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General (07)You don't often get email from aaron@calyouthconn.org. Learn why this is important Date:7/15/2025 3:19:06 PM From:"Aaron Polanco" aaron@calyouthconn.org To:"Public Comment" publiccomment@anaheim.net Subject:[EXTERNAL] Aaron Polanco Anaheim City Council Meeting 7/15/25 (Foste r Youth Housing) Warning: This email originated from outside the City of Anaheim. Do not click links or open attachme nts unle ss you recognize the sender and are expecting the message. Good Evening Mayor and Council Members, My name is Aaron Polanco and am a 25 year old with lived experience in Orange County’s foster care system. I am also a member of California Youth Connection’s (CYC) Orange County Chapter. CYC is a youth-led and youth-driven organization that advocates for fostering youth rights throughout California on the local, county and statewide level. I’m here tonight to support one of CYC’s statewide priorities for permanent, supportive housing for youth exiting care by encouraging the Anaheim Housing Authority to begin requesting FYI/FUP housing choice vouchers from the department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the 2025-2026 fiscal year. This category of Section 8 vouchers allows youth aging out of the child welfare system to afford safe, long-term housing within their financial means. Many young people, like myself, age out of care with no idea how to apply for public housing or possessing the necessary rental components that landlords seek, such as having documented renter’s history or being able to provide 3x the total unit rent. These vouchers provide young people between the ages 18-24 curated support and a warm hand off into independent living without having to be held back from these barriers. This is especially so here in Orange County, where thanks to the Orangewood Foundation, a local non-profit that provides all OC foster youth Independent living services, voucher holders will receive a Care Coordinator or case manager. These Care Coordinators provide young folks with 1:1 preparation for self-reliance and maintaining legal ordinances with their public housing authority. I also specifically ask the Anaheim Public Housing Authority to request non-competitive vouchers from HUD. The non-competitive route allows PHA’s to request on a rolling basis throughout the fiscal year. It is also much easier of a process compared to the competitive requests. This is a barrier that housing authorities in LA county such as HACLA and LACDA have overcome to make sure more youth in their county will have an opportunity to receive access to this wonderful benefit. So far, 2/4 PHA’s in Orange County (Santa Ana and Orange County) both participate in requesting the maximum allocation of the FYI/FUP voucher (A total of 50 for both types of voucher). Recently, the Garden Grove Housing Authority (GGHA) has agreed to follow through with non- competitive FYI voucher requests. Moreover, PHA’s should be able to request vouchers from HUD anytime during the fiscal year and up to 25 requests at a time before capping at 50 vouchers received. Over 30% of transition-aged foster youth experience homelessness sometime during their exit of foster care. This was my case, as I had to live out of my vehicle during the summer after my 1st year of college with no foster home to return to. As a recipient of the FYI voucher, I have been able to go from living out of a friends parents spare bedroom and cooking off a hot plate to having a space of my own with a kitchen, bathroom and living room. I sincerely hope the AHA, with support from the city council, will adhere to my plea and the plea of so many youth advocates who cannot be here tonight to support their transition to independence in the city of Anaheim and beyond. With Regards , FUNDRAISE Aaron Polanco Youth Director Board of Directors | California Youth Connection Pronouns: he/him _____________________________ 714-587-8725 aaron@calyouthconn.org www.calyouthconn.org 1933 S Broadway 6th Fl #465 Los Angeles, CA 90007 Confidentiality Notice: This message and attachments (if any) contain information that may be confidential and/or privileged. If you are not the recipient, you should not use, copy, disclose, distribute or take any action based on this message. Please advise the sender if you have received this message in error.