UCLA LUSKIN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Housing Stability Among Transition Age Youth Photo Elicitation Report Susanna R. Curry, MSW, Research Assistant Laura S. Abrams, PhD, Co-Principal Investigator Laura Montero, MSW, Research Assistant
2014
DEPARTMENT
OF
SOCIAL WELFARE
Table of Contents Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………………………..3 Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 4-5 Methodology ............................................................................................................................ 5-7 Photo Narratives Janine ..................................................................................................................................... 8-9 Anne ................................................................................................................................... 10-11 James ................................................................................................................................. 12-13 George ............................................................................................................................... 14-15 Antoine ............................................................................................................................... 16-17 Tina .................................................................................................................................... 18-19 Brayden .............................................................................................................................. 20-21 Jesuina ............................................................................................................................... 22-23 Jennifer…………………………………………………………………………………………….24-25 Kyle .................................................................................................................................... 26-27 Shaydon ............................................................................................................................. 28-29 Sherice ............................................................................................................................... 30-31 Rebecca ............................................................................................................................. 32-33 LaTierra .............................................................................................................................. 34-35 Study Findings……………………………………………………………………………………..36-45 Implications…………………………………………………………………………………………46-50 Appendix A……………………………………………………………………………………………...51 References……………………………………………………………………………………………...52
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Acknowledgments This work was supported by the generous support of Dr. Kasey Li. Thanks is extended to the co-Principal Investigator for this project Dr. Bridget Freisthler at UCLA, and Christina Tam, Nicole Kessler, and Alicia Dienst for their assistance in data collection and transcription. We would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the Corporation for Supportive Housing, the management and staff at the two transitional housing programs in Los Angeles County where we recruited participants, and the young people who added their voice to this study.
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Introduction In the United States, about 26,000 youth emancipate from the foster care system annually (DHHS, 2012). About one-third of these youth also have experience in the juvenile justice system and are often referred to as “crossover youth” (Foster & Gifford, 2005). Many of these young people face significant challenges in their young adult years, particularly in achieving economic independence and housing stability. About 3035% of these emancipated foster youth will experience homelessness within the first few years after aging out of foster care (Courtney, 2009; Reilly, 2003). This is concerning because housing instability and homelessness are associated with a host of other challenges including exposure to violence, health and mental health problems, and risk of engaging in substance abuse (Aratani, 2009). Furthermore, housing instability can be a barrier to educational and vocational goals (Dworsky et al., 2012). Increasing our understanding around the housing experiences of transition age youth is an important step in supporting the successful emancipation of our nation’s foster youth. Housing Supports for Transition Age Youth Governmental and non-profit organizations have established a number of housing supports for former foster youth such as shelters, transitional housing, and permanent supportive housing programs. At the federal level, the 1999 Foster Care Independence Act, which funds what is known as the “Chafee” program is a major source of funding for housing assistance to young people who have aged out of the foster care system (Schelbe, 2011) and allows states to allocate up to one-third of their Independent Living Program (ILP) funds toward providing housing support to emancipated youth ages 18-21. Typically, housing programs use a combination of funding sources including Chafee funds, other federal government funding (e.g., housing vouchers); state and/or local funding; and private sources such as foundations (Dion et al., 2014). While these programs largely serve young people ages 18-21, a recent report covering a range of programs for youth ages 16-24 provides a more accurate picture of the state of housing supports in America (Dion et al., 2014). In this report, the authors created a typology of housing programs including 1) programs that are single-site with a high level of supervision and supportive services, 2) programs located across multiple sites with less supervision and support, and 3) models using a combination of single and multi-site housing with a range of support levels based on need (pp. 13-14). The vast majority of these programs provide a range of services including case management, educational/vocational training, life skills classes, and/or services for special needs such as mental health issues. Most programs require youth to work on educational or employment goals and to make at least partial contribution to rental payments. As is the case nationally, California uses transitional housing as a primary method of providing supportive housing to emancipated foster youth. However, California has a longer history of providing these services than most other states. Since 2001 the Transitional Housing Program Plus (THP-Plus) has provided housing to 18-24 4
year olds in 11 counties in California (John Burton Foundation, 2013). Funding for THPPlus was expanded in 2006, and primarily provides scattered or single-site housing as well as supportive services. Under THP-Plus, young people who were involved in the juvenile justice system may also be eligible, so long as they were also involved in foster care on their 18th birthday (California Department of Social Services, 2012). Additionally, since the passage of the California Fostering Connections to Success, also known as Assembly Bill 12 (AB12), in 2010 and its implementation starting in January 2012, transitional housing and other housing options have been expanded to youth who remain in extended foster care to age 211. While there evaluations of transitional housing programs for former foster youth are beginning to identify program strengths and weaknesses, little known about young people’s perceptions of these programs or their experiences while receiving services. The only other study looking at housing program experiences among young people included a different target population of homeless young adults. This study found a process of oscillation between the need for support and independence among these young people (Ryan & Thompson, 2013). The young adults in this study emphasized a frustration with strict rules and regulations at shelters and in housing programs. Youth perceived rules such as drug testing, room inspections, and curfew enforcement were perceived as impeding their independence and freedom. They also emphasized the importance of respect and caring through developing trusting relationships with staff in the programs. This work of Ryan and Thompson provides some understanding of the perception of housing supports for a group of young adults who experienced homelessness, however the findings do not necessarily apply to the experiences of young people who are placed in supportive or transitional housing programs following their exit from foster care. The Present Study In order to better understand the experiences of emancipated foster youth in housing programs, we posed the following questions: 1) How do young adults who are exiting foster care describe their journeys through transitional housing? 2) How do transitional programs shape young people’s perceptions of and movement toward independence?
Method Recruitment for the study sample occurred at two transitional housing programs in Los Angeles County. Both sites were THP-Plus providers and both provide up to two years of housing assistance along with supportive services such as mental health counseling and employment/educational assistance. Both programs provide scattered1
Please note that this study was conducted prior to the implementation of AB12.
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site apartments, which are located across a geographic area rather than in one building (John Burton Foundation, 2013). After group presentations about the study, young people who were eligible and interested volunteered their participation. A total of 14 people participated in the study between July 2012 and December 2012. The sample demographics were as follows and can also be found in Appendix A: • • • • • • • • •
Mean age of 20.2 years; 6 identified as Black/African American; 2 identified as Hispanic; 5 identified as multiracial; 1 identified as White; 8 were female and 6 were male; Half were from program A and half from program B; Four had juvenile justice system experience in addition to foster care experience; and Three were program alumni, one from program A and two from program B.
Photo Elicitation Interviewing The use of photography in qualitative research can disrupt power imbalances and facilitates reflective discussion around the research questions (Karlsson, 2011; Liebenberg, 2009; Padgett, Smith, Derjko, Henwood, & Tiderington, 2013). In order to bring forth the voice of young people, this study utilized a method called Photo Elicitation Interviewing (PEI), in which participants take photographs that can later be used in a follow-up interview. This method has been used in social research for several decades (Collier & Collier, 1986) and can be particularly helpful when studying experiences that may be difficult to describe in words alone (Padgett et al., 2013). Interviewers were all female and trained social workers, and the interviews took place in a private setting based on participant convenience and preference. The steps for data collection occurred as shown below:
A first interview, lasting 30-45 minutes
Provided a camera to each participant, who took photos for 1-2 weeks
We arranged to pick up the cameras from the participants and developed the photos
We brought the photos to the 2nd interview, which lasted 40-75 minutes
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Participants who completed the first interview received a $20 gift card and once they completed the photo activity and second interview they received another $35 gift card. The Institutional Review Board of the University of California, Los Angeles approved the study procedures including the consent process. As part of this process, participants gave written permission to copyright and use the photographs as long as the researchers removed identifying information and used fake names when describing them. Analysis Two of the authors of this report analyzed the interviews and photographs and created a coding rubric according to twelve clusters of codes that emerged from the data. From there, these twelve clusters were further synthesized into four overarching themes. These four themes included (and are shown in the image below):
Changing perspectives
Experiencing newfound independence & control
Performing a juggling act
Wanting to move on, yet feeling unprepared
This Report In this report we present the data in two forms: • •
A single photo profile of each participant (pages 9-35) and A discussion of the themes that emerged from the data and implications for policy and practice (pages 36-50)
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“Janine” “Janine” is 19 years old and identifies as African American and Latina. She was placed in foster care at age 5 and has been in 19 different foster homes. At age 11, social workers moved her from one of her foster homes due to abuse and she was placed in a group home, where she remained until she turned 18. With the help of the staff at the group home, she moved directly into a transitional housing program after emancipation, and at the time of the interview had been living there for just over a year. She has been interning as a teacher’s aide at an elementary school, which she greatly enjoys. There are some things that Janine doesn’t like about living in transitional housing but, “without [the program] I would be homeless.” While she doesn’t ever borrow money from other people, she relies on her boyfriend and a staff member for emotional support. She says, “Just last week I was having an issue and I was about ready to blow-up and I just called [the staff member], he was in the middle of a wedding...he's the only one that I can talk to whenever I need someone to talk to ‘cuz no one else answers their phone.” Besides an occasional need for emotional support or advice, she sees herself as very self-sufficient and takes pride in her independence. The photos and captions below describe Janine’s past, present and future living situations and sources of support. Janine’s Past Janine took this photo to describe her experience in foster care and group home care. When asked to describe her foster placements, she said that none of them were good and a couple of them were abusive and neglectful. She had to teach herself how to take the bus by following what everyone else was doing. When she first learned to navigate the metro system, she didn’t realize there was a school bus and would often get in trouble for being late to school.
“Before the group home I taught myself how to ride the bus…I had to find out where the bus stop was because [my foster parents] wouldn't tell me so I pretty much had to figure out everything.” 8
Janine’s Present Janine thinks that one of the important things she’s learned while in transitional housing is how to cook and eat nutritious foods. This is important to her because before she was eating “crap” and she now feels much better physically.
“When I moved here to [current transitional housing placement] they taught me how to buy healthy foods and how to shop under a budget. And how, they taught me how to cook some things that I didn't know how to cook and how to how to store my food properly…just taking a picture made me think like man I really came a long way from eating all the crazy foods I used to eat to actually eat, starting eating healthy.” Janine’s Future Janine did not have a clear vision for her future; however she did note that she is very careful with money so she can save for emergencies. She dreams of going to Hawaii on vacation someday, but is worried that she’ll run into her biological father, who lives there. She has a few months left of her internship at an elementary school as a teacher’s aide.
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“Anne” “Anne” is 22 years old and African American. She lived in three foster homes for most of her life. She aged out of the foster care system at the age of 19 and moved directly into a transitional housing program. She graduated from the transitional housing program a year ago and the same program still provides her with a stipend to intern at a nearby office. She also received public benefits for having a disability so that she is able to support herself. The photos and captions below describe Anne’s past, present and future living situations and sources of support. Anne’s Past Anne took this photo to describe her living environment immediately after aging out of care. This is the house where Anne lived when she first arrived at the transitional housing program. She says that besides having to live with roommates, she liked living there as the rent was really affordable. Sometimes she wishes she could go back.
“Well, when I first got out of foster care I learned about this program and then, so they moved me to this house. This window is actually my bedroom, right here. Yeah, it’s basically that house that helped me get started, to where I am now, living on my own because I never lived on my own before… [I spent time] learning how to be an adult because in foster care like everything's done for you, all the decisions are made for you so it's kind of hard to make your own decisions ‘cuz you’re kind of like standing there waiting for somebody to make your decision.
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Anne’s Present Anne took the picture below to describe her current neighborhood. She lives alone in a studio apartment, and this is the house across the street. Anne doesn’t like her current neighborhood because people don’t take care of their lawns or their houses and she doesn’t always feel safe. She also struggles to pay for her expenses through her SSI benefits and small internship stipend but feels proud of herself for handling all of her responsibilities. She still seeks help from the transitional housing staff when she needs it.
“I try not to go out at night, especially at night because you never know what these people are doing…It’s a gangbanging area, especially across the street because there’s this big house there’s like gang members and they always meet there… So it's really hard ‘cuz there's some people like drove up in front of my house and was shooting directly at the house and like my apartment is like right by the window… And it's not my ideal place because it's like, I get no privacy in my own apartment, but I mean I like it because the rent's cheap.” Anne’s Future When asked where she would like to be when she’s 30 years old, she focused on safety and stability in her housing and neighborhood: “I mean I would want to be like in a nice area, like safe because like I don't know like how to explain…It doesn’t have to be like super clean…like if I walk out the door I don't have to hear gunshots or you know drive-bys you know and all that..” Anne also seeks financial stability and a place to call home: “I mean, at least have a good paying job and by the time I’m 30 I want to live in at least like a house, I don’t care if it’s like a condo or like, just something I can own.”
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“James” James is a 20-year-old African American young man who has great interest in music, reading, and psychology. He entered foster care at age 6 and then was placed in Kin-Gap foster care with his grandmother from the ages of 13 to 18. When he turned 18 he left his grandmother’s house and ended up sleeping on friends’ couches for 3-4 months until he found a transitional housing program. He recently completed a 9-month internship, where he worked at an elementary school and then a thrift store. He hopes to get hired by the thrift store permanently. The photos and captions below describe James’s past, present and future living situations and sources of support. James’s Past Below is a picture of a door that was smashed in during a burglary. James lived in this house as part of his transitional housing program, but was moved to a different residence after the burglary. His new residence has also been burglarized.
“It’s never really been safe. Ever since I moved there it’s been...there’s always been a problem with it getting broken into or somebody doing something strange to the house or something.”
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James’s Present In the photos below, James illustrates his wish not to form deep attachments with others because he has been let down by people close to him throughout his life. He explained that at his current housing program he has “that type of attitude [where] if one of them were to leave…move on...it’d be like I’m used to it, you know?”
“I guess these two could be but they’d have to go together, you know, one minute something’s there and the next minute it could be gone…but the bus can represent anything in life, you know. Friends, family. You know, for me being somewhere and then not being there and other people being in my life and then not being in my life.” James’s Future James is reaching his 2-year limit for the transitional housing program and thinking about his next steps. He looked into some other programs for older youth, saying, “I would like to go out on my own but I can’t do that right now.” He didn’t feel ready to find his own apartment, especially because he didn’t feel financially secure. However, he said that he has gained a lot of confidence through his internship and therapy. Eventually he hopes to go back to school and work at a bank. In a picture he took (omitted for confidentiality reasons), he illustrates his pending transition out of the program. “I like this one cause it’s like I’m looking back but I’m leaving that place, you know?”
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“George” “George” is 20 years old and considers himself Italian-Spaniard. George entered foster care at age 12, lived in four different foster homes, and then moved into a group home. After graduating from high school at age 19, he moved directly to a transitional housing program. He considers his transition from the group home to the transitional housing program to be smooth. He has always been involved in music programs at school and has continued to be involved in a marching band at community college. He has close relationships with other band members and a best friend who he considers to be a “brother” to him. Overall, George is “proud of who I am and what, you know, being in foster care and being in a group home and going through the challenges that I've had to do or had to face. I'm proud of who I came out to be in the end.” The photos and captions below describe George's past, present and future living situations and sources of support. George’s Past Below is a picture of George’s current room. He described many of the things in the photo but the stuffed animals are particularly important. They were gifts from his mother, whom he reconnected with after 5 years when he turned 18, and whom he now speaks with every day.
“Actually I think all of these were from my mother. The Care Bear one I remember getting when I was like 8? I think it’s really good. I think me and my mom have a positive relationship cause we like...you know we have a lot to catch up on. You know, for time lost.”
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George’s Present George took the photo below of the plants in front of his house. He talked about taking care of the plants, indicating that he and his roommates have a sense of ownership over their living space.
“This is a picture of my front porch, you know in the grass area and I thought it was really interesting because when I moved into that house and I looked at the plants and they weren’t as alive as they are in this picture...it’s just like ever since I moved in there and the other residents in the house moved in there, you know, we’ve been trying to take care of the plants, you know water them...so I think I’ve seen a definite growth and um healthiness in the plants, so I think it was cool just seeing them grow along with me. We’ll go outside and we’ll be like ‘oh there’s nothing to do’ and so we’ll just water the plants or water the lawn and you know just try to make the front yard look more presentable cause you know it’s still our house and we want to make it look as nice as possible.” George’s Future George spoke optimistically about his hopes and plans for the future. After leaving transitional housing, he wants to move to downtown Los Angeles or to a THP-Plus (extended age transitional housing) program. After finishing community college he wants to transfer to a state school, continue studying criminal justice and possibly become a social worker. He says, “my main goal is to open up my own foster home and show kids that, you know, foster parents don't exactly have to be like ‘oh you guys are just checks to me’ but to be more of a family, you know, I want to be able to not look at them as foster children but as my own because I think they need that support and love and you know all people deserve that.”
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“Antoine” “Antoine,” an energetic and friendly alumnus of the transitional housing program, is 22 years old and considers himself African American and Hawaiian. He entered foster care at age 11 and was placed in 7 different foster homes until age 15, when he was sent back to his mother’s house. Soon after, he “did something stupid” and got sent to a group home placement. While at the group home he went to school and received his high school degree. Upon turning 18 he went back to live with his mother and siblings but the Department of Children and Family Services considered him a “threat to the household” and he was forced to leave. With the help of his mother he applied for General Relief and lived in a shared home for a month before being admitted into the transitional housing program. The transitional housing program placed him in a 9-month health education internship and he was then hired by the organization. He considered this job the “cream of the crop” but was laid off one month before he had to leave the transitional housing program. After he left the program he was homeless for 2 different periods of time, both in Los Angeles and in Northern California. The photos and captions below further describe Antoine’s past, present and future living situations and sources of support. Antoine’s Past Below is a photo of Antoine’s best friend’s apartment complex. The first time we talked to Antoine he was couch-surfing here. However, between the first and second interviews, he’d had a big fight with his friend and had to leave. He also lost the job that he had working with this friend.
Antoine says of this experience, “He [my friend] was filthy. Filthy. I didn't want to like take too many pictures of the house just because it was really filthy and it was like one of those, just one of those houses that you see on a Mr. Clean commercial, like before, before they clean it…We’d rotate, like one person gets the room, one person gets the couch or whatever like usually he took the couch cause the air conditioning was right in the living room.” 16
Antoine’s Present The photo below is of the friend with whom he is currently living. When he had a big fight with his best friend this woman, whom he used to date, invited him to live with her and her family. At the time of the second interview with Antoine, he had been living with her family for 3 weeks and they had told him he could stay as long as he wanted. He feels much calmer in this setting and recently enrolled in community college classes. The friend he’s staying with is also taking classes and they’re going to be “study buddies.”
Antoine also said of the family he’s staying with, “...they always keep me busy, too, so I like I cleaned the barbeque grill last night. That was so hard..” and later he explained, “I mean I feel like I should, I should be doing things around the house, I have to be doing things around the house to show them that I appreciate what they’re doing for me.” Antoine’s Future Antoine hopes to be involved in community organizing and health education in the future. He took multiple photos of big mansions (see the picture below) while driving through Pasadena and says that he sees himself as living in something like this home in his future.
When we asked him how he pictured himself getting there he replied, “School, work. Lots of school and working hard. Um, right now that's the main goal. School and stick with it. I have to stick with it, um. Yeah, that's my main focus, school and work (laughing) school and work that's all I can really say.”
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“Tina” “Tina,” a very open and creative young woman, is 19 years old and identifies as Mexican American. She was 6 years old when she was placed in foster care. Tina lived in two different foster homes until she was placed in group homes due to her depression and mood swings. Soon before she turned 18 she was returned to a new foster family, who she felt was very supportive. After this, she wanted to prove that she could overcome her problems and decided to find a transitional housing program on her own. She has been a part of the housing program for about a year. The photos and captions below describe Tina’s past, present and future living situations and sources of support. Tina’s Past In our first interview with her, Tina spoke about her decision to live in a transitional living program and how scary it was to be on her own. She said, “..They told me that I had the decision to stay with my foster mom or go to transitional housing cause they have that new policy where you can stay until you’re twenty or more. And I just decided that I wanted to be on my own. I wanted to have the independence. Like, I just wanted to have that free...that freedom from foster care.” Tina found the transition difficult at first, especially given how different it was from the group homes she’d been accustomed to. However, she felt that the staff were supportive, noting that, “it was a scary experience but everybody’s friendly here, everybody.” Tina’s Present Below is a picture Tina took of her current home. She says that one of the staff in the program is her role model and she wants to “follow in his footsteps.”
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Tina’s Future When we last spoke with her, Tina was preparing to start community college and was very excited about it. Someday, she wants to live in the countryside in Mississippi or in Canada.
“I put like a heart with stitches because I have a heart with stitches and if you notice it's a heart on a sleeve so I wear my heart on my sleeve… I still want a career and helping others like in Psychology because you know I wear my heart on my sleeve, and I just see myself giving back to the community like they gave to me. That's what I see myself doing.”
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“Brayden” When we first met nineteen year-old “Brayden,” who identifies as both African American and Native American, he had been living in a transitional housing program for less than a week. He explained that his mother was sick when he was little and he lived with various relatives. After that, when he was about 7 years old, he lived in a foster home for a couple of weeks, followed by a series of group home placements. He is the only person in his extended family to graduate from high school. Upon emancipation from foster care, the group home where he lived helped him locate a transitional housing program The photos and captions below further describe Brayden’s past, present and future living situations and sources of support. Brayden’s Past and Present Brayden enjoys cooking, produces music with his friends, and has an internship working with an autistic man. The most important people in his life right now are his two older brothers, cousins and a few friends.
About the photo above, Brayden says, “Taking the pictures of the environment that I live in is nice because that's the stuff I never had, you know? For instance, like this phone, like we never had our personal phone…We never had, couldn't keep personal phones, so it's my personal phone and movies that I like to watch as a hobby, you know.”
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Below is a photo of Sloppy Joes in Brayden’s kitchen. Brayden chose to take this photo because it represents his freedom to eat whatever he wants now that he’s out of the group home.
“I'm independent. I don't got people telling me what to do all the time. When to go to bed, when not to, when to go eat, when not to go eat, you know? It feels good for me, ‘cuz, you know, being in that placement, it was like almost like jail, but you can still walk off if you want to.” Brayden’s Future After Brayden leaves his current transitional housing he would like to either go into the military or into another transitional housing program. Long-term, he’d like to live somewhere out of the country, maybe in Europe. He says, “It's really peaceful out there. Nobody knows you. I could like start new.”
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“Jesuina” Jesuina is a 19-year old Hispanic young woman. When she was a young teenager she started “hanging out with the wrong crowd” and ended up involved in the juvenile justice system. Upon subsequent arrests, she was sent to a group home. After staying in the group home, she returned to her mother’s house, but her mother and she did not get along and she ended up getting kicked out of the house. A few times she slept in the park near a local church. Jesuina feels that the people in her housing program are like a second family to her and she is very grateful to have the guidance that they provide to her. Her brother is also in the transitional housing program. The photos and captions below describe Jesuina’s past, present and future living situations and sources of support. Jesuina’s Past Below is a photo of a park where Jesuina used to hang out with her friends. It was here that she started to get in trouble, ditch school, and use drugs. She started to steal as well, and ended up getting involved in the juvenile justice system.
Jesuina explained that she had problems finding some resources upon turning 18 because she wasn’t a former foster youth. She said, “Some of them [transitional housing programs] are like strictly foster care and it's like you know foster care, okay, even though they didn't have parents or whatever the situation was, but like probation youth, it's kinda like the same thing. They don't really have parents because, you know, the parents are like, ‘Go. Leave me alone. You're just problems.’ They don't really get a chance anymore after they mess up when they're young. And then they're trying to get their lives together, but they don't really have like a lot of resources. Foster youth have more resources than just the probation youth.”
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Jesuina’s Present Jesuina took the photo, below of her current room. She is really close to her roommate, and says that she thinks the staff members in her housing program have kept her on track. She enjoys going running with one of the staff every once in a while.
“I just have my own space, to, you know, do whatever I wanna do. I'm just able to decorate it the way I like…the bed, they gave to me, with that little black drawer on the side? Little night stand, my mom gave it to me. That Clockwork Orange poster, my brother, he let me borrow it. I'm sure it's mine now, but my dream catcher, I bought it from the Dollar Tree.” Jesuina’s Future Jesuina is currently finishing her high school diploma so that she can start community college. She wants to be a fashion designer and is working with one of the program staff to arrange an internship in the fashion industry. She just got a new job in a nice clothing store and she is optimistic that they will let her be a stylist there sometime in the future. She is also working on getting her driver’s license so that she doesn’t have to commute four hours a day to and from work.
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“Jennifer” Jennifer is 18 years old and describes herself as “half Black, half White.” She grew up in foster care and describes her last foster family as “particularly bad.” Right before her 18th birthday she left her foster home and lived with a friend and then her sister. She received a list of transitional housing programs from her social worker in order to find a more stable home environment. She eventually ended up in her current housing program, which she likes a lot. Jennifer just finished her first semester at a 4-year university and is very proud of her success so far. She intends to major in Child Development. She has many sources of support, including her boyfriend, sister, and church youth group. The photos and captions below describe Jennifer’s past, present and future living situations and sources of support. Jennifer’s Present Below is a picture Jennifer took of the front of her new apartment. She does not spend a lot of time at home because she is in a full-time school program and is actively looking for a job. However, she loves her roommate and she likes the furniture the program has provided for her.
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“I took a picture of the stove because I like to cook and when I was at my foster mom's house she didn't have a stove… Sometimes [my roommate] will cook, she's the main one that cooks all the time but if I did cook it's for all of us and my boyfriend and her boyfriend too.” Jennifer’s Future Jennifer doesn’t know yet what she wants to major in, but she takes great pride in her attendance at a 4-year university. She is hoping to start an internship through the Department of Children and Family Services and find another part-time job.
“I took a picture of the flower, it was in the morning and it was at school. And, I dunno I just looked at the flower and I just looked back and I was like this is really pretty. It's like fully blossomed and I just feel like that's how I am right now…just coming from nothing and now that I have something. You know, I have my school and the only thing that's not fully blossomed is work.”
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“Kyle” Kyle is a 20-year-old African American young man. He entered foster care at age three and stayed with relatives in Los Angeles and Texas until he was 17. When he reported his caregiver for abuse, he moved back to Los Angeles and lived with various relatives. When he turned 18 he found a transitional housing program. The photos and captions below describe Kyle’s past, present and future living situations and sources of support. Kyle’s Past Things have not been easy for Kyle in the past few years. After leaving an abusive foster family, he moved to his sister’s house and then to his auntie’s place. He picked up some “bad habits” including stealing, and last year he got caught by the police. He is still on probation. He described why he took this photo, below.
“I was thinking I could do this with my problems, like if I could just load up all of my problems and take them to a place and just trash them all and put them up against the wall or something, but, um, life isn't like that. It was a crazy idea. It was like everything, like this trash, everything I don't use, negative thoughts or, um, hatred, you know?” Kyle’s Present
This is a picture of Kyle’s current apartment. He gets along really well with his roommate and most of his neighbors. 26
Kyle currently works as an intern in maintenance at a drug rehabilitation program. He receives free weekly therapy and piano lessons there as well. He loves his internship and is hoping he’ll be able to find a job just like this when his internship is over. Below is a photo he took one afternoon. He describes what it symbolizes, below.
“I looked at the sky and I saw that, you know, all of the clouds over here, I don't know. It looked like it could have just changed…there were still some clouds, but like the darkest clouds didn't block the sun. Basically it looked like it was moving away from the sun, so it was overcoming the storm and that's what I was thinking of. I felt like this is me…I'm at the top, just, you know, watching the clouds go by, watching it get better, I guess.” Kyle’s Future Kyle has two more months in the program and is starting to think about next steps. He hopes to find his own apartment after leaving his transitional housing. He said that he still has a lot to learn about living independently, “Certain things I haven't learned in life, like having to grocery shop. Twenty years old and I don't know how to grocery shop. Um, I can clean, but my clean is probably not your clean.”
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“Shaydon” Shaydon is 22-year old African American young man. He was placed foster care as a baby and stayed in foster family homes and group homes throughout this life. Despite moving around a lot and getting trouble in school, he finished his high school degree and is currently enrolled community college. When he first started college he had bouts of homelessness and couchsurfing. He picked up a felony charge when he was 18 and is currently finishing up his third year of being on probation. He has a job doing maintenance at a drug rehab program and really loves what he is learning. He also loves music and hopes to go into music production in the future. The photos and captions below describe Shaydon’s past, present and future living situations and sources of support. Shaydon’s Past Shaydon was placed into foster care when he was 2 weeks old because of his mother’s drug addiction. He lived with his mother’s best friend for 10 years and then in many other foster homes before being placed in highly structured group home at age 15. It was there that he met his mentor, a basketball coach at a local college, who took him in for a while and with whom he still keeps in touch. When he got in trouble, he left there and couch-surfed before finding his current housing program. Shaydon talked in detail about the troubles he had in school and with the law. He didn’t feel prepared to be on his own at 18 and really struggled without adult support. However, he loves his current internship in maintenance and took the photo below because it was symbolic of the need for support when you’re trying to grow.
“This was a room that was infested with termites, so we had to rebuild it…The floor was like dented, water, you know somebody could have fell through the floor, but yeah, it's just a um, it's hard work. You got the tools you need to do this. It's not that many. I guess it's like building myself, I guess. I'm like, start from scratch. Start over. We could always, like build over, you know. You can always build. You just need your tools, you know?” 28
Shaydon said that he would often feel down about his situation and would hope that someone could help him, but he learned that he needed to help himself. He said of this time, “…I was really waiting for like, Jesus to drop a blessing in my hand ‘cuz I felt like I had been through so much stuff, like, you know? It's about time something positive happened, so I was just waiting on the blessing [but] I had to really like, be realistic, like, no, I have to work for it. I have to do something with myself in order to get it. I couldn't let this felony slow me down.” Shaydon’s Present Shaydon has been in a transitional housing program for one year. He didn’t talk much about where he lives or specific elements of the program but he is very grateful for the skills he has learned to better himself. He said, “I'm really blessed to be able to take care of myself at the moment.” He is currently in community college and took the photo below to show where he works on his homework. When he is struggling with school or with life, he gets inspiration from music, particularly from the rap artist Tupac Shakur, whose book The Rose That Grew from Concrete, is shown below.
“I was typing and I was like I'm typing too slow, so I went back to writing and I needed encouragement, so I went to Tupac. Just me trying to get the job done and doing whatever it takes.” Shaydon’s Future Shaydon has high hopes for the future. In five years he’ll be 26 and he wants to have a job in music, get married, and live in a condominium.
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“Sherice” Sherice, a 21-year old African American woman, was born with narcotics in her system and was immediately placed in foster care. She lived in about 10 foster care placements and in transitional housing for younger youth. Throughout this time, she had a social worker who took a special interest in her and supported her. Sherice considers this woman her mother now, and spends holidays and goes on vacation with her. When she moved into her transitional housing program she was placed in an internship in the entertainment industry, which turned into a paid job. She also has a part-time job at a department store and is finishing her high school degree. Sherice appreciates the support she receives through her transitional housing program, noting that, “If we mess up it's always a safety net and that's what foster kids need is that safety net ‘cuz we don't have people to fall back on.” The photos and captions below describe Sherice’s past, present and future living situations and sources of support. Sherice’s Past In recent years Sherice has reunited with her extended family in Louisiana. While she enjoys visiting, she has struggled with the decision of whether or not to move there to be near them. She explains her experience below.
“My birth mom is from Louisiana, my grandma and my uncles and my family are all in Louisiana ….I kinda wanted to move there a little bit like after I found them, like after my mom's funeral when I was 17 and so ever since then I've been seeing them. And so now it's like, I do want to see them but as I get older and I want to do like my own thing and like I want to do acting, I can't do acting in Louisiana and if I do I'm gonna have a lot of frequent flier miles so I'm like I can't, I can't do it.” 30
Sherice’s Present
This photo displays Sherice’s current apartment. She says that while she likes her neighborhood, she doesn’t like her building. Regarding her blossoming independence, she noted, “I’m just doing my own thing like I don’t need like…I pay my own rent, I pay my own bills and I do my own thing but I don’t have someone always checking in on me. Like they check in on me every week but it’s a lot less than my other transitional housing used to do.” Sherice’s Future Sherice says of her next steps, “When I leave transitional housing I don't want to go to another transitional housing. This will be my last and final transitional housing. I'll be 23 years old, I need to get my own stuff, not depend on like state funding to help me live.”
Sherice dreams of being an actress and has been taking improvisation classes from someone she has met through her housing program.
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“Rebecca” Rebecca is a 22-year old, born to an African American father and Caucasian mother. She spent most of her life in foster care because her mother was addicted to drugs and her father was incarcerated. She is a former participant of a transitional housing program. She was placed in foster care at age 3 and lived in about 8-10 different foster homes. At age 16 she committed an offense that landed her in juvenile hall, where she stayed much longer than necessary because her social worker couldn’t find her a place to live. She ended up sleeping at a 30-day homeless shelter for two months and was then placed in a group home. While at the group home she went to a local high school and found a job. However, she had trouble after emancipating and couchsurfed for over a year, at which point she applied for transitional housing. She thrived in this environment, worked really hard and was able to save enough to take over the lease. She believes that one of the most important things a young person in foster care can have is someone who loves them, even if it’s not a family member. The photos and captions below describe Rebecca’s past, present and future living situations and sources of support. Rebecca’s Past Below is a photo of Rebecca and her mentor at a bakery. She met her mentor when she was 18 and is still close to her. She believes that her mentor has been the most consistent source of support and love in her life. Given her experience with abuse, Rebecca has had a hard time trusting others, but her mentor helped her become more stable and helped her when she was homeless.
“She let me crash on her couch during one of the most difficult times in my life. I mean she… more than anyone or anything has been the biggest influence on my life and how I am because I've seen so much good in her. Before I met her, I didn't think that there was any good in the world. I was not, like I am now, you would never see me smile, I was just very serious, very angry all the time and I just didn't want any part of this world and now she's kind of opened my eyes and shown me that there are some really great people out there and there are some really bad people out there and you just have to kind of be careful, but you shouldn’t shut everyone out or you may miss out, you know. 32
Rebecca’s Present Below is a picture of Rebecca’s apartment complex. After two years in the transitional housing program, she was able to take over the lease herself. She describes her experience below.
“I gave them, um, actually like a $1,200 check or something like that and it felt amazing. I mean without transitional housing, I literally wouldn't have been able to save that money the way I did or be so responsible about how I spent it. I was really happy that I was able to pay 30 percent of my income and get 100 percent of it back at the end of the transitional housing program, so having to worry about, uh, my deposit or any of that was not an issue. When the apartment was turned over and I signed the lease … to see my name independently on it… I literally felt like I was, as I like to say ‘a grown-ass woman.’ I just felt like, wow, you're really doing it, like you just entered adulthood. You're working, you've taken over the lease, all your utilities and bills are being paid and in your name, and you're being so responsible…. and so yea... it felt, um, overwhelmingly awesome to have my own place.” Rebecca’s Future In the future, Rebecca wants to remain independent and “move up in life.” She said, “I have finished with all of every kind of program. I don't think I will ever be in a program again, you know? And so it feels great to just be independent.” She wants to finish up community college while she works and then thinks about next steps. She has considered a job in social work or teaching but is not sure which one she will pursue. She hopes to have a family someday. She has high hopes for her life and remarked, “I'm just excited to see where I'm gonna go and what I'm gonna do, cause I'm sure my job and school is gonna change… eventually I'm gonna move and transfer to a new University, so things are constantly changing and, as long as they stay changing in a positive direction, I'm happy.”
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“LaTierra” LaTierra is a 20-year-old African American woman who lives in a transitional housing program. At the age of 12, she started getting in trouble with the law and by age 15 was in and out of juvenile hall. She ended up in a group home and at age 18 moved directly to a transitional housing program. She left that program and ended up couch surfing with family and friends until she found her current housing program. She is still on probation and struggles to stay out of trouble and stay employed. The photos and captions below describe LaTierra’s past, present and future living situations and sources of support. LaTierra’s Past LaTierra’s father has been in prison most of her life. She has a rocky relationship with her mother. She misses the days before she started to get in trouble, when she would wake up on Saturday mornings and eat cereal with her brothers.
“This was my favorite cereal when I was growing up, living with my mom. I don't know. It just reminded me of weekend mornings, waking up, eating Honey Smacks…This is when I was growing up in Watts, eating this cereal. I don't know, watching cartoons, like the Chipmunks and the Smurfs, stuff that doesn't come on anymore. Those were good days.” Before she found her current transitional housing program, she was at a different program. She really didn’t like it. She said of that experience: “You couldn't have visitors until like 5 to 10 every day and then on the weekend it was all day, but it had to be, but your company had to leave at 11. You couldn't have overnight guests…Couldn't have a dog or any kind of pet. Couldn't even have a fish…You can't do this, you can't have visitors, like that's crazy. It's like I'm being at the placement.”
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LaTierra’s Present LaTierra found this poster and decided to put it up on her wall. She spoke about the importance of hope in her life. She has stable housing, is enrolled in school, but still struggles to find stable employment.
“One day I was mad because I didn't have enough money to get these shoes that I wanted and I was so mad and I said you know what, I'm tired of not having nothing. I'm gonna get up and I'm gonna go job searching. I found a job, you know what I'm saying? I had to believe it. I had to speak it and it happened. And um, I don't know, the hope over fear kinda reminded me of that time in my life.” LaTierra’s Future One of LaTierra’s major goals right now is to be successful in working full-time and going to school. She wants to transfer to a state university after community college. She hopes to become a child psychiatrist.
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Overall Findings From the photographs and interview transcripts we arrived at the four themes represented in the findings. Through this study, young people described their experiences of:
Changing perspectives
Experiencing newfound independence & control
Performing a juggling act
Wanting to move on, yet feeling unprepared
On the following pages we describe each major theme and include photographs that illustrate each theme. We then discuss implications of these findings for policy and practice.
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Changing Perspectives Many of the young people described the experience of changing their perspectives while living in transitional housing. Specifically, they talked about their attempts to let go of their difficult past and change their attitudes and priorities. Part of this included putting aside activities that would be more “fun” and focusing on long-term goals. Many talked about how it was helpful for them to surround themselves with peers who were also trying to build their futures. The first photograph shown below illustrates one participant’s experience of attempting to rebuild his life. As described on his individual profile (pages 28-29), Shaydon talked about his difficult past and the steps he was taking to change. For example, he chose to photograph his process of completing his homework for his community college classes. The photo below depicts Shaydon’s work to overcome difficulties with school and life in general:
I was typing and I was like “I’m typing too slow”, so I went back to writing and I needed encouragement, so I went to Tupac. Just me trying to get the job done and doing whatever it takes.
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This photograph and quote by Shaydon illustrate that he has faced many challenges, but has been trying to reorient his attitudes and priorities and stay motivated. Here he talks about using inspiring books to keep his head up. As seen on LaTierra’s individual profile (pages 34-35), we also see that she talks extensively about inner motivation and her reorientation toward the future. When seeking employment and facing extreme financial hardship while in the program, she had to change her own attitude and build resilience. She took a photo of an image she’d posted on her wall showing President Barack Obama with the caption, “Hope Over Fear” (shown below) and described why she had taken the picture: I said you know what, I’m tired of not having nothing. I’m gonna get up and I’m gonna go job searching. I found a job, you know what I’m saying? I had to believe it. I had to speak it and it happened. And um, I don’t know, the hope over fear kinda reminded me of that time in my life.
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Other young people also talked about their reorientation from present “fun” or short-term needs to longer-term goals or self-growth and how being around other people who were doing the same helped keep them on track. For example, Shaydon also took a photo of himself at a spoken word event to show that he also relies on his peers to keep him motivated and connected to activities that move him forward:
Note: identifying faces have been blurred to protect privacy
By surrounding himself with positive peers, Shaydon has attempted to “stop being childish, stop looking for like a fun time, actually try to, you know, work on a career that I’ve picked.” Even though Shaydon is having fun at the spoken word event, he is also building skills that could be transferrable to a career and is building relationships with others who can support him in pursuing his educational and employment goals.
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Experiencing Newfound Independence and Control Participants often talked about their housing program as helping them to locate a newfound sense of independence and control over their lives. Part of this theme included young people’s descriptions of learning new skills for independence and valuing self-reliance. Many explained that throughout their childhoods they had felt little control of their everyday activities or future and often felt hopeless. However, when they began living on their own in the supportive environment of transitional housing, they felt that they could finally begin to make their own decisions and control their future direction. For example, as shown on Brayden’s individual profile (pages 20-21) he took a photo of his desk on which we see electronics such as speakers, a cell phone, a television and DVD player, and other items. He said about this photo,
…That’s the stuff I never had, you know? For instance, like this phone, like we never had our personal phone…We never had, couldn’t keep personal phones, so it’s my personal phone and movies that I like to watch as a hobby, you know?
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Here Brayden is describing a greater sense of control over his own everyday life, in which he can talk on his cell phone, or as also depicted on his individual profile, eat whatever he wants for dinner. Jesuina also described a greater sense of control and independence now that she has aged out and is living on her own in the program. As shown on her individual profile (pages 22-23) she chose to take a picture of her bedroom to illustrate the choices she can make now that she is mostly independent:
I just have my own space to, you know, do whatever I wanna do. I’m just able to decorate it the way I like.
In addition, Anne took a photo of her first house while living in the transitional housing program, explaining that it illustrated the beginning of her adulthood and the first opportunity in which she could take responsibility. She narrated the photo below:
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It’s basically that house that helped me get started, to where I am now…I never lived on my own before…[I spent time] learning how to be an adult because in foster care like everything’s done for you, all the decisions are made for you so it’s kind of hard to make your own decisions..
This was the first time Anne felt real control over her own life, and this was not an uncommon feeling by other young people who participated in the study.
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Performing a Juggling Act Young people also talked about the challenge involved in balancing multiple expectations while living in the program. For some this challenge was about balancing work and school, and for others it was about navigating public transportation and long commutes while engaging in low-wage work. Several participants explained how they struggled to achieve their goals when they had to manage low-wage work, college courses, and long commutes, particularly because they could not always choose where they lived. For example, LaTierra said about this experience:
I usually work about 35 hours a week. I don't usually go over 37 because I usually take a night class. I was taking a night class on Thursday and then I was taking two classes on Wednesdays and Mondays and Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I was at school back and forth and I don't have a car so it was like, I was on the go. Train, bus, train, bus, train, bus, home.
Others echoed LaTierra in explaining that it was difficult to balance both school and work at the same time in the face of long commute times and many others took photos of their daily travel experiences, including the photo by Jesuina below:
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Jesuina described why she took this photo, explaining that she has to commute four hours per day to get to and from work, and sometimes has to come back late at night on the subway, which can make her feel uncomfortable and sometimes unsafe. Rebecca also explained the importance of transportation in her life, saying: In LA, everyone's like, what? You don't have a car?...And you know transitional housing and um, and DCFS [the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services] and ILP, they really helped me with transportation, you know as far as public transportation, issued us monthly passes and that literally was a life saver because I mean when you don't have a job and you're trying to get from place to place, you're not in school or you don't have a job and you're trying to get those things, you know, established, how would you, if you don't have parents or you don't have family?
Here Rebecca’s quote illustrates how often participants mentioned transportation in the context of discussions around their goals and expectations in the program.
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Wanting to Move On, Yet Feeling Unprepared Many participants described a desire to explore the world and find their own independent housing, though often these desires were coupled with hesitation about their ability to live on their own. Most often this uncertainty was around their own preparation for independence, particularly when it came to financial independence. Some talked about their intentions to apply for another transitional housing program. For example, when we asked Tina about her plans moving forward, she said: After this um transitional housing, there’s actually other transitional housings for 21 to 24 or 23. Yeah, so I was thinking about going to [another] THP-Plus, which is for older youth and still getting the resources I need and the resources I want.
Janine also expressed not feeling prepared to live on her own. She said “I hardly doubt it’s gonna happen because I don’t have a job.” Some described a sense of being “in between” two worlds, already thinking about transitioning out of the program and yet also not quite ready to do so. James, for example, took a photo of the program offices2 saying “I would like to go out on my own but I can’t do that right now.” While he would like to be fully independent, he feels that he needs support for a longer period of time before he will feel ready to be on his own. Similarly, program alumna Rebecca warned that even if someone leaves the program and is living on their own with a stable income, they may still need ongoing support from a mentor, friend, or formal support program. Emphasizing how vulnerable some of the young people are when they leave transitional housing, Rebecca said, Any day, any moment in time, if I lost my job, I could be on the streets, you know, at any moment in time if something were to happen to me, you know, I couldn't call my mom or my dad and say, yo, can you help me with this or can you help me with that, you know. I literally have myself and when you have just yourself, you know?
While the transitional housing programs are very important in many young people’s lives, longer-term supports must be in place well before exiting from the program.
2
This photo was not included due because of identifying images
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Implications for Policy and Practice Based on findings from this research, we have included a number of implications for policy and practice, including the four primary themes, conceptual steps for action, and then specific ideas for action. Four primary themes
Changing perspectives
Experiencing newfound independence & control
Performing a juggling act
Wanting to move on, yet feeling unprepared
Conceptual steps for action
Encourage connection to positive influences & social supports
Increase foster youth input in the decisionmaking process
Troubleshoot solutions to address logistical concerns
Facilitate future planning by reviewing goals & next steps w/ youth
Specific ideas for action
Arrange foster care reunions, assign mentors, encourage club, gym, or church partipation
Ask youth to define what "selfsufficency" means to them & to voice what they value as most important
Connect TAY to services & information through Resource Blog & Housing Hotline
Help TAY develop a personalized timeline outlining 12mo, 24mo, 5yr, 10yr life goals
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Below we have expanded on our suggestions for action. Increase TAY Social Supports Encourage foster youth participation in local church groups, book clubs, sports teams, dancing group, YMCA, hobby class, etc. and enroll youth prior to transition.
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Invite former emancipated youth to speak at foster homes and transitional housing to offer words of wisdom and to answer questions posed by foster youth.
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Connect emancipating foster youth with adults who have successfully transitioned from foster care to serve as relatable mentors.
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Hold reunion or alumni events to encourage connection to former foster youth who have been successful in their transition in order to reinforce new priorities and future planning.
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Develop support groups for newly transitioned teens to participate via Skype or over the phone (possibly offering a monetary incentive) and ask youth to identify a concern they encountered that week and then ask the group to troubleshoot potential solutions.
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Broaden current funding policies to include social support and mentorship programs for TAY.
Increase Social Supports
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Individual join local clubs, church groups, YMCA Agency facilitate mentorship programs & support groups Policy fund programs that increase TAY social supports
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Balance TAY Priorities & Develop Life Skills Create a Resource Blog for foster youth to connect with former foster youth who have emancipated or who are in different stages of the transitioning process (all blog entries would be anonymous).
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Maintain and circulate an electronic resource list of websites that foster youth have found to be the most useful to them during the transition process including: o Employment applications and resume samples o Housing locations and apartment application process o Transportation Sites (local bus system schedule, driver’s license, subways/trains, carpooling options) o Grocery shopping and nutrition tips o Budgeting advice o How to open a checking acct, basic information on credit scores, and credit cards o College application steps and financial aid available to TAY o Specific services available to youth on probation or with past juvenile justice involvement o Nearest library that offers Internet access
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Provide funding for a local Housing Hotline staffed by transition specialists who are available 24 hours a day to answer questions, connect foster youth to resources, and to provide information on emergency shelter locations.
Balancing Priorities & Developing Life Skills
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Individual
Access electronic resources and contribute to the Resource Blog Agency Develop & disseminate resources & life skills training specifically identified as useful by former TAY Policy Fund a local Housing Hotline staffed by transition specialists who are available 24 hours a day
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Facilitate Future Planning Ask foster youth to define what becoming “self-sufficient” means to them and what steps they see as necessary to complete their path.
•
Develop a personalized timeline and discuss a path to achieve the milestones identified by the youth. Revisit the timeline periodically to encourage the youth’s progress and to help manage any setbacks.
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Assist youth in accessing the resources specific to their long-term plan (timeline) and personalized self-sufficiency goals.
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Engage Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and Big Brother Big Sister type organizations to speak at transitional housing locations and to discuss future planning topics that the foster youth identify as relevant to their situation.
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Advocate for policies and programs that support TAY in planning and preparing for the future.
Future Planning & Preparation
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Individual Determine what a self-sufficient future looks like for you Agency Develop a personalized timeline w/ youth & discuss a path to achieve Policy Advocate for long-term planning & preparation programming
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For questions or comments related to this report, please contact:
Dr. Laura S. Abrams, M.S.W, Ph.D. Associate Professor Department of Social Welfare UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs Abrams@luskin.ucla.edu
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Appendix A: Demographics
Jennifer
18
African American/ White
Foster care or Crossover Status Foster care
Jesuina
19
Hispanic
Crossover
A
Kyle
20
African American
Foster care
A
LaTierra
20
African American
Crossover
A
Shaydon
22
African American
Foster care
A
Sherice
21
African American
Foster care
A
Rebecca
22
African American/ White
Crossover
A (alumna)
Anne
22
African American
Foster care
B (alumna)
Antoine
22
African American/
Crossover
B (alumnus)
Foster care
B
Pseudonym
Age
Race/ethnicity
Program A
Native Hawaiian Brayden
19
African American/ Native American
George
20
White
Foster care
B
James
20
African American
Foster care
B
Janine
19
African American/ Hispanic
Foster care
B
Tina
19
Hispanic
Foster care
B
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