Sup. Barger visits Friends of the Children-Los Angeles - Antelope Valley Program

Lancaster – Supervisor Barger and her Antelope Valley Deputies Donna Termeer and Chuck Bostwick and Monica Banken, Children and Social Services Deputy, attended the Second Anniversary of Fr1ends of the Ch1ldren – AV hosted by the Antelope Valley Staff. Also invited to share in the anniversary were members of the media.

Representing Strength Based Community Change (SBCC) was Gaby Leyva, Supervisor of Community Organizing – Antelope Valley SPA1. Representing Lake Los Angeles/SE AV and the Lake LA News was Shirley Harriman. Erika Schwerdt with SBCC as Area Coordinator SPA1 was in Washington, D.C. advocating for the community and was unable to attend.

The Friends office opened January 2020, then rudely and solidly hit by Covid, kept going against the ginormous odds and today celebrated year #2 on Monday, December 13 at the AV office. The office is conveniently located at 539 W. Lancaster Boulevard in Lancaster .

The Supervisor wanted to witness firsthand the program in action as it serves at-risk children and families. Supervisor Barger spent an enjoyable and informational time with program staff, youth and families to hear how the program is serving the Antelope Valley community and keeping its “no matter what” commitment.

What started as a conversation has blossomed into a long-haul K to high school commitment to the Antelope Valley which has the highest rate of foster care placement in the County. The statistics for foster youth in the area were appalling, including the lowest graduation rate of 58% and the highest drop out rate of 27%.

Data revealed to Friends that many of these children are living in poverty and disproportionately African American and Latino(a). Where are the tools and resources that are needed to cut through barriers for these children that are created by identified social and economic disadvantages?

Antelope Valley, besides the incorporated cities of Lancaster and Palmdale, is comprised of many small unincorporated communities scattered across the Valley. Quartz Hill, Rosamond, Lakes Elizabeth and Hughes, Pearblossom, Littlerock, Leona Valley, Lake Los Angeles and more. Friends LA in the AV is a genuine asset in the entire the Valley.

Jori Das, the Interim Executive Director opened the conversation thanking Supervisor Barger for “getting us where we are today and bringing us to the Antelope Valley.” Ms. Das added, “We work to improve outcomes every day. Our goal is to keep families together. We are not a pilot that will come and then leave. We are here to stay.”

Mrs. Nancy Ramirez, Assistant Regional administrator with the Palmdale office of the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) remarked, “We have an amazing partnership with Friends. We immediately saw the value. We live here, we work here. We see the opportunity to help our children’s lives. Our conversation was a start and we have come a very long way to be where we are today. We have taken this very seriously. What a great asset for our remote communities too. This is not just a partnership; it is a collaborative partnership.”

One single parent delivered an emotional testimony saying, “I had nowhere to go. I had a daughter and was raising her by myself. I had to learn how to trust. I found it here where they helped me grow so much … and [pause] now I am in college.” The audience cheered and clapped for her.

Supervisor Barger then called for a discussion about the needs and the voices in the Antelope Valley. Needs included space for agencies, housing, mental health services, schools to have social and emotional learning programs, shorter wait time for connecting to Kaiser, etc., dealing with isolation. Mrs. Ramirez noted that communicating and servicing virtually was just not the same as person to person connections and “now we are seeing the aftermath of virtual and Covid”.

Supervisor Barger stated, “You are doing the most difficult jobs, and you are doing it!”

Friends LA pairs each child with a paid, professional mentor who stays with each child from as early as age four through high school graduation--12+ years, no matter what. Friends L.A. was awarded a grant by L.A. County in 2019, with Supervisor Barger’s leadership, to support Antelope Valley children and families for remaining free from child welfare system involvement. To date, 93% of families in the program have had no further contact with the child welfare system.

For enrollment, please contact Lora Cofield, lcofield@friendsla.org, 661-418-7281.

For Program Director Alan Arce please email at aarce@friendsla.org or 818-518-4098.

By Shirley Harriman