Be the Village Family Resource Center

Support for foster and systems-impacted youth

South LA County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit) City of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a citywide benefit)

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

Thousands of families in LA are in crisis, with Black children disproportionately affected. Despite comprising about 9% of children in LA County, Black children comprise 26% of those in foster care. This disparity points to systemic issues, including unjust removal practices, a critical shortage of high-quality and culturally rich support services, and the pervasive impact of complex and often generational trauma. Compounding these challenges, government funding and essential services for vulnerable families are compromised due to budget cuts and policy considerations. This systemic crisis directly impedes the community's ability to foster high youth and adult literacy rates, enhanced community safety, and accessible mental health services, which are crucial for promoting unity and joyful well-being across the county. Now is the time for nonprofits and community organizations to form and implement innovative, affordable, interconnected, and sustainable ecosystems of care for youth.

SBV’s Be the Village (BTV) is a pilot family resource center, the crowning outcome of a Doctor of Ministry project, confronting the systemic crisis disproportionately affecting Black children in LA's foster care system. BTV is an innovative, adaptive, and sustainable care ecosystem based at Saint Mark UMC LA. BTV expands the work SBV has been doing online and in the community. Through comprehensive community and provider surveys, we precisely address the expressed needs of Black families involved in or at risk of Child Welfare. BTV services, including Effective Black Parenting Training (improving adult literacy), small groups, and vital referrals to mental health, substance abuse, job training, and other essential resources, will combat unjust removal practices, mitigate generational trauma, and expand culturally rich support, with final offerings shaped by survey results and funding. By ensuring families have emotional, educational, spiritual, and mental support, BTV contributes to community safety and family well-being by increasing skills and tools. Families have peaceful and legal methods of conflict resolution, communication, and discipline. While BTV specifically addresses the unique challenges faced by Black families, our holistic approach benefits all surrounding communities in South Central LA, regardless of ethnicity or culture, such as the increasingly Latinx population. We provide transportation and course cost assistance, so cost is no barrier to family wellness.

When Be the Village (BTV) succeeds, LA County will see a transformation in family welfare. We envision fewer children in foster care, with more Black and Brown families safely and quickly reunifying. LA communities will be stronger, happier, and deeply connected, easing loneliness and caregiver burnout. Public safety will improve through anger management and non-violence, creating a more peaceful environment. BTV cultivates cultural pride, academic achievement, and adult literacy, particularly in marginalized communities. Ultimately, LA will be a more vibrant, joy-filled county where a network of love, justice, restoration, and hope flourishes, bringing lasting positive change for thousands of families. BTV, based at Saint Mark is the first of many centers in a county-wide network. This ecosystem of care will unite faith-based groups, local organizations, and government. As we expand, LA's faith communities will be open all week, and people will know they can always find care there.