Impact Report
Letter From Alex
I joined the Beloved Village team because I was inspired by the bold, transformative vision of women, girls, and trans youth of all genders who have experienced incarceration and congregate care and are leading the charge to create an alternative system rooted in their power and real solutions for themselves, their families, and communities. After spending over 20 years leading housing programs for system-involved youth, I’ve seen firsthand the limitations and harm caused by conventional approaches. It has been my dream to be part of an organization that not only considers, but is actually driven by and committed to amplifying the voices of directly impacted people.
I am energized by the potential of Beloved Village to innovate and challenge our entrenched, dysfunctional, and retraumatizing systems. There is a vast space for advocacy and change when we acknowledge the deep harm that systems have historically inflicted on poor communities and people of color. As a lawyer, a licensed clinical social worker, and someone who has worked alongside young people entangled in the system for decades, I am excited to contribute my expertise in housing and direct services with a clear understanding of what works—and what doesn’t.
At Beloved Village, we’re building something powerful: a real alternative to incarceration and congregate care for girls and trans youth of all genders, not just in California but beyond. Our work will support the self-determination of directly impacted youth, their families, and their communities by creating innovative housing solutions and individualized support. Together, we will change the trajectories of lives that have been repeatedly tossed aside and harmed by intergenerational system entanglement.
Having spent years trying to mitigate harm for young people within broken systems, I am deeply aware of how harmful those so-called “solutions” can be. But now, through Beloved Village, I am thrilled to help build a new pathway—one that respects the vision and self-determination of young people and their families and leads toward true safety, healing, and joy.
In Partnership,
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Beloved Village
Initial Successes of Beloved Village
A Transformative Approach to Youth Justice
Launched in 2023 as a bold 3-year pilot, Beloved Village is building a much-needed alternative to incarceration and congregate care for girls and trans youth. The pilot’s aim is to demonstrate that when we rethink what true community safety looks like and invest directly in the young people and families most impacted by criminalization, we can achieve better life outcomes—not only for these youth but for their families, caretakers, and the wider community. Beloved Village is already proving that this community-based approach is more effective, fiscally responsible, and keeps everyone safer.
Beloved Village is a groundbreaking new initiative of the Freedom Center, rooted in over 30 years of advocacy by Young Women’s Freedom Center to create real alternatives to incarceration. We recognized that to truly end the incarceration of girls and trans youth, prevent family separation, and support reunification in California, we had to address poverty and the lack of stable housing—key drivers of criminalization.
Over the past year, Beloved Village has launched in four California counties: Los Angeles, Alameda, San Francisco, and Santa Clara. Through our work, we are ensuring that girls are released from juvenile detention to family or a supportive network of caregivers, that young people and their families receive the resources they need, and that they are empowered to make self-determined choices for their futures.
Learn more at belovedvillage.org.