[Slide 1]{.underline}

**Youth Aging out of Foster Care**

Wednesday, November 1^st^, 2005

1 45 PM to 3 15 PM

[Slide 2]{.underline}

**Profile of Youth Aging out of Foster Care**

18 to 21 years old, male or female

Disconnected from natural family

Lacking 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

Image: A young man with headphones.

[Slide 3]{.underline}

**Children in the DC Foster Care System by Age on September 30^th^,
2003**

On a bar graph, the x-axis shows age ranges and the y-axis shows numbers
of children, the total given as 2,984. There 45 children under 1 year
old, 518 children between 1 and 5 years old, 1,142 children between 6
and 12 years old, 541 children between 13 and 15 years old, 334 children
between 16 and 17 years old, and 404 children between 18 and 21 years
old.

[Slide 4]{.underline}

**Wards in the District of Columbia**

A map of Washington, DC, which includes the outlines of streets,
woodlands, and rivers, outlines the eight wards. Ward 1 is in the upper
center of the city, Ward 2 is south of Ward 1, Ward 3 takes the western
corner, Ward 4 takes the northern corner, Ward 5 takes the middle of the
northeastern border, Ward 6 is south of Ward 5, Ward 7 takes the eastern
corner, and Ward 8 takes the southern corner.

[Slide 5]{.underline}

**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

[Slide 6]{.underline}

At the center of the diagram is an octagon labeled Risk Factors. A wheel
of ovals forms around the octagon. The ovals are labeled Unemployment,
Sense of Hopelessness, Poverty, Inadequate Housing Slash Homelessness,
Teen Pregnancy, Single Parenting, High School Dropouts, Child Abuse and
Neglect, Substance Abuse, Violence, and Mental Health Issues.

[Slide 7]{.underline}

**Protective Factors**

Encouraging self-esteem

Connecting to family and community

Developing educational and vocational achievements

Preparation for employment

Providing stabilizing residential services

[Slide 8]{.underline}

**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

Serve youth between the ages of 16 and 21 from the most challenged areas
of DC, Maryland, and Nova

Provide residential services and address issues such as unemployment,
education, teen parenting, and health

[Slide 9]{.underline}

**Our Mission**

Serve the suffering children of the street

Protect and safeguard all children

Demonstrate absolute respect

Show unconditional love

[Slide 10]{.underline}

**Our Vision**

Provide 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

[Slide 11]{.underline}

**The CHW Model: A Comprehensive Approach: Who do we serve?**

Literally homeless

Youth from foster care system

Those not captured in traditional homeless assessments, quote couch
surfers unquote

At-risk youth presenting risk factors

[Slide 12]{.underline}

**Entry into Service**

At the center of the diagram is a box labeled Intake. Nine rightward
arrows point to the box from the words Outreach, Nine-Line, Families,
Churches, Schools, Walk-ins, Community Police, Child Welfare System, and
Juvenile Justice System. The Intake box itself has a rightward arrow
pointing to a box labeled Service Management: Psychological Assessment,
Individual Service Plan, Internal Advocacy.

[Slide 13]{.underline}

**Street and Community Outreach**

Image: A van with Covenant House, 1 800, 9 9 9, 9 9 9 9 written on the
side doors. The photo is slightly warped, as though the van were
speeding past the viewer.

[Slide 14]{.underline}

**Community Service Center**

A central photo shows the Covenant House van parked outside a building.
At the upper left is a photo of several adults eating at tables
together. At the lower left is a photo of several adults at a meeting.
At the upper right is a photo of four joined Covenant House logos,
depicting a bird in a hand, as part of a marble floor. At the lower
right is a cartoon drawing of a road with an overarching sign that
reads, To a Brighter Future, with an exclamation point that becomes an
arrow pointing down the road.

[Slide 15]{.underline}

**Advancing Youth Development, AYD**\
Quote: An approach to youth programming that focuses on preparation and
development rather than prevention and deterrence, unquote

Aspects of Identity:

Safety and structure

Self-worth

Mastery and future

Belonging and membership

Responsibility and autonomy

Self-awareness and spirituality

[Slide 16]{.underline}

**Areas of Ability**

Physical health

Mental health

Intellectual ability

Employability

Civic and social ability

Cultural ability

[Slide 17]{.underline}

**Delivery Through**

Services

Supports

Opportunities

[Slide 18]{.underline}

**Outcomes**

Problem prevention

Achievement

Developmental

Quote: If we can intentionally address the mental health and other needs
of youth through affirmative relationships and service, we can prevent
negative behaviors. Unquote

[Slide 19]{.underline}

**Our Approach**

Service Management lies at the 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

[Slide 20]{.underline}

**Service Managers**

1.  Intake

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1.  Psychosocial assessment

2.  Educational, vocational, health assessment

3.  Individual service plan

4.  Referral to CHW services

5.  Referral to outside services

6.  Regular follow-up

7.  Ongoing support

8.  End goal: Self-sufficiency

[Slide 21]{.underline}

**Education and Training Center**\
Image: One young woman is seated at a computer with a page in her hands.
Another woman stands with her hand on the computer mouse.

[Slide 22]{.underline}

**Quote, One-Stop Approach, Unquote**

At the top of the diagram is a box labeled Service Management. A two-way
arrow connects the box with a central oval labeled Educational Slash
Vocational Assessment. That oval has downward arrows pointing to four
other ovals: Educational Services, Life Skills Services, Wellness and
Well-being, and Employment Development.

[Slide 23]{.underline}

**Assessment Center**

At the center of a diagram is a box labeled Assessment. Lines connect it
to boxes labeled Eye-Hand Coordination, TABE, Personality Inventory,
Work Samples, and Manual Dexterity.

[Slide 24]{.underline}

**Educational Services**

At the center of a diagram is an oval labeled Educational Services.
Lines connect it to ovals labeled SAT Preparation, Basic Literacy, and
GED.

[Slide 25]{.underline}

**Life Skills**

At the center of a diagram is a box labeled Life Skills. Thick lines
connect it to boxes labeled Job Support, Standards of Living, Successful
Parenting, Time Management, and Street Law. Thin lines connect it to
boxes labeled Conflict Resolution, Sound Financial Planning, Responsible
Decisionmaking, and Communication.

[Slide 26]{.underline}

**Wellness and Well-being**

At the center of a diagram is a cross labeled Wellness and Well-being.
Arrows point from the cross to diamonds labeled Late Night Basketball,
Nutrition Education, Social and Recreational Activities, Cultural
Enrichment, and Physical Fitness.

[Slide 27]{.underline}

**Employment Development**

At the center of a diagram is a 16-pointed star labeled Employment
Development. One arrow points from the star to a hexagon labeled Job
Readiness. Two other arrows point from the star to ovals labeled
Entrepreneurship and Vocational training. Three more arrows point from
the star to boxes labeled Job Search and Placement, Work Internships,
and Job Follow-up.

[Slide 28]{.underline}

**Covenant House Washington: Artisan's Woodshop**

Program Services Division Vocational Training Initiative

The central image on the slide is a wood block with a decorated capital
A on it, dotted lines at the top of the A, and a chisel lying in sawdust
nearby. Images in the corners of the slide show young adults working
with machinery and presenting wooden products.

[Slide 29]{.underline}

**About the Program**

Our six-month training program prepares at-risk and homeless youth for
employment through personalized and production woodshop experiences.

[Slide 30]{.underline}

**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

[Slide 31]{.underline}

**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  

[Slide 32]{.underline}

**Residential Services**

At the upper left of the slide, a photo shows a rather Spartan room with
a covered bed, a window with an air conditioner, a radiator, a baby
walker, and doors leading to a closet and a bathroom. At the lower left,
a photo shows a larger room with two couches, two rugs, a coffee table,
a round dinner table, several chairs, a small chandelier, and some
paintings. At the upper right, a photo shows a staircase near two
couches, with a young man setting something on a table in a background
kitchen. At the lower right, a cartoon shows a hilly road leading to an
industrial bridge over a river.

[Slide 33]{.underline}

**Entering Residential Programs**

A box labeled Referral has rightward arrows pointing to 1, Crisis
Center: Immediate Needs; 2, ROP; and 3, TLP. ROP and TLP both have
arrows pointing to the words Long-term Needs.

Eligibility

18 to 21 years of age

Homeless or at risk of being homeless

A corner image shows a hilly road leading to an industrial bridge over a
river.

[Slide 34]{.underline}

**Crisis Center; Respite Center**

Crisis Center: up to 90 days

Provide youth with supports to transition from emergency to long-term
housing

At the top of the slide, a photo shows a fairly Spartan room with two
individual beds, a crib with a trunk underneath, three bureaus, and an
air conditioner in one of two windows. At the lower left, a photo shows
a computer lab.

[Slide 35]{.underline}

**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

A photo shows the exterior of a two- or three-story building.

[Slide 36]{.underline}

**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.

At the upper left of the slide, a photo shows a room with two large
windows, two couches, two rugs, a laptop sitting on a round table with
four chairs, a small chandelier, a microwave sitting on a cupboard, and
a staircase. At the upper right, a photo shows a woman sitting on a
couch and hugging a sleeping baby. At the lower right, a photo shows the
exterior of a three-story building.

[Slide 37]{.underline}

**Pastoral Counseling**

Spiritual uplift for youth

Religious community support

We do not proselytize, but we do strive to emulate God's love for youth
in the lives we lead, the actions we take, and the services we provide

[Slide 38]{.underline}

At the top of the diagram is an oval labeled Summary of Service Outcomes
for Foster Care Youth. An arrow points from it to a box labeled Youth
Has Housing. Arrows point from the box to two ovals labeled Educational
Progress and Access to Health Care and to a box labeled Reduction in
Risk-taking Behavior. The Reduction box has arrows pointing to two
capsules labeled Employment Readiness and Vocational Skills.

[Slide 39]{.underline}

**Their Stories: Steven Jones**

Steve comes from the Foster Care System and lives in CHW's 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. Steve's job entails assembling and finishing high-end items
for Pentagon officials and corporate executives.

Image: Steven Jones leaning on a newly made wooden desk in a studio

[Slide 40]{.underline}

**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 shop worker at Casework Limited, a very high end custom millwork
shop in Silver Spring, Maryland, working on cabinetry and millwork for
law offices and significant homes. The shop manager at Casework has
commented that he only hopes that there are more young people like Ebone
in our program, because the industry is desperate for them.

Image: Ebone Campbell wearing safety equipment and holding a drill while
next to a shelf in progress at a studio

[Slide 41]{.underline}

**Recommendations for Improving Policy and Services to Youth Aging out
of Foster Care**

Form public- and private-sector partnerships with organizations who
serve and-or advocate for foster care youth. 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.

[Slide 42]{.underline}

**Submitted By**

Judith Dobbins

Executive Director

Covenant House Washington