Seeking Stability

New measures call for significant reform to offer foster youth a better chance at permanent homes

Foster youth who live in congregate care settings (like group homes) are more likely than those who live with families to suffer a variety of negative outcomes, including low education levels, mental illness and involvement with the justice system. Placing foster youth in a stable and caring home is paramount, but finding the best way to do that has proved challenging.

Apr 6, 2017 Laurie Lauletta-Boshart

The Cost of Doing it Yourself

Artists and promoters say if Sacramento’s mayor wants the ‘raw energy’ of an art scene to thrive, then the city needs to rethink its permit policies

The mayor is putting aside $500,000 to be distributed in the city’s eight districts. The money is intended to activate arts innovation hubs and programs, but many in the arts community don’t see the funding as an aid if entertainment permit policy demands they hand the money back over to the city.

Mar 22, 2017 Blake Gillespie

Surreal Estate

Virtual Reality Tours Give Real Estate Builders And Buyers Room to Play

If you’re going to live in a 3D environment, you need to see a 3D environment.”

These are the words of Stephen Phillips, co-founder and chief technology officer at Theia Interactive, a design firm based in Chico. His company creates VR tours for people looking to build or buy homes, cars and yachts. It was one of the four startups to come out of the Green Screen Institute’s first accelerator program.

Mar 21, 2017 Russell Nichols

Compassion Planet Employs Aged-Out Foster Youth and At-Risk Teens

Deer Creek Farm, a retail boutique in Rocklin that offers unique gifts, home decor and a working garden, is not your typical shop. The shop employs aged-out foster youth (18 and older) and at-risk teens as part of a mentoring program with Compassion Planet, a Rocklin-based nonprofit organization that works to bring stability into the lives of young people by equipping them for future success.

Mar 17, 2017 Laurie Lauletta-Boshart

Elk Grove Ranked a Top Spot for Young Homebuyers

Young people are flocking to the Sacramento region’s suburban areas. A recent SmartAsset report — that defines millennial homebuyers as under age 35 — found that Elk Grove sits at the No. 2 spot in the U.S. for millennial home buying. In Elk Grove, “the homeownership rate for millennials was 60 percent in 2015,” according to the report.

Mar 15, 2017 Lillie Apostolos