Support Foster Youth Beyond the Age of 24

Support for foster and systems-impacted youth

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Los Angeles (LA) county has 30,000 children in the foster care system. Each year, 1,200 foster youth age out of care. Within 18 months, 60% of those who age out will become homeless and only 60% complete high school. 70% of foster youth women will be pregnant by 21. Furthermore, over 30,000 former foster youth enroll in post-secondary education, but only 49% complete a second semester with only 5% obtaining a degree. The root cause of these poor adult life outcomes is that foster youth have suffered a lifetime of trauma from family separation, spending their childhood navigating foster care, and then suddenly age out of care having to become adults over night. Independent Living Programs (ILP) intended to support foster youth transition into adulthood exist until the age of 21, but by the time a foster youth is stable enough to enroll, or return to school, they are 21 or older, and no longer qualify for support.

Journey House (JH) seeks to help 50 new former foster youth attain an education degree through our direct service program. Our strategy to ensure educational success is to support students on and off campus by providing case management in housing, education, employment, and counseling. Housing services include referrals, applications, and interviews. For those able to secure their own apartment (income & credit), JH assists with moving costs, security deposit, credit check fees, live scans, utilities, furniture, appliances, sanitation supplies, and a moving truck for transportation. Education services include high school completion, educational & career assessments, vocation & trades, applications, enrollment, appointments, financial aid, and purchasing any tools, equipment or school supplies. We also provide direct support with the costs of attending college including tuition, textbooks, and meal plans. We help students navigate their entire education from the point of enrollment through graduation. Employment services include cover letters, resume, job applications, interview attire, job retention, wage negotiations, navigating promotions and career transitions. Independent Living counseling consists of helping former foster youth develop self-sufficiency to avoid over-reliance on social services for their adult life needs. By providing comprehensive services, foster youth can spend less time worrying about their basic needs, and prioritize their education.

Our goal is to recruit a cohort of 50 new former foster youth to help them complete an education. Our vision for success is to achieve successful course completion, increase enrollment persistence beyond a second semester, and ultimately degree or educational program completion. JH graduates have proven track record of achieving high ranking careers, and our trade professionals have become business owners. The vision of our program is to expand our capacity by hiring an additional case manager to take lead on the increased caseload outlined in this proposal. Our intended impact is to end the cycle of poverty, homelessness, underemployment, lack of education, and generational trauma for former foster youth.

Our impact is measured by the number of graduates who complete a degree each year. On average, 15 JH members graduate with varying certificates and degrees. Historically, JH has graduated over 71 students who combined have attained over 225 certificates, diplomas, and degrees. Today, JH has over 300 active program participants with 52 students currently enrolled in school and attending classes. Of those currently enrolled, 16 represent our graduating class of 2024. Furthermore, all of our students are beyond the age of 21 and all of our graduates are beyond the age of 24. JH maintains detailed records of our member progress through our case management database system. We establish detailed action plans to ensure that each member has access to proper resources to meet their needs. While degree completion is our ultimate goal, we understand that success is relatively defined and can vary from a 4.0 semester, to helping a student survive domestic violence by securing emergency shelter.