3% earn a college degree. In Los Angeles, systems-impacted youth account for 60% of unhoused youth, with the risk of experiencing homelessness 83% higher for Black youth and 33% higher for Latino/a/x youth than for white youth. Of the youth we serve, 74% are Black and 25% are Latino/a/x.

RightWay’s employment readiness program, Operation Xperience (OX) is a trauma-informed, healing-centered workforce development program for transition-age foster and system-impacted youth that provides first-time work experience and career-track advancement opportunities while addressing the psychological, educational, and economic barriers that keep youth from connecting to the workforce. The program empowers youth with direct pathways to employment while integrating supportive housing and mental health support directly into workforce programming. RightWay’s workforce development program moves youth from initial work exposure to credentialed, living-wage careers, while providing the emotional, cognitive, and practical tools necessary for lifelong success. OX bypasses the interview process —often a source of intense anxiety for systems-impacted young adults— by placing participants directly into pre-apprenticeships at mentorship worksites with stipends paid for by RightWay. This approach reduces stress responses tied to interviews and provides structured engagement that builds executive function and self-efficacy through mentor-guided mastery of tasks. In building emotional regulation and confidence through routine and accountability, youth are empowered to reshape their identity from “unemployable” to “capable.”

The aim of Operation Xperience is to break down the barriers that keep foster youth and system-impacted youth from engaging in the workforce or setting their sights on a career. RightWay seeks to grow our partnership with local businesses in South LA and across the city in order to provide transformative work mentorships for our most vulnerable young adults. After participating in OX, where they build skills, professionalism, and confidence, young adults are able to identify and set professional goals, connect to employment, build financial capability, and navigate enrolling in trades programs, higher education, and certificate programs. All young adults need guidance and gap support while they are building independence. With a caring community and supportive services at this crucial inflection point, foster and system-impacted youth can become independent adults with stable lives. By expanding our program, we work to ensure that no foster youth in Los Angeles County faces homelessness.

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Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)