Comstock's magazine 1119 - November 2019 | Page 92

CAPITAL REGION CARES
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
S tanford Y outh S olutions +
S ierra F orever F amilies
Committed to permanency and the empowerment of youth and families.
O
n July 1, two highly regarded, long-standing
nonprofit organizations, Stanford Youth Solutions
and Sierra Forever Families merged to better
address the complex needs of children, youth and
families. Stronger together, Stanford Youth Solutions
+ Sierra Forever Families are determined to give each
and every child a chance at a healthy, productive and
self-sufficient life.
“The competition for resources is challenging
in the nonprofit world. With our complementary
missions, it made a lot of sense to consolidate
resources by sharing infrastructure, while expanding
services in the best interest of our youth and families,”
says Laura Heintz, CEO of Stanford Youth Solutions
+ Sierra Forever Families. “As one organization, we
are not only able to provide a broader continuum of
high-quality services, but also have a stronger voice
statewide and within the counties we serve.”
Having proudly served the community for a
combined total of 150 years, the new organization
offers a more comprehensive array of programs
that serves the region’s most vulnerable youth
and empowers families to solve serious challenges
together. These services include family stabilization,
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behavioral and mental health services, juvenile
justice intervention, foster care and pre- and post-
adoption support.
“We are stronger together,” says Heintz, who
was previously the CEO for Stanford Youth Solutions
and has worked tirelessly for the last 25 years to help
health and human-service nonprofit organizations
grow and expand their ability to serve children and
families. “As one organization, we’ve combined our
staff, resources and breadth of expertise to serve
more youth and families in need. The programs we
provide are uniquely designed to help end the child-
welfare cycle by keeping children safe and together
with family, in school and out of trouble.”
In the coming year, Stanford Youth Solutions +
Sierra Forever Families expects that its community-
based programs will benefit approximately 4,500
youth and families throughout Northern California,
including Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado, Nevada,
Yolo, Napa and San Joaquin counties.
+
YOUTHSOLUTIONS.ORG
SIERRAFF.ORG
“WE ENVISION OUR
COMMUNITIES WITH
SAFE, LIFELONG
CONNECTIONS FOR ALL
YOUNG PEOPLE, BUILT
AND STRENGTHENED
THROUGH
GENERATIONS
OF EMPOWERED
FAMILIES.”