Attendees sat at poker tables at the newly opened Oasis Santa Clarita Resource Center in Newhall recently during the third annual Finally Family Homes Poker Tournament.
Previous winners could defend their titles from last year’s event, while raising funds to support displaced youth aging out of foster care in Santa Clarita.
Founder and executive director Christina Dronen discussed the incentive behind opening the center, which helps support young adults from the ages of 18-26.
“This is the first year of using our space, so young adults can come in, hang out, drop in, and get connected to food, clothing, toiletries and school supplies. We opened another location in August of 2024, then moved to this location in February because it was much bigger,” Dronen said. “Since we’ve opened this center, we’ve served 93, as well as the kids of the young adults.”
According to Dronen, the young adults impacted by foster care may have children of their own, or younger siblings who are equally impacted.
“We want to build those familial relationships, so we help support the family members, as well. We work on building connections with them and helping them get the resources they need to succeed in life. We help them get on their feet. We have housing, rental assistance, we have case managers who meet up with them and help them out,” Dronen said.
Dronen and her team make sure to not only care for the necessities, but also to celebrate holidays, including birthdays.
“We really care about the whole person, and want to make sure that they feel cared for. They may get supplies, but they don’t get connection. We help them navigate life, figure out how to budget, how to live independently. We make sure that we connect with our young people and that they feel valued,” Dronen said. “We’ve had a little over 90% success rate where they move out and become renters or homeowners.”
The main goal for Dronen is to ensure that the young adults she encounters escape long-term homelessness.
“They could age out of foster care and be homeless on their 18th birthday and be left with nothing. I care about the homelessness situation. I wanted to change that paradigm, and make sure we give as much as possible to the young people and really put in all the effort to help them feel connected and cared about,” Dronen said.
Board member Jun Shim, who has been a part of the organization for four years, said there is often a misconception with how many youth in the city are struggling.
“We try to support kids who were not formally adopted by the system. People are not aware of how many youth are struggling within our city. I hope people are more aware and that it brings awareness to be able to support an organization like this one,” Shim said. “I never knew there was homelessness in the city. I know it’s even more amplified in other cities.”
Although the work may not be easy, Shim simply describes it as rewarding.
“Just looking at the progress of the youth that we help, whether it’s getting them on their feet or through other programs, I’ve seen many kids progress and achieve something that is rewarding,” Shim said. “I want people to know that in every city you are, no matter where you live, homelessness exists. Hopefully there are systems that help support those kids.”
