Pathways to Independence

Our mission at Pathways to Independence is to foster profound and productive changes in the lives of young women in Long Beach and Orange County who have been traumatized by their family and abandoned by society. We do so by providing the women in our program, our clients, the emotional and fiscal support that they need in order to reach their goal of graduating college, finding a job and becoming contributing members of society. We refer to these young women as our “clients” as a means to lift them up to a place where they feel respected and deserving of the assistance and care they receive from the Pathways volunteers.

For acceptance into Pathways, our clients must first meet the following criteria:

have been significantly abused or neglected
have a serious desire to receive a college education and to be self-sufficient
do not have the financial or emotional resources available to attend school full-time
are willing to commit to a full-time class schedule with minimum GPA requirements
are able to work a part-time job to earn money to support basic needs
are willing to commit to intensive therapy to help heal the trauma they have suffered in their life
are willing to be accountable to their assigned mentor on a weekly basis and to use them as a guide when they need counseling and encouragement

Pathways to Independence is a 501(c)(3) corporation # 33-0148082 recognized by the Internal Revenue Service and qualified to allocate receipts for tax-deductible donations. Pathways is governed by a board of directors and is audited annually.

Success in numbers

Since its inception in 1991, Pathways to Independence has served over 280 young women and can proudly say that 80% of women accepted into the program have graduated from college.
With over 87% of all donations going directly to the clients, Pathways funds its program with donations from individuals, corporations, foundations, and service clubs.
Pathways clients are supported by more than 300 community volunteers. Our volunteer roster includes 50+ medical professionals, 40+ licensed therapists, 10+ dentists & orthodontists and a growing list of attorneys, printers, mechanics, accountants, and other professions. All of these professionals donate their services free of charge.