Morgan Hill
– Between 120 and 150 children
”
age out
”
of foster care every year in Santa Clara County, but most lack
the family support to find jobs, housing and other tools to lead
successful lives.
Â
Morgan Hill – Between 120 and 150 children “age out” of foster care every year in Santa Clara County, but most lack the family support to find jobs, housing and other tools to lead successful lives.Â
“More than 50 percent of former foster youth in California wind up being homeless at some point,” said social worker Jim Anderson, a supervisor with the Santa Clara County Social Services Agency. “A lot of them end up being incarcerated because they just can’t make it.”
While the statistics are “pretty grim,” Anderson hopes Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget helps more vulnerable young adults reach productive futures. Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2007-08, released Jan. 10, could more than triple the state’s investment in the Transitional Housing Placement-Plus Program (THP-Plus) from $4.8 million to $15.4 million. The program provides affordable housing, educational counseling, job-search assistance and case management for former foster youth ages 18 to 24.Â
“It’s critical,” Anderson said of the funding, which comes after two years of lobbying from child welfare advocates across the state. “We weren’t sure the governor was going to follow through.”
Last year, the reach of THP-Plus was limited, with only five counties implementing the program. A key barrier was a 60 percent share-of-cost requirement for counties, which was removed in June 2006 with the passage of the state budget bill after political scrutiny. With the additional investment proposed in Schwarzenegger’s budget, 48 counties will launch the program, assisting more than 1,000 homeless youth annually.
“This is giving foster kids in California the chance they deserve,” said former President Pro Tem of the California State Senate John Burton, who established a foundation in 2004 that advocates foster care reform. “Without it, they end up poor, unemployed or in jail. That’s a waste of money and most importantly, it’s an undue punishment to someone who never did anything wrong in the first place.”
In Santa Clara County, there are nearly 2,500 children in need of out-of-home care because of abusive or neglectful conditions. Many of these children lack relatives willing to take care of them, according to the county, resulting in a lack of support when they turn 18. And, many young adults emerging from foster care don’t have that option, so the county launched the Career Pathways program in April 2006 to give them a boost at an early age. The program’s first 17 students finished their first semester in December and 21 more started Monday who will attend San Jose City College while living at San Jose State. The students enrolled follow an educational program to refine their job skills or pursue college degrees. Of the 17 who started, 16 are continuing their education, Anderson said.
With more money from the state, officials hope to reduce homelessness and the number of young people entering the prison system.
“It might alleviate the number of people coming into the system,” said Delores Nnam, a spokesperson for the Santa Clara County Probation Department, which is vying for state funds to rehabilitate offenders ages 18 to 24. “Because they don’t have tools to sustain themselves, many get in trouble with drugs at a young age.”
The money from the governor’s proposed budget – funds that are likely to be supported by California’s Democrat-controlled legislature – would be used in Santa Clara County for scattered apartment housing, the Career Pathways Program and a two-year extension of financial support and services for foster families after youth turn 18. The county hopes 80 youth will be served by these three types of services.
