FORTNEY PETE STARK 239 CANNON H OU'SE OFI'lCE IlulL.

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March 26, 2009

The Honorable David R. Obey, Chairm an

The Honorable Jerry Lewis, Ranking Member
Committee on Appropriati ons
H-218, The Capitol
Was hington , D. C. 20515

Dear Chairma n Obey and Ranking Member Lewis:

I am requesti ng fund ing for a Family Visitation Center in fiscal yea r 2010.

The entity to receive funding for this project is:

Alameda County Social Services
2000 San Pablo Avenue
Oakland, CA 946 12

The funding would be used for establishing a family visitation center, the primary goal of which
is to reunite children with the birth parent, with an ex pected outcome of reducing the reentry
of families into the foster care system that successfully reunify. Typically, the various levels
of government (federal, state, and local) become the parents of last resort to foster children,
which is the most expensive and least efficient means of meeting the needs of abused and
neglected children. Therefore, the establishment of a family visitation center embraces the
concept of family and the rebuilding of families as the most cost-effective, nurturing and
viable way of addressing the needs of abused and neglected children ..

I certify that neither I nor my spouse has any financial interest in this project.

Sine