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OCAPICA - YSPN <br />FY 2014-15 <br />Youth on Probation: In the past two years of the Youth Employment Program, OCAPICA has <br />worked very closely with the Orange County Probation Department. In particular, OCAPICA <br />staff members serve on the Department's Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI), a <br />proven method of assigning the least restrictive community-based rehabilitative alternatives <br />for low-risk offenders who do not pose a risk to public safety. OCAPICA receives referrals <br />directly from Probation Department programs such as the Center for Opportunity, ReEntry, <br />and Education (CORE) and the Health Care Agency's Youth Offender Wraparound (YOW). <br />Individual Service Plans are developed in coordination with the participant's probation officer <br />and/or partner agency case manager. Communication with these partners is maintained <br />throughout the program year to provide youth with as many opportunities as possible for <br />positive outcomes. <br />Youth that have dropped out of high school: OCAPICA's outreach and recruitment plan entails <br />working with mental health programs such as OCAPICA's Well(ness)essity and Project FOCUS <br />programs; the Truancy Reduction Center; homeless programs such as Build Futures; dropout <br />prevention programs; continuation schools such as Marie L. Hare High School and Community <br />Day school; Alternative, Community, and Correctional Schools and Services (ACCESS) sites like <br />Century Day and Harbor Learning Center; and adult education sites such as Lincoln Education <br />Center, Centennial Education Center and others. <br />D. OCAPICA will ensure that 100% of youth will be enrolled by December 31, 2013. This will <br />be met as a result of working with community partners (such as the Probation Department, <br />OCDE Alternative Schools, Transitional Support Programs, the Kinship Center of Santa Ana, <br />Santa Ana Unified School District, Santa Ana High School, Social Services Agency, the Social <br />Security Agency of Orange County, The Wooden Floor and is currently working with Vital Link <br />for Career Exploration opportunities) to identify participants for referral. In addition, staff are <br />actively outreaching at community events and youth gathering placements to promote the <br />Youth Employment Program. <br />E. From our lessons learned and experience in our youth development program, many <br />youth in our community face numerous barriers including homelessness/housing insecurity, <br />food insecurity, pregnant or parenting, emancipation from the foster care system, history in <br />the juvenile justice system, physical or developmental disability, mental health needs, lower <br />education attainment (high school dropouts), prior gang involvement, basic skills deficiency, <br />and language barriers. <br />F. OCAPICA's Youth Employment Program is able to leverage counseling services by <br />referring participants to such programs as OCAPICA's Well(ness)essity program. Participants will <br />receive intensive case management, resource linkage and referral, and supportive services that <br />the Youth Employment Program may be unable to provide. Schools and education sites, such <br />as Santa Ana High School, Marie L. Hare High School or ACCESS sites, often assist youth in <br />gathering documents for applications, as well as being able to provide mentorship and referrals <br />and resource linkage for participants who need other services aside from youth employment. <br />OCAPICA provides access to the 10 required elements. Summer employment opportunities are <br />offered during the year-round program through paid and un -paid work experience and <br />EXHIBIT A <br />