Glendale Youth Alliance Inc

TO PROVIDE, FACILITATE, AND COORDINATE YOUTH EMPLOYMENT ACTIVITIES AND PROGRAMS THAT HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON LOCAL YOUTH.

PROVIDED FUNDING THROUGH VARIOUS GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS AND GRANTS, SUCH AS WORK FORCE INVESTMENT ACT, CALWORKS, COMMUNITY BLOCK DEVELOPMENT GRANTS, AND AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT. THE OBJECTIVE IS TO PROVIDE VARIOUS SUPPORT AND TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR DISADVANTAGED YOUTH.SUCCESS STORIES:EMILY GOMEZ WAS REFERRED TO GYA BY THE YWCAS TRANSITIONAL HOUSING COORDINATOR WHO WAS THE CASE MANAGER TO EMILYS MOM AT THE EMERGENCY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTER. WHEN SHE FOUND OUT THAT HER CLIENT HAD A DAUGHTER WHO NEEDED A JOB, SHE CALLED THE GLENDALE YOUTH ALLIANCE(GYA) TO SEE IF GYA CAN ASSIST HER WITH EMPLOYMENT. UPON SPEAKING WITH EMILY, WE DISCOVERED THAT SHE WAS LIVING AT DOOR OF HOPE TRANSITIONAL HOUSING WHILE HER MOTHER AND YOUNGER SISTER WERE LIVING AT THE YWCA. THE FAMILY FLED A VIOLENT ABUSIVE HOME AFTER A LIFETIME OF LIVING WITH AN ABUSIVE MALE FIGURE, HER FATHER.EMILY WAS EXTREMELY PROMPT WITH SENDING IN HER INTAKE PACKET AND ALL HER NECESSARY DOCUMENTS FOR OUR GYA GRANT. AFTER SPEAKING ABOUT DIFFERENT JOB OPPORTUNITIES THAT WERE AVAILABLE, SHE EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN WORKING AT THE VERDUGO JOB CENTER. THE MORNING OF THE INTERVIEW, EMILY CALLED GYA STAFF AT 7AM FRANTIC THAT SHE DIDNT HAVE ANY WORK CLOTHES AND DID NOT HAVE MONEY TO GO SHOPPING. THE CASE MANAGER TOLD HER NOT TO WORRY AND THAT WE WILL FIGURE OUT THE CLOTHING SITUATION AFTER THE INTERVIEW. THE CASE MANAGER SENT A QUICK EMAIL TO THE SUPERVISOR THAT WAS GOING TO BE INTERVIEWING EMILY AND ASKED HER TO BE UNDERSTANDING OF EMILYS FAMILY SITUATION AND IF SHE COULD, TO LOOK PAST EMILYS ATTIRE FOR THE INTERVIEW. THIS IS ONE OF THE UNIQUE ASPECTS OF GYA PROGRAMS. PRIOR TO EMILYS INTERVIEW, THE GYA STAFF DID A MOCK INTERVIEW WITH HER TO MAKE SURE SHE WAS COMFORTABLE AND READY. AS THE GYA CASE MANAGER WAS PREPARING EMILY, SHE BEGAN TO OPEN UP AND TOLD HER PIECES OF HER LIFE STORY, INCLUDING THE FACT THAT HER FATHER KIDNAPPED HER AND BROUGHT HER TO THE UNITED STATES WHEN SHE WAS LITTLE. SADLY, IT TOOK HER MOTHER SEVERAL YEARS TO FIND HER. IT WAS AN EMOTIONAL MOMENT AND STAFF TOOK COMFORT KNOWING THAT EMILY FELT SAFE AND SECURE TO SHARE HER STORY. EMILY WAS HIRED AT THE VERDUGO JOB CENTER THROUGH THE GRANT. WHEN SHE COMPLETED HER 200 HOURS OF WORK EXPERIENCE WITH GYA, SHE WAS IMMEDIATELY HIRED BY VJC AS A PERMANENT HOURLY CITY EMPLOYEE. EMILY WAS REALLY EXCITED AND SHOCKED TO LEARN THAT THE JOB CENTER WAS GOING TO HIRE HER PERMANENTLY. SHE TOLD GYA STAFF THAT THIS JOB MEANT SO MUCH TO HER BECAUSE SHE CAN NOW HELP HER MOTHER WITH THEIR FINANCES. EMILYS FAMILY WAS RECENTLY AWARDED SECTION 8 HOUSING AND THEY ARE NOW LIVING TOGETHER ONCE AGAIN UNDER THE SAME ROOF. SHE IS BACK IN SCHOOL AND WE ARE RESEARCHING SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR HER TO TRANSFER TO A UNIVERSITY. GYA ALSO HELD A CLOTHING DRIVE FOR EMILY AND HER SISTER TO ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE PROFESSIONAL WORK ATTIRE AND CAN CONTINUE TO SUCCEED IN THE WORKFORCE!

ENTERPRISE PROGRAM RELATED EXPENSES. THE OBJECTIVE IS TO PROVIDE VARIOUS SUPPORT AND TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR DISADVANTAGED YOUTH.