Expanding a Safety Net for Former Foster Youth

John Burton Foundation Boosts Effectiveness of California’s THP-Plus Program

By Cathy Curtis

Every year, more than 5,000 youth “age out” of the California foster care system when they turn 18. But two of three such youth have nowhere to live, no job and no one to turn to for emotional and financial support.

In 2001, the California Legislature established the Transitional Housing Placement-Plus (THP-Plus) program to provide up to 24 months of affordable housing and support services to these at-risk youth. Organizations were given the opportunity to develop programs that met the THP-Plus criteria and apply to the state for funds to launch the new services. Yet five years later, THP-Plus was serving only 167 youth statewide.

That’s when the John Burton Foundation for Children Without Homes (JBF) initiated its THP-Plus Statewide Implementation Project to improve and expand supportive housing programs in California for homeless former foster youth.

john burton foundation
Youth attend weekly career development classes at Bay Area Youth Centers (BAYC), a THP-Plus provider in Hayward. BAYC serves transition-age youth ages 15-24 through its housing, mental health and vocational programs.

Amy Lemley, JBF policy director, said that THP-Plus was underutilized primarily because providers didn’t know how to develop a successful application. “So we wrote a training and technical assistance guide,” she said. “It breaks down the process into a series of discrete steps for providers: how to submit a plan to the state, how to get certified.”

The John Burton Foundation received a two-year, $100,000 TCWF grant in December 2008 to improve and expand supportive housing programs across California that serve former foster youth. Also included in the JBF grant was the development and implementation of a statewide participant-tracking system to improve the quality and accountability of THP-Plus.

“Every young person in the program is entered into a secure online database that shows outcomes – simple ones, like the percentage working and what their wages are,” Lemley said. “Although it’s a voluntary program, we have over 90 percent of THP-Plus provider participation.”

By documenting the value of THP-Plus in helping youth find jobs and housing, JBF is also demonstrating that the program is a good investment for California – a key factor in staving off looming state budget cuts that could potentially eliminate this vital safety net.

The results have been dramatic: 1,300 supportive housing slots were available statewide in 2009 for former foster youth – a more than 600 percent increase in just three years.

“TCWF saw the value in technical assistance and training,” Lemley said. “The grant gave an important signal that our project is worthwhile. With the Foundation’s investment, providers have been able to serve nearly 10,000 young people since the project started.”

Jeffrey S. Kim, TCWF program director, said that JBF has been extraordinarily effective, not only in advancing public policy efforts but also in involving more individual providers in the THP-Plus program.

“JBF provides critical technical assistance and follow-up, so that organizations can ramp up quality programs as quickly as possible,” Kim said. “That’s important, because with state programs like THP-Plus, you use it or lose it. JBF knows all the components needed to help sustain this vital resource for former foster youth.”

john burton foundation
www.johnburtonfoundation.org

The John Burton Foundation partnered with The California Coalition for Youth on the policy report “Too Big To Ignore: Youth Homelessness in California,” which analyzes the primary barriers at the local, state and federal levels that have prevented the development of a statewide plan to address youth homelessness. The report, released in November 2009 and funded by a grant from TCWF, offers short- and longer-term policy recommendations to address these barriers, including building capacity of homeless youth providers to successfully apply for existing government funding.

For more information, visit www.johnburtonfoundation.org