Former Foster Youth Homelessness Prevention Program Expansion

Support for foster and systems-impacted youth

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

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

Los Angeles has the largest population of transition-age foster youth (TAY) in the U.S., many of whom face homelessness upon aging out due to limited support and rising housing costs worsened by recent fires. While federally funded FYI housing vouchers provide a lifeline, youth often move into empty apartments with no furnishings or community support—key factors leading to housing instability. ASOH is the ONLY organization offering TAY comprehensive support to secure and furnish housing, access vital resources, and build community. With our exclusive new partnership with LA County DCFS, we will ensure every FYI voucher recipient is connected to ASOH before emancipation, bridging the gap between foster care and stable independence. In 2025, we will stabilize housing for 120 new TAY, preventing homelessness and transforming futures.

This grant will support our three-stage, community-based model designed to prevent homelessness for transition-age foster youth in L.A. County. Through our exclusive new partnership with LA County DCFS, every youth with an FYI housing voucher is now directly connected to ASOH at a critical pre-emancipation stage.
Stage 1: DCFS provides a warm referral to ASOH as youth begin housing paperwork. ASOH collaborates with the youth’s Department of Health Services Intensive Case Manager to coordinate care and offers referrals to designated rental units across L.A. or landlord recommendation letters to help youth secure independent housing.
Stage 2: Once youth receive keys, ASOH hosts a “Home Creation”—a 90-minute, volunteer-powered transformation of an empty apartment into a fully furnished home with over 330 items customized to the youth’s needs. This builds emotional stability and immediate dignity, while connecting youth with a supportive community of ASOH staff, volunteers, and youth ambassadors.
Stage 3: ASOH offers ongoing, personalized wrap-around support including resource navigation, goal planning, financial literacy, mental health support, empowerment workshops, and referrals for jobs, education, childcare, and more.
No other organization provides this holistic, timely, and dignifying support. This initiative bridges the systemic gap between foster care exit and sustained housing success.

Through the expansion of our Homelessness Prevention Program, LA County will see a measurable reduction in homelessness among foster TAY, who will instead thrive in safe, fully furnished homes, surrounded by a caring community and supported through their journey to adulthood. In the short term (Oct 2025–2026), ASOH will provide Home Creations and wraparound support for 120 TAY in partnership with DCFS, ensuring a seamless transition from foster care to stable, independent living.
Long term, we will deepen our local impact by cultivating youth leaders to become ambassadors and advocates, helping to influence policy and shift systems. With strong buy-in from government officials and national interest in our model, we are preparing to scale to other cities starting with New York—expanding our proven, prevention-first approach. Our vision is to spark systemic change where foster youth are no longer at the highest risk of homelessness but are empowered to lead and transform their futures.