♪♪♪ Scott: As state budget cuts loom Organizations that support youth and families in crisis are at risk of being crippled and may be shutting their doors.

Joining us to share what's at stake are the executive director of the Children's Receiving Home, Glynis Butler-Stone, and board member Heidi Sanborn.

Glynis.

Please share with us what is the gravity of the situation that you and your colleagues at the Children's Receiving Home and the entire community of agencies that serve the populations that you serve are facing at this moment?

Glynis: Well, thank you again, Scott, for bringing this issue and raising it up, because we have hit a critical place for serving foster children in the state of California and unfortunately, group care has been villainized over the past, you know, 15, 20 years as being a bad place.

And there were a lot of legislative actions taken to make it more difficult to run congregate care or group care programs.

Um, and so one of those reform efforts has actually led to fewer group homes, fewer residential treatment programs.

A lot of kids have to go out of state to receive the services that they need.

Um, and in the height of all of this, we've been downsizing.

Our community probably had about 20 group homes ten years ago, 15 years ago, and we're down to four of us Scott: In this region alone?

Glynis: In this region alone.

Congregate care - Scott: Hold on for one second Scott: though, Glynis.

There was Glynis: Yeah.

Scott: There was a reform effort that you just mentioned.

Glynis: Yes.

Scott: And the reform effort has ended up hurting the community that it was set out to reform in the first place?

Give us a little bit more background on that on that.

Glynis: Yes.

In 2015, there was a piece of legislation designed to eliminate congregate care or group care.

And so making it more difficult and setting higher standards for those people and agencies providing group care settings.

I think the reform effort was excellent because it actually set up more situations where caregivers and relatives could receive funding that they couldn't previously received.

Only foster parents could.

So a lot of kids wanted to live with their grandparents or aunts and uncles, and they now had funding and opportunities to be able to do that.

The problem was, is that if you're having a continuum of care, that means you should have every level of care that goes from emergency shelters to foster homes to caregiver homes, to group care.

And group care should be used for short term, short term kinds of stays and really intensive treatment services to get kids back to families.

We all believe kids should be in families.

We absolutely all believe kids should be in families.

However, the problem is there's times in kids lives that they're not able to live with family or their families not ready to have them in the home.

And because of the trauma that they've, uh, exposed - Scott: But, uh, Glynis what I don't understand still is what happened?

Okay.

All that sounds fine.

So how did the crisis that you're describing take place if everybody's got good intentions and everybody wants to see people or young people placed in this continuum of care?

What went wrong?

What's the fundamental basis?

Glynis: Well, the problem is, is that the restrictions on group care from the federal level, the state level and the local level increased, while the funding to provide those levels of care did not increase.

So the California Department of Social Services acknowledged that congregate care, what they're calling short term residential treatment programs, were not adequately funded for foster children to receive the services that they needed when they need this really high level of care.

They've been in foster homes.

They need intensive treatment.

Their family needs intensive treatment.

So we serve those kids that are the most vulnerable, that have been in the system the longest, that are the most difficult to treat and difficult to place.

Scott: Okay, so all that sounds logical.

Where's the money?

Glynis: There -- That's the problem.

That's the problem is the state acknowledged that that the funding wasn't adequate for this level of requirements for services.

However, they put a work group together this past year.

They worked very diligently on it and have come back with a proposal that actually cuts the funding to short term Scott: Hold it.

Stop.

Glynis: residential - Scott: Stop for just a sec.

Glynis: Yeah.

Scott: So you're telling me that the Department of Social Services of Gavin Newsom's administration put together a work group to try and solve this problem of underfunding and came back with a proposal to implement -- to cut the funding even more.

Yes.

the funding even more?

Glynis: Yes.

And eliminate cost of living increases that were scheduled to happen over the course of the next five years.

Yes.

Scott: Oh... oh... okay, Heidi, you... you have been an advocate in the environmental movement, you're a former chair of the SMUD board, elected official yourself and community volunteer activist obviously serving on the board of the Children's Receiving Home Make sense of this for us lay people as to this bizarre kind of Rubik's Cube of, uh, this situation, because it's not making much sense to me Heidi: And it shouldn't because it doesn't make any sense If we want to keep kids who have been highly traumatized and we are talking the kids that come to group care now are the children that have had the most trauma they need, the most mental health support, they need the most care that costs more than the child that could be placed in a foster home.

We've been underfunded since I got on the board I think it's three years ago now.

$350 per day per child.

We have been eating -- every budget I have approved as a board member blew my mind because we were negative a half a million dollars a year.

We are eating into our fat and we will close.

And that's why I'm so grateful to you to do the show, because as a board member, I'm not a mom, but I'm a mom to the world's children, and I am just absolutely blown away by everyone talking about how much we love and care for children.

But the children who have been the most damaged, the most harmed, who's... whos abusers, um, have created a life for them that they just can't trust others, It takes time for them to recover.

They can't all go into a home, a foster home out of the gate.

They need extra help.

And that's what we're here for.

But we're going to close.

If the state continues to cut, we will not be here.

And we need people to hear us before it's too late.

Scott: So... so, Glynis, I don't understand this because, you know, California has this reputation as the most progressive state in the United States that really looks to wrap its arms around the underserved and the underrepresented and to try and balance the scales to make sure that everyone's got a fair shot.

What are the people over in the legislature and the administration doing?

In your conversations with your colleagues that run other agencies like yours, what are they saying to you?

Glynis: Well, again, our industry and unfortunately with group care has been really villainized.

Scott: Tell us a little... Tell us a little bit about that.

Glynis: I mean, we've been painted as, um, kind of like the Annie, you know, that we're in it for the money and that we don't treat kids well or, you know, the Oliver Twist or unfortunately, there's been a lot of movements out there, and there were some group care programs in other states that did abuse children and do do seclusion where they lock kids in rooms and that they over medicate them and such.

And so we've all been lumped into that same group, and it's really hard to change the picture.

So even in the legislature, um, folks, you know, our representatives really believe that group care is bad and that... that kids should live in families.

The problem is, is group care isn't always bad and that we do have all these standards and we don't over medicate kids.

And I've talked to several legislators that are just like, well, you have a psychiatrist.

And I'm like, yes.

And she's highly regulated and she's monitored and she's really careful not to prescribe any more medications than the kids need.

And we don't restrain children and we don't, you know, contain them in rooms and we don't lock them in rooms.

And so we've invited a number of legislators out to our campus to see our facilities.

And I've had a couple say, “gosh, it's colorful and it's inviting and it's really nice here.

” And it's just like, “what did you think we did?

” You know, we're... we're providing care to some of the most difficult children to serve.

And... and that's the hard part is trying to break that narrative.

That people have this picture of group care is bad, families are good, and they forget that families aren't always good, too.

Scott: Right.

So, Heidi, paint a picture for us.

If the current actions that are being contemplated right now from a funding perspective go forward into the future, what does the future look like, say 12, 24 months from now in terms of the availability of services for these at risk youth and the families that they're a part of?

Heidi: My prediction is that we're going to see the homes close and the children who are the most at risk, the most in need of our care, will have nowhere to go.

They cannot be placed in foster homes.

They are not ready and they will... A lot of them are teenagers and they will end up on the streets.

And I don't -- it just hurts me to think about what will happen.

That's why we're being so vocal about this, because we... we are very, very concerned about these children not having a place to go.

Scott: And... and what is the reception currently like in the legislature overall as you all bring forward these issues and these concerns?

Heidi: I can share that we just found out about this like two weeks ago, I believe, and we have immediately jumped into action and are doing everything we can to alert our legislators, our county supervisors, who are going to rely on these homes for these kids for their care, because since they run health and human services in their counties, um, but we don't know if it's in time.

Um, and I know the hearings tomorrow.

There's many hearings to come.

This is a timeless issue.

As you said, it's a perennial issue.

We can't continue to say we care and love children if we don't provide them the support they need, especially those who have been harmed by those they trust.

Scott: Glynis, you work with these kids every single day, give us a sense of what are the life journey circumstances that without the sort of interventions that the Childrens Receiving Home and others like you provide, what are some of the life possibilities that these kids are going to confront?

Glynis: Yeah, you know, you try to stay positive, so you always want to believe yourself.

Scott: We want to know the... We want to know - Glynis: But the reality... the reality... the reality is, you know, the foster care system has failed many, many children who have gone on to be adults who are either incarcerated, we have a lot of teen moms, we have a lot of youth that are, um, basically dont... don't live to see 20.

A lot of our kids pass away for a variety of reasons.

Um, So one of the more recent censuses a couple of years ago looked at the population and over 51% of the homeless population in California were former foster youth.

So we know that our system is not working and we know that we need to... to do better.

And so with that, we firmly believe that getting kids into the mental health treatment services as early as we possibly can, because unfortunately, a lot of kids fail into our programs.

They have to - Scott: What does that mean?

Glynis: That means they... they've probably been in anywhere from, you know, ten to 12 to 20 foster homes or resource families before they actually get into mental health treatment in a group care setting.

And so for years, we've always said, you know, kids shouldn't have to fail in if they need mental health treatment.

You need to get it sooner.

And especially while the family is still intact.

So then the kids can go home because eh -- the kids that do best in our programs all have a family member or a caring individual who is going to be there for them when they finish treatment.

The kids that don't have that languish in the system, leave our program, go into foster homes, come back to our program, because it really does go back to having one caring individual that's not paid, because that's... that's the other thing is you need to have somebody in your life that's not paid to be in your life that cares about you to -- for you to be successful.

Scott: Heidi, share with us, as a person who this isn't your full time job, you're doing this as a volunteer, What are some of the misconceptions that most of us have and maybe you had as well when you first got involved with the Children's Receiving Home about the kids and their families that many of us have never taken the time to understand or appreciate and may be holding us back from getting involved ourselves in trying to support this continuum of care that Glynis has pointed out that so many desperately need?

Heidi: It's a great question and I think, um, the thing that struck me the most is the stories of what's happened to these children.

It's mind blowing and it's awful in many, many cases.

Um.

And for many of these children, they don't want to live anymore.

We've literally have to remove our pool, cut down trees because they literally want to hurt themselves.

It's very serious what's happened to these children.

We have to give them more support.

And I know it's hard for people to hear this and they want to look away.

They don't want to think about it.

But these children will become adults.

And if we don't give them the support they need, they will go out and they will do what they know to do.

And often it's been mistreat others because that's what's happened to them.

So we have to give them the support.

We have to give them a shot.

And so many of these kids are so resilient.

It's just so impressive.

But they need us to be there and if we're not there, they can't go into this -- often as... as... as... as Glynis said they've already been in foster homes.

They can't stay there.

They're not ready.

They can hurt other children.

They can, you know, do other things that disrupt other children's lives.

We have to get them treated before they can be placed safely and also the -- I think a big misconception as Glynis said when I, you know, got a tour of the facility, I was blown away at how nice it was.

We have a six acre campus.

They have beautiful, um, comfort rooms where they can just hang out and they're decorated and they have a gym and you know, it's a gorgeous place to be and we're trying to make it even prettier so they feel that they're, you know, worthy of the best things because they are.

But we're... we're so underfunded.

We can't even, you know, pay to pull down the dead tree.

I'm trying to get donations just to get the landscaping to be nice.

We're just trying to survive.

And the kids are just trying to survive.

And I don't think people understand how underfunded we are.

Like I said, I just couldn't believe they were presenting -- Glynis has had to present budget that were in the negative half a million dollars a year range.

We are literally that negative.

You can't make that up with bake sales.

We're doing our very best with crab feeds and other things.

But we we've got to get the state and the local governments to pay us what these children cost.

And we were supplementing with, um, kids from, you know, Kaiser and other, you know, paid facilities because they were they were paying us what we cost to support these children, whereas we were not getting that from our public agencies, and that was supporting those children that were coming to us from the state.

Glynis: And it's hard to describe the trauma that the kids that we serve have experienced and their responses and their reactions and their behaviors.

Because, you know, I try to share with my friends and my colleagues and nobody could wrap their head around some of the behaviors that our staff have to put up with.

And here, you know, we're trying to retain staff and they have to have a bachelor's degree and you're going to be spit on and possibly bit and assaulted and hit and... and such.

And nobody... nobody would ever believe that.

You know, here we are trying to help these children.

Um, they wouldn't believe how... how much our staff have to endure.

So it's really difficult to have to compete, especially now with the fast food industry paying at what they're paying.

And here we're having bachelor level people who are doing it for the goodness of their heart that are getting kicked and spit on and such by kids that are very disrespectful.

And it's really hard to share that because you want to see the best in people and kids.

But, um, trauma... trauma really comes out a lot of times very outward, which is they're very assaultive and aggressive or it's very inward.

And that's the kids that are - Scott: That raises a question, Glynis, What is it that keeps you and your colleagues going, given this brace of challenges?

Um, across the board that you all are facing right now?

Glynis: Yeah, I think a big part of it, when Heidi talked about the resilience of our kids, for me, it's our kids.

Um, that's what keeps me going.

I feel very, very lucky that I did not experience the things that a lot of our kids have experienced, um, and I've learned a lot from them.

But we have amazing kids that are talented, they're artistic, they're musical, they're smart.

I had this one kid who could do whatever the Rubik's Cube thing, uh, really quickly, so many times.

And I mean, just incredible humans that have so much to offer if we could just help them get through their trauma, help them trust the world, because most of the kids don't trust the world, and that's when you don't trust the world, then you either harm yourself or you harm others.

Scott: Give us you know, that's... that's inspiring to hear, when you... when you think of how amazing and resilient these kids are, give us one that really stuck with you in terms of, um, an interaction or a child that you've encountered that kind of embodies how it is that the impact and intervention that you all provide can really re-orient a child and get them back on the right path for their future?

Glynis: Right.

Um, The hard part about this work, a lot of times we don't hear back from the kids and we don't hear back from them for a while.

So probably my most personally, my most inspiring story, um, has to do with, um, a youth who was here when we were a shelter back in the eighties, and she was here with her brother and sister on three different occasions and she came back to actually film her story on our campus and I was able to give her a tour.

And I think I started off as a volunteer here back around the same time.

So we were kind of laughing that I probably was a volunteer.

We have what's called the Point Store and the kids can earn points, and I ran the Point Store for two years as a volunteer.

I just loved it.

So we were kind of chuckling that she was probably here when she was maybe 12, and I was running the point store when I was early in college.

So it was a few years ago.

Um, and so she has gone on.

She's incredible.

She has gone on to be now the CEO of Home Aid.

And she - Yeah.

Scott: Wow.

Glynis: She has singlehandedly helped, um, the Children's Receiving Home remove the pool, which was a danger.

And she said, “yeah, it was always a danger ” even when she was here.

Um, And so she helped us with that.

And they help us with flooring and all kinds of things.

And she personally gives back and that's why she wanted to do a video to tell her story.

She was finally ready to tell her story.

And that's also what's difficult, is that a lot of the kids feel shame having been here.

So they have to get to a point in their life where they feel like they can tell their story.

Scott: So this is the president of Home Aid Sacramento?

Glynis: Yes.

Yes, she is an alumni three times here.

And she she says that, you know, nothing but positive things about how this... this was a safe haven for her and how much this helped her and her family during really, really difficult times.

Scott: Heidi, if you were in front of the legislature right now and had the governor sitting planted right in front of us on this -- in this conversation right now, what would you tell him and them and ask for?

Heidi: It would be very simply, we can't just talk about loving and caring for children and wanting to do something about homelessness.

We have to put resources where they're needed to prevent homelessness and to care for children, period.

And if they continue to cut, we will not be here.

And it's counter to everything I hear people say that we want.

We -- the community has spoken very loudly in recent -- even elections in March about dealing with homelessness, um, supporting children.

Everybody wants to support children and not have them on the streets or fending for themselves and learning from the worst of society.

They want them to be supported.

We can't just keep saying we're doing it.

We have to actually do it and prioritize it.

And I feel like I'm just speaking for them.

I'm like, Glynis, feel like I'm one of the lucky ones.

And I had a mother with schizophrenia, but she always loved me and I always knew that I had a safe place to be and I was never hit and I was never abused.

But these children deserve our care and I couldn't implore our legislators more.

Do not cut, add to and make sure we are here for these children.

Scott: Glynis, I want to give you the last word in a sentence or two give us the message that we all need to carry back to make sure that these kids have what they need and that organizations like yours continue.

Glynis: Okay.

My... My greatest message is the importance of foster children and foster youth and the fact that they don't have a voice and the fact that they're often forgotten and that I would just want to encourage everyone to learn more about the continuum of care, learn more about the good things that congregate care and group care can provide.

And I'd invite everybody on tours, but I can't do that many tours.

So but just, you know, have an open mind.

Learn more about the continuum of care.

Learn more about the kids that are in foster care and the trauma that they've incurred and that we all need your support.

Scott: All right.

And we're going to leave it there.

Thank you both and good luck on your advocacy.

And we hope to have you back on in a couple of years.

Bigger and better than ever.

Glynis: Great.

Thank you.

Heidi: Thank you so much, Scott.

Scott: All right.

And that's our show.

Thanks to our guests and thanks to you for watching.

Studio Sacramento.

I'm Scott Syphax.

See you next time right here on KVIE.

♪♪♪ All episodes of Studio Sacramento Along with other KVIE programs are available to watch online at KVIE.ORG/VIDEO