Youth Aging out of Foster Care

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Youth Aging out of Foster Care
Policy Academy for State and Local Policymakers

• Wednesday, November 1, 2005
• 145 p.m.315 p.m.

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Profile of Youth Aging out of Foster Care

• 1821 years old, male or female
• Disconnected from natural family
• Lacks high school diploma
• Involved in juvenile justice system
• Substance abuse mental health issues
• Homeless
• Unemployed
• Dropped or transitioned from foster care system
• Poor
• Lacking vocational skills

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Children in the D.C. Foster Care System by Age on
September 30, 2004
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Wards in the District of Columbia
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Factors Impacting the Environment into Which
Foster Children Age

• Increasing poverty
• Homelessness on the rise
• Lack of affordable housing
• High unemployment
• Little access to affordable health care
• Increase in teen violence
• Increase in cases of child abuse
• Inferior education levels

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Sense of Hopelessness
Poverty
Inadequate Housing/ Homelessness
Unemployment
Risk Factors
Teen Pregnancy
Mental Health Issues
Single Parenting
Violence
High School Dropouts
Substance Abuse
Child Abuse Neglect
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Protective Factors

• Encouraging self-esteem
• Connecting to family and community
• Developing educational and vocational
  achievements
• Preparation for employment
• Providing stabilizing residential services

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About Covenant House

• Largest privately funded child care agency in the
  United States providing shelter and service to
  homeless and runaway youth
• Incorporated in New York City in 1972, serves 19
  sites across North and Central America
• Sister Patricia Cruise current President
• We serve youth between the ages of 16 and 21 from
  the most-challenged areas of DC, MD, and NOVA
• We provide residential services and address
  issues such as unemployment, education, teen
  parenting, and health

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Our Mission

• Serve the suffering children of the street
• Protect and safeguard all children
• Demonstrate absolute respect
• Show unconditional love

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Vision

• Shelter and services to children and youth who
  are homeless or at great risk
• Open Intake
• Reunite kids with their families
• Collaborate with community agencies and
  associations
• Advocate with and on behalf of youth

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The CHW ModelA Comprehensive ApproachWho do we
serve?

• Literally homeless
• Youth from foster care system
• Those not captured in traditional homeless
  assessments, couch surfers
• At-risk youth presenting risk factors

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Entry Into Service
Outreach
NineLine
Service Management
Families
Psychosocial Assessment Individual Service
Plan Internal Advocacy
Churches
Intake
Schools
Walk-ins
Community Police
Child Welfare System
Juvenile Justice System
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Street and Community Outreach
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Community Service Center
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Advancing Youth Development (AYD)An approach to
youth programming that focuses on preparation and
development rather than prevention and
deterrence.

• Aspects of Identity
• Safety and structure
• Self-worth
• Mastery and future
• Belonging and membership
• Responsibility and autonomy
• Self-awareness and spirituality

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Areas of Ability

• Physical health
• Mental health
• Intellectual ability
• Employability
• Civic and social ability
• Cultural ability

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Delivery through

• Services
• Supports
• Opportunities

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Outcomes

• Problem prevention
• Achievement
• Developmental
• If we can intentionally address the mental
  health and other needs of youth through
  affirmative relationships and service, we can
  prevent negative behaviors.

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Our Approach

• Service management lies at heart of our approach
  to service delivery
• Youth and Service Managers work together to
  create an individualized plan, empowering the
  youth to achieve their goals while meeting their
  myriad needs in a responsive, caring, and
  holistic manner

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Service Managers

• Intake
• Psychosocial Assessment
• Education, Vocational, Health Assessment
• Individual Service Plan
• Referral to CHW Services
• Referral to Outside Services
• Regular Followup
• Ongoing Support
• End goal Self-sufficiency!

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Education and Training Center
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• One-Stop Approach

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• Assessment Center

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• Educational Services

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• Life Skills

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• Wellness and Well-being

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• Employment Development

Job Readiness
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Covenant House Washington
Program Services Division Vocational Training
Initiative
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About the Program
Our 6-month training program prepares at-risk and
homeless youth for employment through
personalized and production woodshop experiences.
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Program Goals

• Create a nurturing, supportive, and safe
  environment where they find affirmation of their
  self-worth and are emboldened to take the risks
  needed to grow and mature
• Provide each student the structure, quality
  curricula, individual attention, heightened
  expectations, and wraparound services needed for
  success
• Form lasting relationships with employers who
  would benefit from employing an Artisan
• Implement an enterprise that enhances Artisan
  training, engages the community, and generates
  income

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Expected Outcomes

• Employment readiness consistency, commitment to
  learning and personal growth, positive attitude
• Safety, responsibility, and common sense
• Practical knowledge of material properties, tools
  and their effective use, techniques, and
  traditions
• Enhanced shop math, marking, layout, and
  measuring skills
• Following direction, working independently or as
  a member of a team  

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Residential Services

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Entering Residential Programs
Crisis Center ROP TLP
Immediate need
Referral
Long-term needs

• Eligibility
• 18 to 21 years of age
• Homeless or at risk of
• becoming homeless

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Crisis Center (Respite Center)
Crisis Center up to 90 days Provide youth with
supports to transition from emergency to
long-term housing
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Rights of Passage (ROP)

• Residential Program for young homeless women
  transitioning from crisis and dependency to
  stability and independence
• Group living environment
• Up to 1 year

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Transitional Living Program (TLP)
Many youth do not have a bridge to independent
living. TLP provides a supportive environment
through which youth can pursue their employment,
education, vocation, and housing goals.
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Pastoral Counseling

• Spiritual uplift for youth
• Religious community support
• We do not proselytize, but we do strive to
  emulate Gods love for youth in the lives we
  lead, the actions we take, and the services we
  provide

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Summary of Service Outcomes for Foster Care Youth
Youth Has Housing
Educational Progress
Access to Health Care
Re-education in Risk-taking Behavior
Vocational Skills
Employment Readiness
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THEIR STORIES
Steven Jones
Steve comes from the Foster Care System and lives
in CHWs Transitional Living Program. He
graduated from the Artisans Program in December
of 2003. Steve worked with a top employment
partner for over a year Creative Surface
Interiors as a countertop fabricator, utilizing
skills learned as an Artisan. Steve has recently
changed jobs and is now working in Alexandria
Virginia with another major employer, Dahlquist
Woodworks. Steves job entails assembling and
finishing high-end items for Pentagon officials
and corporate executives.
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Ebone Campbell
Ebone graduated from our Artisans Program in
February. She came to Covenant House with a high
school education but no means of securing a trade
in order to support her in future educational
aspirations. She is now a shop worker at Casework
Ltd., a very high-end custom millwork shop in
Silver Spring, MD, working on cabinetry and
millwork for law offices and significant homes.
The shop manager at Casework has commented that
he hopes that there are more young people like
Ebone in our program, because the industry is
desperate for them.
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Recommendations for Improving Policy and Services
to Youth Aging out of Foster Care

• Form public/private-sector partnerships with
  organizations who serve and/or advocate for
  foster care you. There is strength in numbers.
• Share best models of care and support for youth
  aging out. Advocate for replication of these
  models (Bridges to Friendship, Family
  Collaboratives).
• Involve youth in development of solutions. They
  have answers and need to be empowered.

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Submitted By Judith Dobbins Executive
Director Covenant House Washington