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(Image: Moises Lopez with Danny Treyo) The 2016 graduating class from the school of hard knocks stood on stage at the Disney Concert Hall last week to be honored with college scholarships for completing the first leg of a long, tough journey they’ve been on. They are 175 foster care kids who have beaten every obstacle put in their path and succeeded beyond all expectations. They have shown the courage and they have the dreams. Now, it’s time to pursue them. They’ve all graduated from...

(Image Credit: nationalartsprogram.com) The L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a motion to declare homelessness a humanitarian emergency in California. Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Sheila Kuehl sought the motion, saying the issue calls for more pressing attention, because of the increased health and safety risks to people living on the streets. The motion means the board will send a letter to the California state Assembly and Senate, asking them to...

I get daily updates Nutrition.org in which Dr. M Greger reports on the science of the benefits of plant based diets. Here he covers telemores and what science is showing related to meditation, exercise and diet for lengthening telemores. I found these videos very interesting but I won't be eating processed meats anytime soon! Research Into Reversing Aging Does Meditation Affect Cellular Aging? Telomeres: Cap It All Off with Diet

(Image Credit: Jenna Schoenefield/ForThe Times) Hundreds of thousands of jobs will be created in L.A. County over the next four years, most of them low-paying, according to a report released Wednesday by the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. Most of the jobs added in the county by 2020 will pay below the median wage, the group said. Office administration and food services will add the most positions to their ranks through 2020, combining for a total of about 93,000 new jobs,...

This video is about 2 years old, but I just came across it last week and wanted to share with you all. It is a powerful statement by the students at Leadership High School in San Francisco, CA. They speak about the ongoing adversity and toxic stress in their daily lives and in their community, all through the power of music. The youth voice is so important as we work to bring trauma-informed and resilience building practices to communities. Link to video: Toxic Stress, Toxic Streets

Almost 47,000 individuals and families are homeless in Los Angeles County, according to the 2016 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count, which was conducted by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) and released on May 4. That count shows a 6 percent rise in the county’s homeless population from 2015. The total in 2015 – 44,359 – showed a 12 percent surge from just two years prior. The 2015 results played a major role in pushing Los Angeles County to create a plan to address the...

With more than 35,000 people sleeping on sidewalks and in alleys, underpasses and riverbeds, the city and county are leaning on rent subsidies for private landlords to bring quick relief to homeless people while elected officials struggle to fund a $1.87 billion construction program. But in the last two years, rents have soared far above baseline federal voucher caps — $1,150 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,500 for two-bedroom units. And with the county's rental vacancy rate at a scant...

Echo Parenting & Education's Professional Services Training will be hosted by The CA Endowment on Thursday, June 23rd, from 9am - 4pm. A first in their series of trainings, the attendees will receive a comprehensive review of the current science and deepened understanding of: * Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) student * Effects of trauma/toxic stress on attachment, the body and brain of a developing child * Survival responses and regulation * Trauma Informed Care * Intergenerational...

I'm not sure if this has already made the rounds, but it's such good news, it's definitely worth a repost! "Oakland Unified school board voted unanimously Wednesday night to eliminate willful defiance as a reason to suspend any student and to invest at least $2.3 million to expand restorative justice practices in its schools". What a beautiful commitment to the child, to meeting their actual needs rather than just sending them away with their needs unmet. The funding of RJ practices is huge,...

(l to r) Sienna, one of the teens from Youth Voice from City Heights; Dana Brown, ACEs Connection Network regional facilitator and co-founder of Youth Voice; Francisco Mendoza, CEO, Mendoza Consulting; Jessica, Youth Voice; Lizette, Youth Voice; Talitha Thompson, Youth Voice co-facilitator; Joshua Aguirre, RISE Up Industries board of directors; Stephanie Linderman, Youth Voice mentor; Arturo Soriano, Youth Empowerment co-founder; (in front) Adrian, Youth Voice.

When Jake was a child, his parents would scream at him every day. They told him everything he did was wrong and he was worthless. One day when Jake was 4, his father threw him against the wall three times. It was not until his mother found Jake talking to himself at age 12 that she saw he — and her family — needed help. When Jake entered therapy, he was hearing voices in his head and had a severe stutter. He never felt safe and found it hard to trust others. Today, Jake, a 58-year-old Los...

Office workers were still at their desks when Thomas Goodwin's 1974 motor home clanked out of a downtown parking lot one recent evening, power steering groaning as Lego blocks flew around the plaid interior. The 54-year-old single father moved the newly acquired camper to clear a parking place for the van where he and his 7-year-old daughter sleep — with the city's blessing. Goodwin makes use of Santa Barbara's "safe parking" initiative, a homelessness program that Los Angeles is studying as...