It’s a warm, sunny February afternoon and light floods the downtown apartment where Don Wells, who’s the chief empowerment officer at Just in Time for Foster Youth, and his wife and co-founder, Diane Cox, live.
Wells, Cox and their adopted daughter, Belen Gomez, are playing a game of cards around the dining room table. Things can get a little competitive at times, but the bond between these players is unmistakable.
However, Gomez didn’t have the best start in life.
At the age of one, her biological mother gave her to relatives to raise, and she spent the rest of her childhood in and out of foster care.
In 2011, Gomez was struggling to adjust to university life and reached out to Just In Time for some much needed support. Living in so many different homes as a child left a lasting impression on her.
“I don’t like making mistakes, because I feel like I’m going to get judged,” Gomez said. “I don’t like causing too much attention, just because I feel like if I’m as minimal as possible, I’ll be able to fit in anywhere."
Just In Time supports people ages 18 to 26 who are transitioning from foster care into adulthood. The nonprofit connects them with mental health services, helps with things like buying furniture and prepares them for job interviews.
Cox was inspired to launch Just in Time in 2003 after handing out holiday baskets to young people who had nothing.
Just In Time has supported thousands of young foster care adults since it launched 20 years ago. It now hopes to help other states set-up similar programs across the country.
Each state is different, but California allows young people to remain in foster care up to the age of 21. After that, they’re on their own.
Which is why Cox and Wells decided to adopt Gomez in her 30s.
“When you’re in foster care, the whole thing is if you make a mistake you’re out," Wells said. “So having the burden of that is really difficult. My whole thing was to make her feel that I was going to be around no matter what."
Other team members at Just in Time have experience with the foster care system like Nathaniel Martinez. He said he spent his childhood in a chaotic and toxic environment.
“So many foster youth are exiting the foster care system without any of the skills or knowledge or support of how to manage money. So when you don’t have the foundational areas of support, participants are stuck in what we call the 'survival mindset' where they're living day to day, week to week, paycheck to paycheck.”Nathaniel Martinez, Just in Time for Foster Youth
The night he was taken into foster care, “I remember being up and watching a movie with my family when there was a knock at the door,” he said. “I remember my mother getting up and answering the door, and there were Sheriff's deputies and two social workers there with her."
Despite all the challenges he faced, Martinez went to graduate school and now teaches young foster care adults how to manage their money and become financially literate.
“So many foster youth are exiting the foster care system without any of the skills or knowledge or support of how to manage money,” he said. “So when you don’t have the foundational areas of support, participants are stuck in what we call the 'survival mindset' where they're living day to day, week to week, paycheck to paycheck.”
Many of the staff at Just In Time aged out of the foster care system themselves, like Samantha Harner. After years of suffering with low self esteem due to her experiences in care, Harner now helps Just In Time participants access mental health support. She said how important it is for former foster youth to have someone to relate to.
“To be able to come in and just be like 'I’m having a horrible day' and for somebody to look at you and say I get it," she said. “You just have this person who completely understands what you’re going through and they’re there to comfort you.”
