foster care
San Francisco Examiner reports on need for youth in foster care to have option of extended care
‘It kind of threw me off for the first month,’ Evans said, recalling the sudden responsibility of having to pay his own bills and shop for his own groceries. Evans, now 20, lives by himself in a Daly City apartment. He is taking general studies courses at City College of San Francisco and hopes to become an auto mechanic.
But while he said he was thriving on his own, he was happy to hear about a new law that will let current foster children stay in the system until they turn 21…”
Source: Amy Crawford, San Francisco Examiner, January 8, 2012
L.A. Times showcases state-wide extension of foster care starting 2012
To ensure that the funds behind the new law are leveraged to their full potential, more needs to be done to figure out what types of assistance work best for which types of youth…”
Read full article here.
Y.O.U.T.H. Training Project now accepting current and former foster youth applicants for state-wide youth consultants
The Y.O.U.T.H. Training Project is a youth development program, which works with current and former foster youth ages 16-24. The Project trains youth in facilitation skills and curriculum development, preparing them to develop and deliver trainings to child welfare professionals and the greater community…
Source: Y.O.U.T.H. Training Project, January 3, 2011
After 18 campaign to spread word about extended foster care now available to youth
Starting 2012, youth are allowed to remain in care after 18. That includes assistance for education and employment training, as well as developing and maintaining important relationships with caring adults…
Source: After 18 California, January 2, 2011
Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) ammends No Child Left Behind to accommodate needs of students in foster care
The amendment, which was offered by Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), requires school districts to assist foster children in staying in their home school despite being placed in foster families outside that district when it is in their best interest…”
Source: Andrea Poe, Washington Times, October 25, 2011
Opinion piece in San Jose Mercury News links homelessness with need to support youth transitioning out of foster care
The data is horrific — 40 percent of persons living in homeless shelters are former foster children; 14 percent of youth reported being homeless at least once since leaving foster care; and 65 percent exit foster care without a place to live…
Source: Andre V. Chapman, San Jose Mercury News, October 18, 2011
ABC KGO-TV San Francisco’s “Beyond the Headlines” feautres John Burton, former foster youth, First Place for Youth, and others to speak on issues in foster care
“Beyond the Headlines,” provides in-depth coverage of the topics and issues facing the people of the Bay Area…
Watch clip here.
Wall Street Journal celebrates positive outcomes for Alameda County’s foster youth following system overhaul
“A risky plan to turn around Alameda County’s foster-care system is paying dividends, reducing the number of kids in the program while providing more help to older teens as they make the transition to adulthood…
Source: Bobby White, Wall Street Journal, June 9, 2011
Read the Root’s Article About the Precarious Lives for Many Youth After Foster Care
“For nearly half a million youth in foster care across our country,” the president began in the lengthy statement, “the best path to success we can give them is the chance to experience a loving home where they can feel secure and thrive.” [Read Full Article Here]…”Source: Cynthia Gordy, the Root. Taken From NPR.com.
Numbers Can Lie
By Justin Slaughter
AmeriCorps VISTA Intern
Last Monday I read the front page headline of the San Francisco Examiner someone had dropped at my desk, and this government statistic stared me in the face: San Francisco places children into foster care at rate of 80 percent above state average…
