# Presentation: 546028

## Youth Aging out of Foster Care

- Wednesday, April 20th
**1:45 PM**

- Policy Academy for State and Local Policymakers

## Profile of Youth Aging out of Foster Care

- 18-21 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

## Children in the D.C. Foster Care System by Age on September 30th, 2003

## Wards in the District of Columbia

**Wards in the District of Columbia**

## 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

## Risk Factors

**Risk Factors**

**Substance Abuse**

**High School Dropouts**

**Violence**

**Single Parenting**

**Teen Pregnancy**

**Unemployment**

**Sense of Hopelessness**

**Poverty**

**Inadequate Housing/ Homelessness**

**Mental Health Issues**

**Child Abuse & Neglect**

**Notes:**
Show connection of root causes of homlessness with the risk factors
Lack of affordable housing
poverty caused by a lack of education and employment
Drug abuse, mental health issues, abuse and neglect

## Protective Factors

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

## 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, MD, and NOVA
- Provide residential services and address issues such as unemployment, education, teen parenting, and health

## Our Mission

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

## 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

## The Covenant House Washington (CHW) ModelA Comprehensive ApproachWho 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

## Entry Into Service

***Juvenile Justice System***

***Outreach***

***Schools***

***NineLine***

***Churches***

***Community Police***

***Child Welfare System***

***Walk-ins***

***Families***

**Intake**

**Service Management**

***Psychosocial Assessment ***
***Individual Service Plan***
***Internal Advocacy***

## Street and Community Outreach

## Community Service Center

## 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

## Areas of Ability

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

## Delivery Through

- Services
- Supports
- Opportunities

## 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.”

## 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

## Service Managers

- Intake
- Psychosocial assessment
- Education, vocational, health assessment
- Individual service plan
- Referral to CHW services
- Referral to outside services
- Regular follow-up
- On-going support
**End goal – self sufficiency!**

## Education and Training Center

## “One-Stop Approach”

**“****One-Stop Approach”**

## Assessment Center

**Assessment Center**

## Educational Services

## Life Skills

## Wellness and Well-being

## Employment Development

- Job Readiness

## Covenant House Washington

**Program Services Division**
**Vocational Training Initiative**

**Covenant House Washington**

## About the Program

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

## 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

- 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

- Program Goals

## 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 **** **

## Residential Services

** **

## Entering Residential Programs

**Referral**

**Crisis Center**
**ROP**
**TLP**

**Immediate needs**

**Long-term needs**

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

**Notes:**
Any youth between the ages of 18-21 and that is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless is eligibile for Residential Services.  Youth are referred to Residential Services by the Service Manager.

Youth that have emergency needs are immediately referred to the Crisis Center
Youth that are ready to leave the Crisis Center can be referred to the Transitional Programs – ROP or TLP
Youth that are not in the Crisis Center can also be referred to the Transitional Programs.

## Crisis Center (Respite Center)

** ****Crisis Center - up to 90 days**
** ****Provide youth with supports to**
**  ****transition from emergency to **
**  ****long-term housing **

## 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

## 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.

## 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

## Summary of Service Outcomes for Foster Care Youth

- Youth Has Housing

- Educational Progress

- Employment Readiness

- Vocational Skills

- Access to Health Care

- Reduction in Risk-Taking Behavior

## 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.

## 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 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 only hopes that there are more young people like Ebone in our program, because the industry is desperate for them.

## 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 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.

## Submitted By:   Judith Dobbins

- 		     Executive Director
- 		     Covenant House Washington