The Illumination Foundation, a local nonprofit working to end the cycle of homelessness in Orange County, opened a new Children’s Resource Center in Tina Pacific this month. The Tina Pacific neighborhood in Stanton, CA has the highest population of at-risk youth in all of Orange County. The center will give Orange County homeless and at-risk youth a place to go for

• tutoring and mentorship,
• therapy,
• gang intervention,
• extra-curricular classes and
• most important of all – meals.

By offering proactive crisis prevention and intervention curriculum, Orange County’s most at-risk youth will have a chance at a more promising future and creating generational change.

There are a total of 28,000 homeless children in Orange County. In Santa Ana alone, more than 600 children won’t graduate from high school, and more than 700 will become teen moms. Unlike most children, many at-risk youth dread going home after school. Instead of being greeted by welcoming arms and an after-school snack, imagine being greeted by an empty home – void of love, food and guidance.

For many Orange County children, this is a sad reality. The Illumination Foundation formed the Children’s Enrichment Program this year, in hope to instill a daily structure for each child. The Children’s Enrichment Program provides interaction with positive role models on a daily basis, ultimately making each child more optimistic about their day-to-day life and future.

http://www.ifhomeless.org/carnival-for-kids

About Illumination Foundation
The Illumination Foundation is an Orange County-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to providing targeted, interdisciplinary services for the most vulnerable homeless clients to break or prevent the cycle of homelessness. The Illumination Foundation pioneered an innovative and cost-effective solution to advance health and housing stability for the chronically homeless community. Illumination Foundation provides free mental health, medical and outreach services to homeless families and individuals at clinics throughout the country. To date, Illumination Foundation’s housing programs have served 1,183 families and placed 520 families into permanent housing. Illumination Foundation’s medical programs have provided medical and social services to 8,718 patients. For more information, visit www.ifhomeless.org.

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