Foster youth are less likely to graduate from high school than their peers; less likely to enroll in college; more likely to be unemployed; more likely to experience mental health and substance use challenges; and more likely to become homeless. A renewed focus on transition age youth who are aging out of foster care aims to change that story. In our new Placer Life podcast, listen to the story of Ariel, a young woman in Placer who was able to navigate young adulthood — and even save and purchase her own home — with THP-Plus or HOPE, one of the programs now in place for these young people that offering housing support and life skills training. With foster care now open to young adults through age 21, and programs like HOPE lasting even longer, there’s more opportunity than ever to help our young adults get off to the right start. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3siAtck

One morning in February, Oleysa awoke to the sound of bombing. What followed was a harrowing months-long journey that brought her to a new life in Placer County, which is home to a growing number of refugees from Ukraine. In this episode, hear how they’ve adjusted to and embraced The Placer Life. Transcript: https://bit.ly/3G9fn4C

Futures don’t come much brighter than Zach Didier’s. At 17, Zach was a standout student at Rocklin’s Whitney High School. A star athlete and actor. A self-taught musician. He could’ve done anything. Everyone thought so. He died at Christmas - after taking a pill he didn't know was fake he bought on Snapchat. In our new podcast miniseries, "One Pill Can Kill," we talk to his parents, Chris and Laura, about their loss and what every parent needs to know to help keep their kids safe. We also talk to health, safety and law enforcement experts to better understand the fentanyl crisis and what we can all do to help. CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains frank discussion of death that may be difficult for some listeners. Discretion is advised. Transcript: bit.ly/3yItAQU. For information and resources on the fentanyl crisis please visit www.1PillCanKillPlacer.com.

The Placer Dead has returned! Would you stay the night in a house you knew to be haunted? Lois Larimore did exactly that and lived to tell the tale. She shares her experience and other creepy happenings from her youth while working at the old Butterworth's restaurant in Old Auburn. Lois also shares a celebrity ghost sighting that's not to be missed! Listen on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-placer-life/id1183505610#episodeGuid=tag%3Asoundcloud%2C2010%3Atracks%2F701182282 Have a spooky tale tied to Placer County's past? Email us at [email protected], and you could be featured in a future episode of The Placer Life.

In this Halloween episode of "The Placer Life," we bring you tales of first-hand encounters with the supernatural in Placer County - at our Historic Courthouse and the Bernhard Museum. Hear how these ghost stories bring Placer's history to life and learn about more ways Placer County Museums can help you can commune with Placer's dead this Halloween season. Read more about the people behind the stories: https://adobe.ly/2MbI9Ep A transcript of this episode is available at: https://bit.ly/2V7HdoK

Welcome back to The Placer Life as we continue our look at the Whole Person Care program, focused on moving people out of chronic homelessness. In the last two episodes we introduced you to three members of the program whose paths had been different but all had led them to homelessness. This episode takes a closer look at Whole Person Care staff, and what they do every day to ensure that these people don’t fall through the cracks. TRANSCRIPT: https://bit.ly/2RBRmKN

Learn how Whole Person Care came to be in Placer County, and meet two members whose different paths led them to homelessness. TRANSCRIPT: https://bit.ly/2HbtKbU

In the final episode of our miniseries, we explore housing and the creative ways the Whole Person Care program, and its partners, are finding solutions even when every sign in Placer County seems to say ‘no vacancy.’ TRANSCRIPT: https://bit.ly/2RfUcWM

Welcome back to The Placer Life as we continue our look at Whole Person Care, the county’s innovative pilot program to help chronically homeless people get back on their feet and off the street. This episode looks at how the program tackles medical services and challenges. TRANSCRIPT: https://bit.ly/2H1E9XS

Placer County’s Whole Person Care program launched in 2017 with a lofty goal of helping homeless people with the most severe needs. Since then it has connected the dots for those who had once fallen through the cracks. In a four-part miniseries of “The Placer Life,” we follow three clients of the program as they make the journey from homeless to home. TRANSCRIPT: https://bit.ly/2seuenv