Volunteers of america of LOS angeles (voala) will expand its mentoring programs to connect trained, screened mentors with youth who have been impacted by the opioid crisis, providing the youth with…

The U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) awarded a $650,000 Project Grant under the Juvenile Mentoring Program (CFDA 16.726) to Volunteers of America of Los Angeles (VOALA). Over the project period from October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2027, VOALA will use the funding to expand its mentoring programs for youth impacted by the opioid crisis. Key activities include recruiting and training 100 mentors, engaging 200 at-risk youth, providing long-term mentoring support, and connecting youth to essential social services. The program aims to increase positive youth development, reduce substance misuse, and lower recidivism rates among participating youth, with a focus on serving young people of color, youth in foster care, homeless youth, and victims of human trafficking.

Volunteers of america of LOS angeles (voala) will expand its mentoring programs to connect trained, screened mentors with youth who have been impacted by the opioid crisis, providing the youth with caring adult influences, which research has shown increases their positive social development (educational achievement, community involvement) while reducing the likelihood that they will participate in negative behaviors (substance misuse, youth delinquency, gang participation). Activities will include recruiting and screening mentors, training mentors in evidence-based mentoring practices, outreach to and engagement with potential participants through existing voala programs, mentor/mentee pairing, ongoing mentor/mentee supervision, group mentor activities to support family engagement, and linkages with housing and supportive services.voala will target services to youth 17 or younger who are using opioids and/or who are impacted by family members who use opioids, with a focus on youth in foster care, youth who are homeless, and youth who are victims of human trafficking. Based on demographics in the regions voala serves (including south LA, compton, pomona, and lancaster), voala anticipates that the majority of the youth to be served will be young people of color. Through these activities, the program will recruit and train 100 mentors and engage 200 youth who have been impacted by the opioid crisis. Of youth engaged in mentoring, 90 percent will remain in mentoring for at least 12 months and 90 percent will connect to at least one supportive service. Of those who complete 12 months of mentoring, 80 percent will exhibit at least one positive behavior,80 percent will report reduced opioid misuse,80 percent will participate in at least one family engagement activity, and less than 20 percent of youth with a history of justice involvement will recidivate within 12 months of completing the program.