Ralph M. Parsons Foundation Awards $100,000 Grant to Sycamores’ Transitional Housing Program in Pasadena

The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation awarded a $100,000 grant to Sycamores, a leading behavioral health and child welfare agency in Southern California, to support its Transitional Housing Program for young adults at risk of homelessness.

The grant is dedicated to supporting transition-age youth (18-24), who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The funding will provide housing and supportive services, as well as skills needed for them to become self-sufficient, independent adults by the age of 25.

Sycamores’ president and CEO, Debra Manners, expressed gratitude for the generous grant. She said many young adults in the Transitional Housing Program are former foster youth with no support system in place and nowhere to go. Without housing and other support services, these young adults have a high risk of becoming and staying homeless after emancipating from foster care.

Sycamores’ Transitional Housing Program operates with a housing-first mentality, providing resources to ensure young adults have safety, shelter, clothing, food, and other essentials. This approach is crucial in protecting these vulnerable young adults from instability or other risks they might encounter without a place to live.

In addition to housing, the grant will also fund Sycamores’ work with the young adults, providing customized support and services to address the personal trauma these young adults have endured. It will also support programs where they can cultivate life skills and receive the educational and vocational training they’ll need to succeed independently in the future.

The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, committed to improving the well-being of Los Angeles County residents, has been partnering with Sycamores since the 1970s. Sycamores impacts nearly 17,000 of the most vulnerable children, youth, adults, and families in Southern California annually. Its services include residential treatment, foster care and adoption, transitional living assistance, outpatient and school-based mental health services, mobile crisis outreach teams, wraparound/in-home services, psychiatric services, psychological testing, and educational support services.

For more information, visit www.sycamores.org or call 626-395-7100.