Capital Campaign for New VIP Teen Center Gains Momentum

VIP’s most recent capital campaign to raise nearly $2 million to renovate North Hall into a comprehensive resource and service delivery center gained new momentum today when The Ahmanson Foundation pledged their support for the project with a generous lead grant.

As they have been in previous campaigns, The Ahmanson Foundation committed their support early on, recognizing the dire need for services to foster and at-risk teens in Los Angeles County.

The proposed Teen Center will serve as a major resource for teens, providing individual therapy, transitional housing assistance, drug and alcohol abuse services, GED classes, life skills workshops, and linkages to other County agencies and community-based organizations.  The Center will also complement and enhance the current Youth Welcome Center, a site for youth ages 12-21, who are awaiting placement into the foster care system or who have failed multiple placements. Many of these teens, because of their repeated entry into foster care, require greater attention and resources than the average foster child. Without appropriate interventions, foster youth face extremely high risks of deteriorating medical and mental health, unwanted pregnancies, homelessness, drug abuse, and often survival sex.

With this initial investment from The Ahmanson Foundation, VIP will begin the demolition and renovation process as other foundations meet to vote on supporting this important project in the coming months.