Foster Kids - Aging Out Foster Youth Get Transitional Housing in Florida

You've probably read about the terrible foster kid statistics: 25% will end up in prison, 50% will drop out of any formal education, and 25% will become homeless. All of these outcomes are very common for foster children who have aged out of the foster care system. Fortunately, these children have a political ally who is helping Florida's foster youth with practical solutions.


Enter Florida State Sen. Nancy Detert. Just shy of her 70th birthday, State Sen. Nancy Detert is hitting her stride as she tackles many challenges that face the foster children in her district and state.

Starting in 2013, she pushed through a bill that extended the age at which foster teens age out of the foster care system from 18 to 21. Many experts feel that the additional three years will allow foster kids a chance to plan better for their futures once they are forced out of the system.

Florida State Senator Nancy Detert

This week the state senator along with other community leaders attended a ceremony for the opening of a transitional housing facility for aged out foster youth. Experts agree that one of the biggest challenges for these kids is securing a place to live.

Up to 25% of former foster children become homeless within the first 24 months of being on their own. About half of former foster kids will stop their education because they have no safe place to live and study.


Rich Stroud, executive director of a nonprofit called Everyday Blessings explained:

"For decades, children would turn 18 and be forced to leave foster care with no safety net and little community support."

Marlena Krueger of Body Beautiful Spa and Rose Perkins of Radiant and Youthful had lamented the millions that seem to be wasted by the foster care system recycling old programs that show little success. These professional along with others feel that the system needs a serious restructuring along with new ideas.

A new housing facility for former foster kids isn't a new concept. Fortunately, State Sen. Detert understands that helping former foster youth requires a multi-prong approach. Not only will the new facility offer transitional living to these kids, but within the facility, they will have access to vocational counselors, tutoring and mentoring.


Only time will tell if this program, named Springboard, is successful. However, the former foster youth who are going to live in this new facility will most likely be much better prepared for independent living than those children who age out with only their clothes in a garbage bag and little else.


It's definitely time to try something new because the old programs continue to fail our nation's foster children.

Regards,


  Richard

Richard Villasana
Find Families In Mexico
760-690-3995

PS. Share your thoughts and ideas below and share this post with others.

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Foster Children - Foster Kid Statistics Reveal Failure of Aging Out Preparations

Recently we shared foster care statistics about the fate of teens who age out of the system. Everyone is shocked when they hear that 90% of foster children who age out of the system become homeless or addicted to drugs, don't continue their education, or end up in prison all within just a two year period.


Here are some of the comments we have received about these stats.

"It's hideous to think of those kids becoming homeless." Dianna Whitley

"These stats are really disturbing." Steven H. Poulos

"The reality of these facts is very sad." Rose Perkins

As you may expect, people then start to talk about possible solutions to help foster teens once they age out. Some, such as Marlene Krueger, will ask about improving access to independent living support. Other talk about training tied to a jobs program. One solution that is picking up greater acceptance is raising the age at which foster teens are forced out of the foster care system from 18 to 21. Almost half of the states have adopted this new age limit.

As noteworthy as these ideas are, these combined solutions have failed to help more than 10% of the thousands of foster youth who age out yearly. Hundreds, if not thousands, of organizations are putting out their best effort to help foster children once they age out. Yet this year alone, 24,000 teens will age out with only 2,400 avoiding the horrific future described above. By most standards, these results mean that post-age out efforts are a failure.


Boyd Johnson said it best, "Prevention is always better than looking for the cure." Probably the most far-reaching federal program is Chafee Grant. This program offers assistance to help current and former foster care youths achieve self-sufficiency. The program:

"identifies children who are likely to remain in foster care until 18 years of age and to help these children make the transition to self-sufficiency by providing services such as assistance in obtaining a high school diploma, career exploration... job placement and retention, training in daily living skills, training in budgeting and financial management skills... "

Yet again, based on the foster care statistics above, it's clear that Chafee has a very limited impact on those children who age out. And as Brenda Cook reminds us, "An 18 year old is still a child regardless of what the calendar says."

So is there a time-tested, viable solution that will reduce the number of foster teens who leave the system or that gives these kids the best support possible? Fortunately, there is such a solution.

Finding a foster child's family members is the single most beneficial action for the youth with the exception of reunification with their birth parents. As we have said before, there are several studies, all reaching the same conclusion: placing a foster kid with a relative generally leads to more happiness, better health, physically, mentally and emotionally, compared to those children who are in either foster placement or sent to a group home.


Children in relative placement do better at school. They graduate at a higher level than their foster peers. A higher percentage of these kids with family support attend college, graduate and have a higher rate of both getting a job and succeeding at it.

For full disclosure, yes, our organization, Find Families In Mexico, provides this relative location service to foster care agencies throughout the U.S. We do this because of the overwhelming evidence that has proven time and again that a foster child does much better with relatives than with strangers. And our services are pro bono (free) to government agencies.

We understand that there is no one perfect solution. Even with relative placement, bad things can and do happen to children. Yet until another process comes along that shows such positive results, we urge everyone who asks the question, "How can we help these children?" to either volunteer their time and talent or give a financial contribution. It's that simple.

Take a step toward helping a foster child. It'll do your heart good.

Regards,


  Richard

Richard Villasana
Find Families In Mexico
760-690-3995

PS. Share your thoughts and ideas below and share this post with others.

Get a PDF copy of this blog about the best preventative method to help foster youth.

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Foster Child - Reconnecting Foster Kid with Relatives

Once a child enters foster care, agencies begin searching for adult family members and can have a success rate as high as 80%. However, there are cases where no relatives of a foster child are found in the U.S., usually meaning that the foster kid will probably leave the system by either being adopted or aging out. Fortunately, for many foster youth there is a third, important alternative that can change their lives forever.


Casa Pacifica is a non-profit in Ventura County that as part of their services handles locating relatives of foster children. The organization had a case where the only known relatives of a pre-teen U.S. foster child where supposedly living in Mexico. 

The challenge was that the town where these family members were thought to be living was in a very remote area of Mexico. Such small towns may have only one public phone that all the locals use. In this case, there was no telephone service, no Internet and no cell phone reception.

Casa Pacifica brought the case to Find Families In Mexico. One critical reason to search for relatives is that this child would at least have a connection to his family even if he stayed in foster care.

Foster children, ages 12 and above, have
less than a 1% chance of being adopted.

Unless relatives were located, this foster youth was at risk of spending the next six years of his life in a government facility. One study places the estimated cost for foster care services over that time period to be $389,160.

Despite the challenges, Find Families In Mexico located an aunt of the foster child. Jill Borgeson, Program Manager wrote,

"Rosie Lopez, Case Manager, was shocked that your organization had any success at all because of the town’s remote location. We consider your company’s ability to track down members of this family under these circumstances as nothing short of miraculous. We have already started the process to reconnect this child with an aunt on the mother’s side of the family."

By finding this foster youth's relatives, he has a chance to know where he comes from, who his family is and to have ongoing support through his life.

Ms. Borgeson went on to write that "You have proven your services to us in several cases, none of which we had been able to make progress based on our own resources. We are confident that we can count on your continued services in locating family members for other foster children who have relatives still living in Mexico."


One way to help foster children is to donate and support our efforts to find their family members.


Reconnecting a foster youth with their family members is a huge win. A week later, Rosie Lopez, Case Manager, reported that the family is "so, so happy" to be reconnected with their relative foster child. These children do much better mentally and emotionally plus there are enormous savings in foster care services. Finding relatives, no matter where they are, is the humane, caring and civilized thing to do.

Regards,


  Richard

Richard Villasana
Find Families In Mexico
760-690-3995

PS. Read the letter of appreciation sent by Casa Pacifica about this foster child case.

Get a PDF copy of this blog on reconnecting a foster teen with his family members.

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Foster Children's Relatives Still Shorted by California

Recently in our blog "California Foster Children Costly for Relatives", we talked about the disparity in the amount that family members or "relatives placement" get paid for caring for a foster kid versus that of non-relatives or "foster placement." California just had a budget debate to determine what to do with a $4.7 billion windfall.

Many foster youth organizations submitted proposals including increasing the amount that relative placement are paid. Unfortunately, this proposal along with others was not taken up.

Once again, no proposals were submitted by county agencies to increase funding for efforts to locate foster children's relatives still living in Mexico despite research by the California Permanency for Youth Project that showed significant saving by placing foster kids in a home.

The report concluded that: 

"Over $200,000 a month could be saved if only 37 youth were placed, resulting in millions in annual savings. The calculations provide solid cost justification for permanency programs, aside from the immeasurable benefits that come from providing youth with homes.”

So for now, caring family members such as Cecilia Escamilla-Greenwald, who took in two related foster youth, will have to continue to care for these kids with their $351 monthly allowance. Additionally, thousands of foster teens are at risk of aging out with no family support because a few hundred dollars were not invested to locate family members.

Maybe it's time California got a new accountant because somehow the numbers just don't add up, and foster children are left suffering.

Regards,


  Richard

Richard Villasana
Find Families In Mexico
760-690-3995

PS. Like and follow us on Facebook for more information about foster teens.

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Foster Youth Aging Out Topic of National Summit

There is no denying that foster children suffer emotionally and mentally. Many case workers will share that "foster care is no place for a child."

Having said this, there are incredible costs to taxpayers for the needed support for foster

kids. And these costs don't go away once these children age out. A National Summit on Youth Aging Out of Foster Care is being co-organized by Dr. Johanna Greeson, an assistant professor in the School of Social Policy & Practice at the University of Pennsylvania for May 2014.

Dr. Greeson states that “on average, for every [foster child] who ages out, taxpayers and communities pay $300,000 in social costs over that person’s lifetime.”

One of the most cost effective methods to help these children who age out is to locate their family members beforehand. Doing so will give foster teens that special support that comes from family as well as their families potentially helping to lessen the financial burden on taxpayers.

Dr. Greeson hopes that by bringing together researchers, academics, students and former foster children, more creative ideas can be developed to solve the costly effects of foster teens aging out while giving these kids a chance at a better future. We also hope for a successful outcome.

Regards,


  Richard

Richard Villasana
Find Families In Mexico

PS. Like and follow us on Facebook for more information about foster youths.

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Foster Care Initiative: Extending Stay for Foster Fhildren

Recently an opt-ed piece came out in the Seattle Times where Jim Theofelis wrote about new legislation in Washington that would extend the age at which foster children are forced out of foster care. Presently foster children age out at age 18, but the new law would extend this period until their 21st birthday.

As commendable as this is, one area is being overlooked to help these children have healthy, successful lives once they age out. Chafee, formally called the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program, provides funding to non-profits so they can help children prepare for a life on their own. In many states, foster children are forced out at age 18 so Chafee funds programs starting at age 15. For states with an age out of 21, the funding starts for foster children at age 18.

In the same Op-ed piece, Jim reported that "500 children aged out of foster care in Washington. The National Alliance to End Homelessness estimated that one of every 11 youth from foster care will experience being homeless." Clearly foster children struggle to lead healthy, productive lives once they age out.

There has been so much written about the challenges that 90% of foster children face after aging out: homelessness, drug addiction, incarceration, or victims of crime. Fifty percentage drop out of education once they age out. It's these challenges that have prompted interest in extending the age from 18 to 21. 

One critical, but overlooked problem is that many foster children age out with no ties to family members. Chafee provides no funding for family finding so these children, who despite having relatives, end up on the street with no family connections. This is especially true of Hispanic foster children. State agencies often lack the training and resources to do effective family finding so biological parents and other adult relatives are not located and notified. There are options, but many agencies either push for adoption over family or by omission allow children in foster care to age out.

Despite the actual good that children derive from Chafee programs, no amount of preparation can counter balance the benefit to a child of having connections with family. This is especially true for Hispanic children whose culture revolves in large part around family. It's time that Chafee was amended to include funding for family finding. The cost is enormous for the children but also on society that has to pay for support systems when these children become homeless or, as in some cases, are put in jail. 

As Judge (Ret.) Leonard P. Edwards as eloquently wrote, "It is my dream that the expanded use of family finding will literally dry up the foster-care system." Foster children deserve whatever effort is required so when they age out, they have an anchor through their family to support them as they grown into adulthood. We can do better!      

Saludos,


  Richard

Richard Villasana
The Mexico Guru
Find Families In Mexico

Proud to be listed on the Child Welfare website.

PS. For more tips and advice about family finding in Mexico, follow us on Facebook at Family Finding MX. Click here if your agency or organization has a case requiring family finding services to identify and locate biological family members in Mexico.

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