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M Artin l uther K ing J r .
2019 special edition
January 16, 2019
New Lifeline for Foster Youth of Color
Agency focuses on
culturally-specific
care, services
by D anny p eterson
t he p ortlanD o bserver
In response to African American
children being overrepresented in Or-
egon’s child welfare system, a new
foster care agency led by a black ex-
ecutive is working to close that gap by
providing culturally specific foster care
services and recruiting new foster par-
ents of color.
Incorporated in 2016, and licensed
a year ago, Youth Unlimited, Inc. is
working with some of the Portland
black community’s most vulnerable
kids, helping place black foster chil-
dren into the hands of highly qualified
foster homes of color.
The agency considers itself a “treat-
ment foster care” organization, where
foster parents volunteer at least 10
hours each week to teaching life skills
to their foster children.
Many of the children come in with
behavioral or health issues that need to
be addressed, Youth Unlimited found-
C ontinueD on p age 15
photo by D anny p eterson /t he p ortlanD o bserver
April Johnson (left), the chief executive and founder of Youth Unlimited, a foster care agency that is focused on
supporting foster youth of color, and Denzel Davis, one of the agency’s foster dads, pose in front of the agency
headquarters in Gresham.