Brighter Futures Pitch

At Brighter Futures, our mission is to help enroll homeless children and teenagers in school, aid in costs of attending, providing a safe space for academic growth, and ultimately providing homeless youth with brighter futures. 

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act is a federal law that was passed in 1987 and re-authorized in 2015 that guarantees certain rights for homeless children. This act requires schools to provide “equal access to the same, free, appropriate public education, including public preschool education, as provided to other children and youths” (McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, 1987). But, the Los Angeles Unified School District does not even crack to the top 10 in the percentage of homeless students enrolled compared to other districts (EdSource). Brighter Futures will team up with local shelters, as well as doing its own public outreach, to help raise the number of homeless youth enrolled in the LAUSD.

All of my life I have had the privilege of attending school. Both school and education have shaped me as a person. I am passionate about the work that this organization will do because I believe it is every child's privilege and right to attend school. 

Brighter Futures will not only aid homeless youth in enrolling in school, it will also help with the costs of attending school. This includes providing backpacks, notebooks, and even clothing to help each individual feel like a normal student. Brighter Futures will also create a safe place for students to study, as well a tutoring and academic counseling. We will provide connections with social workers to help student's families find housing and navigate services. We will also work to connect students with community colleges, universities, and other scholarship programs to help them decide what is best for them and their future. Lastly, we will provide job counseling for those students who chose not to pursue higher education, as well as their parents.

Unlike any other organizations, Brighter Futures will solely focus on homeless youths and the importance of education in their lives in Los Angeles. Our unique goal is to raise the percentage of homeless youths enrolled in the LAUSD while providing services to help them succeed.

Homelessness is a cycle, and it is our duty to break it. By bringing homeless youth into the education system, we give them an opportunity to succeed beyond homelessness. 

Homelessness creates a lack of stability in a child's life, but by providing these children with the opportunity to attend school they are given something normal in their ever-changing lives. Brighter Futures' goal is to ultimately provide homeless youth with a brighter future through education and awareness in opportunities.