RISE GEN "Rewriting the future before the ink dries"

Support for foster and systems-impacted youth

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

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

At Gracie's Giving Hands, we understand the issues involved with homelessness and repeating the cycles of incarceration and drug addiction. We currently provide housing for men, their ages range from 19 to 65, and they are released to us from the county jail or prison. Each week, we witness young men with no support, facing homelessness, addiction, or dependence on just $221/month in General Relief from public assistance. Many are released without ID, clothing, or transportation, and 95% lack family support. These men are more than former inmates; they are fathers, sons, and brothers. Some, even in their 60s, remain trapped in this cycle. If not for our housing, many would be on the streets within days. We are breaking this cycle with love, stable housing, mentorship, life skills, and family-focused support. Our work has already proven to restore dignity, guide clients toward employment or school, and provide the structure they need to rebuild their lives and create lasting change.

1. Career Discovery & Talent Tracks
We will help youth tap into their natural talents and interests, whether it's building things, creating music, working with food, or starting a business. Offering hands-on experience and mentorship from people who look like them and understand them. RISE GEN will prepare them to monetize creativity and pursue their purpose.
2. Healing & Mental Wellness
Our wellness team will offer trauma-informed therapy, creative arts healing, and safe spaces for youth to reclaim their voice and rewrite their stories.
3. Life Skills for Independence
Teach skills they need, including how to budget, build credit, open a bank account, create resumes, secure permanent housing, and manage emotions. These youth will graduate from RISE GEN equipped for life, giving them real tools for adulthood.
4. Long-Term Support & Transition
We won't let go--we will lift off! We will walk with our youth through the process. Whether it's transportation to a job site, help with housing, or a mentor to call when things get hard, we will be there. This isn't a program, it's a movement!
With a plan to serve 100 youth in a year, 80% will earn a paycheck through jobs or internships, 75% will transition into permanent housing, 90% will complete financial literacy and life planning, and 0% will return to incarceration while enrolled.

A Bigger Vision For Los Angeles County
If RISE GEN works as we believe it will, we'll see fewer youth in shelters, fewer arrests, and fewer families stuck in survival mode or long-term public assistance. We will see the youth thriving--starting businesses, helping others.
Youth who go through RISE GEN will walk differently. They will hold their heads high, they will know that someone invested in them before they had to prove their worth. Belief will become contagious, touching peers, mentoring their siblings, families, and even institutions that have long failed to meet them with that level of dignity.
When our youth earn, their families will stabilize. When their families stabilize, neighborhoods will thrive. When our neighborhoods thrive, our cities will rise. That's what RISE GEN will be setting in motion.