National Foster Youth Institute

Roundtable Discussion Held on Foster Care Reform

The National Foster Youth Institute and the Right Way Foundation co-sponsored a roundtable discussion in Leimert Park on Sept. 21 regarding improving policies in foster care. Nearly 100 foster youth and community advocates attended the discussion co-chaired by Rep. Karen Bass (CA-37) and Eighth District Councilman Marqueece Harris-Dawson. Also on the panel were filmmaker Juan Carlos Pinero Escoriaza, Los Angeles Community College District Trustee Sydney Kamlager, Youth Law Center Executive Director Jennifer Rodriguez and actress Lee Jimenez. Statistics for foster youth are grim: according to a 2010 study by Chapin Hall at The University of Chicago, only 50 percent of