United Friends of the Children was founded in 1979 by Nancy Daly to address the unmet needs of Los Angeles County’s foster youth. Today, UFC provides support services to more than 1,400 current and former foster youth each year, working to provide them with the opportunity to finish high school, find housing, attend college and build the skills to support themselves. Through its programs, UFC provides critical intervention in the lives of foster youth when no one else will.

MacLaren Children’s Center was the 24-hour emergency shelter for abused and neglected children in Los Angeles County. Until its closing in 2003, UFC provided much needed support for the youth at Mac including: Friends Day; Cottage Mother Program; Celebrity Day; monthly barbeques; cottage and nursery restoration; wall murals; a beauty salon and store; and a library funded by the Milken Family Foundation.

UFC begins focusing on emancipation issues

Each year more than 1,400 foster youth age out of the Los Angeles foster care system unprepared for self-sufficiency. Emancipated youth face independence alone, without the benefit of enduring early relationships, role modeling, or the support (financial as well as emotional) of family and community members. It’s hard to imagine that there was ever a day when services were not available to emancipated foster youth, but it was 1999 before the Foster Care Independence Act was passed, legislating federal financial support for former foster youth

United Friends of the Children is proud to have been a partner in creating the first transitional housing program in the nation. Bridges to Independence, currently known as the County Transitional Housing Program (THP), is a unique public/private partnership between UFC, the Department of Children & Family Services, the Community Development Commission of Los Angeles County, the Weingart Foundation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Since 1999, UFC has recognized individuals who have significantly impacted the lives of foster youth in our community with the Brass Ring Award.

Brass Ring Award Recipients include

Now called College Within Reach, the event engages several hundred foster and probation youth in Los Angeles in a full day of college awareness and preparation activities. Students, as well as caregivers, social workers, lawyers and other service providers participate in workshops throughout the day and have the opportunity to meet with representatives from a variety of colleges during the lunchtime college and resource fair.

The launch of Pathways Alumni Program demonstrates our lifelong commitment to the youth we serve.  Pathways alumni can draw on a number of resources and support services including advocacy counseling, career development and job placement services, educational and vocational counseling and rental assistance to ensure their long term success. Often the closest some of our youth have to a family gathering, Pathways annual alumni events help develop long-term meaningful relationships that serve as a source of consistent support.

Presented for the first time to Carol Oughton Biondi, the award honors the accomplishments of UFC’s Founder, Nancy Daly, by recognizing individuals who care deeply about the youth in our community and serve as advocates on their behalf.

Nancy M. Daly Founder’s Award Recipients include:
Wallis Annenberg
Carol Biondi
Jacqueline Caster
Richard Merkin, M.D.
Erin Mulcahy Stein
Ande Rosenblum
Polly Williams

First College Readiness community site launched

In partnership with Paramount Unified School District, the first College Readiness Program Community Site was established offering core CRP services, including one-on-one counseling and goal setting, monthly academic and college prep workshops, as well as grade specific club meetings to engage students, build leadership and facilitate the community.

First Annual Cultivate L.A. Event
Local chefs support local foster youth at this annual food and wine event that brings together the best of LA’s restaurants and artisanal food vendors, as well as a variety of California’s finest wines and spirits at a private home in Los Angeles.

To help our youth establish internships and employment in an increasingly difficult environment, a summer internship program was established with Warner Bros. and partnerships were formed with the Whittier Transition Resource Center, SASSFA, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, and the Youth Entrepreneurial Program. Since 2010, we’ve partnered with many other organizations including Lionsgate, HBO, and NBCUniversal and have placed nearly 200 UFC interns with 100 companies.