As a former foster youth who aged out in 1989 and experienced homelessness within a year, it has been the deepest privilege of my life to partner with Doris Edelmann and Jamole Callahan to bring Ohio foster youth to DC for eight years in a row.
From the very first DC trip that ACTION Ohio facilitated in 2013, it was the youth themselves who designed and proposed solutions to support their brothers and sisters of the system. The current and former foster youth who participated in this effort did so on a volunteer basis, with a focus on improving outcomes after foster care.
Our utmost priority was to end the Foster Care to Homeless Pipeline. Ohio foster care youth pointed out that the experience of homelessness after foster care was both predictable and avoidable. When young people are in foster care, the system knows who they are, where they are, how old they are, and when they will transition into young adulthood.
Therefore, why not plan ahead, anticipate the need, and establish a partnership between child welfare agencies and public housing authorities to provide on-demand housing vouchers paired with supportive services?
The Foster Youth to Independence Initiative (FYI) closes the gaps between existing federal resources. With FYI, we didn't create anything new; foster youth took the best of what child welfare and public housing professionals have to offer and synchronized their work.
It isn’t enough just to measure negative statistics. With forethought, planning, creativity, determination, and the voices of those with “lived experience,” those statistics can be improved. This includes weaving together existing resources in a proactive, rather than reactive way.
Now that the Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act (FSHO) has been signed into federal law, this provision is available throughout the nation. We offer heartfelt thanks to HUD and federal legislators, and welcome ongoing discussions with child welfare professionals about how to most effectively pair this housing resource with supportive services. Let’s continue to improve outcomes after foster care together.
No comments:
Post a Comment