Sherman Secures Over $500,000 For Valley Juvenile Justice Programs

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Brad Sherman announced that Congress today approved over half a million dollars in federal appropriations funding for juvenile justice related programs serving the San Fernando Valley.

The funding was included as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2009 which will be signed by the President soon.

The funds Sherman secured are for three specific projects: Phoenix Academy in Lake View Terrace, New Directions for Youth in Van Nuys, and the Court Appointed Special Advocates program serving the San Fernando Valley.

Phoenix Academy’s Access to Treatment Initiative - $250,000

Phoenix Academy of Lakeview Terrace is the only facility in Los Angeles County that provides long-term residential treatment for teenagers with drug and alcohol problems.

It also provides vital services to youth and families struggling with substance abuse and mental health problems.

This funding will be used to increase the number of adolescents who are able to receive treatment – treatment these adolescents would otherwise be unable to afford – and to provide additional outreach services to the community.

Sherman was joined by Rep. Jane Harman in requesting money for this project.

“Thanks to Congressman Sherman, Phoenix Academy is able to help hundreds of Los Angeles’ most needy youth and their families each year,” said Elizabeth Stanley-Salazar, managing director of Phoenix Academy in Lake View Terrace.

“Phoenix Academy is dedicated to helping troubled teens get their lives back on track and Congressman Sherman’s support will give us the opportunity to help even more teens.”

Phoenix Academy is part of a network of 29 drug-treatment facilities throughout California and others across the country.

The academy’s one-year residential substance abuse treatment program is followed by a year of aftercare for adolescents with drug, alcohol, and behavioral issues. The substance-abuse treatment is combined with a course of academic study coordinated with the resident’s home school and directed by experienced, state-licensed teachers.

New Directions for Youth, Gang and Delinquency Prevention Program

- $150,000

New Directions for Youth seeks to provide comprehensive and individualized programs that assist at-risk youth to become productive, self-sufficient, healthy young adults and that create supportive, safe family environments.

The primary goal of the Gang and Delinquency Prevention Program

is to prevent youth involvement in gangs among 13-18 year olds in the San Fernando Valley, specifically targeting a number of local high schools.

“We’re excited and appreciative for all of Congressman Sherman’s work,” said Executive Director of New Directions for Youth, Monica Austin-Jackson.

“Our program helps stitch together some of the more tattered sections of the fabric of our community.

The Congressman has been and continues to be a friend to New Directions for Youth and we applaud his dedication to Valley families.”

Court Appointed Special Advocates of Los Angeles County - $110,000

This funding will provide the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Los Angeles County program with the resources required to recruit, train and supervise community volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected San Fernando Valley children in the foster care system.

CASA volunteers maintain regular visits with the children they serve, getting to know the child as an individual, not just a case.

“These funds reflect Congressman Sherman’s appreciation for children in our community and for their need to have a compassionate and considerate court system.

We are thankful that the Congressman went to bat for our program,” said CASA of Los Angeles County Executive Director David Melendez.