20 years at CML

Miles wins 20 under 20 award

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Link to more photos.

Op Ed by HUD Secretary Ben Carson

Young people enter our foster care system for many different reasons, but too many share a common story once they age out: They don’t have a stable home of their own.

One of our recent “Humans of HUD” spotlights here at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development features Adora, a young lady who was just a teenager when her mother died and her father returned to his home country. For Adora and her siblings, America was the only home they knew. But without their parents, they entered the foster care system and were shuffled from place to place. Imagine growing older and aging out of foster care, alone, without a home or any of the support young people need to set out on their own path. 

Each year, there are more than 20,000 young people with stories like Adora’s who age out of foster care. Shockingly, the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare estimates that 25% of these young people will experience homelessness within four years. 

Recently, it was my personal and professional point of pride to announce a brand new initiative: Foster Youth to Independence, a collaborative effort to combat homelessness among at-risk youth by targeting housing assistance to young people leaving foster care. HUD’s new program allows local public housing authorities to request tenant protection vouchers for young adults who have recently left foster care without a home to go to.

It is complementary to FUP, our Family Unification Program, and has three main goals:

 ▪ It will address the lack of availability of housing vouchers to young people in communities without access to FUP resources. 

 ▪ It will prioritize resources to our nation’s at-risk youth. Currently, young people encounter significant barriers to accessing affordable housing resources, including the FUP program. For example, local welfare authorities often prioritize families at risk of homelessness over single, young adults. This contributes to the fact that early-age populations make up only about 5% of FUP housing voucher recipients.

 ▪ This program will further HUD’s goal of ending homelessness. No person should experience homelessness. Not only will this initiative provide foster youth with housing, but it will also provide them with the tools they need to become self-sufficient through supportive services they can access for up to three years. 

Stable housing lays the foundation for a stable family and, in turn, a stable life. This program will work with local authorities to direct housing assistance to the young people who need it most. For too long, foster youth have been forgotten when it comes to affordable housing. HUD is committed to changing that.  

I am proud of HUD’s many efforts to help set forgotten Americans onto a path to self-sufficiency. No matter the obstacles, no matter how difficult the beginnings, anyone can rise to their potential in the land of the free. And at HUD, we are committed to making that dream a reality for all of America’s vulnerable — our young people included.

~ Ben Carson is secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

FYI Housing Vouchers Are Announced

Many thanks to the Ohio foster care youth and alumni 

who have worked for seven years

to make this happen!

Technical Details About FYI Housing Vouchers

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What is the Foster Youth Independence Program (FYI)?

Since 2013, the FSHO Coalition, led by ACTION Ohio, has worked in partnership with the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare (NCHCW), elected officials including foster youth champions, Reps. Turner and Bass, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to study how to knit existing federal programs together to eliminate the gaps through which foster youth fall into homelessness.

The FSHO Coalition discovered that the best way to eliminate gaps is to synchronize existing programs such as HUD’s Family Unification Program (FUP), with the predictable nature of emancipation (the date a young person leaves state custody). FYI allows all local Public Housing Authorities to provide an “on demand” FUP voucher that is timed with a young person’s emancipation from foster care. In this way, existing federal resources, can be knitted together and used as a platform for economic success.

What is the Family Unification Program?

HUD’s Family Unification Program (FUP) is the only national housing program aimed at preventing family separation due to homelessness and easing the transition to adulthood for aging-out youth. HUD provides Housing Choice Vouchers (“Section 8”) to local public housing authorities (PHAs) who apply to administer the program. These PHAs are then required to work in partnership with the local public child welfare agency to identify youth and families to refer to the program. FUP has existed since 1990 for families and youth were added as an eligible population in 2000. Unlike families, young people participating in FUP receive vouchers that are time-limited to three years.

The impact of this relatively small program is extraordinary. Each year more than 75,000 children live in safe, affordable housing and avoid out-of-home placement and homelessness due to FUP. Since youth were added in the year 2000, more than 5,000 young people have received housing vouchers and their own, independent apartment upon leaving foster care.

How does FYI change FUP for youth?

Here is a Detailed Briefing Paper from HUD, and a link to Frequently Asked Questions.

Currently, FUP vouchers for youth come from an unpredictable pool of funding and are only administered by certain PHAs. FYI will address this challenge in two ways. It will provide a method for national consistency by allowing all PHAs to administer FUP. FYI will also make it possible to issue youth vouchers on demand, by changing the funding source to a flexible but little-known account at HUD called the Tenant Protection Account. Vouchers (TPVs) from this account can be issued “on demand” at the discretion of the HUD Secretary. To learn more about TPVs visit www. nchcw.org.

Who is eligible?

FYI does not change FUP eligibility for youth.

• The PCWA will certify that the youth is at least 18 years old and not more than 24 years old (has not reached his/her 25th birthday), that he/she left foster care at age 16 or older or will leave foster care within 90 days, in accordance with a transition plan, and is homeless or at risk of homelessness.
• Keep in mind that a housing choice voucher requires that an individual sign a legal document called a lease with a private landlord.
• Thus, the FYI Coalition recommends and research by the University of Denver indicates that young people who are participating in extended foster care or Chafee Independent Living Services, are close to reaching their 21st birthday, and who participate in supervised independent living placements are the best candidates for referral.

How does a child welfare agency make a referral?

Here is a link to some diagrams to help understand the process.

1. First, all public child welfare agencies (PCWAs) should establish a point of contact at their local PHA and begin to develop a relationship with their peer at that organization.
2. Next, PCWAs use a variety of independent living funding sources to prepare young people who are likely to reach adulthood in state care.
3. As young people move along this continuum of services, PCWA staff should monitor if a young person is at risk of homelessness and interested in the stability of renting their own apartment.
4. If it is the case that a young person will not be able to afford to rent an apartment without a government subsidy then, the PCWA staff will notify their peer at the local PHA about three to six months prior to emancipation (in most states this is just before age 21) that the young person is eligible for and interested in a FUP voucher.
5. PCWAs should also begin to forecast and predict how many young people will need vouchers within their caseload so that they can request vouchers in batches from their local PHA.

D.) How many young people will this program serve annually?

• The National Youth in Transition Database report indicates that 20% of 19-year-old alumni (1,576) and 28% of 21-year-old alumni (1,991) experience homelessness.
• Given these figures, the FSHO Coalition estimates that approximately 2,000 youth people who are leaving foster care could benefit from FYI/FUP for youth.
• PCWAs must begin to work with their local homeless service providers and identify young people who can be brought back into the fold of the public child welfare system and provided with appropriate services to prepare for access to independent apartments through FYI/FUP.

Housing Vouchers After Foster Care

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Update from John Kelly, of the Chronicle of Social Change, July 25, 2019. Earlier this year, we reported on the case made by current and former foster youths to use existing authority at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to connect youth aging out of care with housing supports. The Chronicle of Social Change has learned that, after a thorough review of the policy by HUD’s general counsel, the agency is set this week to approve this and notify thousands of public housing authorities. HUD has yet to publicly comment on these developments. But an event is being planned for this Friday in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during which Secretary Ben Carson will announce the Foster Youth to Independence initiative. “I truly believe that in order to improve outcomes for our youth, our people who make the decisions have to be willing and able to listen to the population they are serving,” said Jamole Callahan, one of the former foster youths who helped campaign for the policy. “This solution … was a simple fix. This is another step towards ending youth homelessness." The plan was pitched to HUD by Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities (FSHO) Coalition, whose members met in early March with HUD Secretary Ben Carson to lay out a plan for a $20 million voucher program. Under that plan, HUD would use an existing pot of money – a federal rental assistance account – to pay for the vouchers. “We see kids attempt post-secondary and fail just because they don’t have housing,” said Callahan, who helps lead Foster Action Ohio, in an April interview with The Chronicle of Social Change. “They have to work to maintain an apartment, then school becomes the background. And it becomes all about survival.” As per this plan which was crafted by Ohio foster care youth and alumni: A child welfare agency would file paperwork with HUD for what’s called a Family Unification Voucher in the months before a youth aged out. That youth would be tied into HUD’s Family Self-Sufficiency Support program as well, which means the voucher could last up to five years. After a youth’s voucher is up, it is then “recycled” back to HUD to be used for another youth. HUD, after reviewing the argument, agreed it is allowable under existing authority and is moving forward on it. The agency did not cap the voucher availability either, which means the total spending on foster youths could exceed $20 million. The need for housing supports for foster youth is critical. Anywhere from 20,000 to 25,000 youth age out of care each year in America, and 28 percent experience homelessness by age 21, according to the National Youth in Transition Database. In some states, it’s above 40 percent. In a recent study based on interviews with 215 young adults who experienced unaccompanied homelessness as youths, foster care was identified as a major factor. Ninety-four out of the 215 interviewees had a history in foster care; of that group of 94, nearly half said entrance into foster care was the “beginning of their housing instability.” Advocates for the plan are still pursuing federal legislation to codify it into law. The FSHO Act would guarantee a housing voucher starting from emancipation through age 25 for any youth aging out of foster care who could demonstrate the need for a subsidy. The bill is co-sponsored by Reps. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) and Karen Bass (D-Calif.).

Meet the latest addition to the Dickson household

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Staycation Movies

Great news!!!

All 46 central Ohio Donatos Pizza restaurants have now been trained about Huckleberry House programs, Safe Place and about Safe Place site procedures. These 46 Donatos restaurants now provide a way to safety for runaway or homeless youth in their community.

Fathers, or the lack thereof

I still remember the girl I once was before, during and after foster care. And how much I craved a father figure at that time.

At the time, I looked to TV/movie entities, including Bill Cosby (there was no shadow on his legacy back then), as well as Steve Martin, Robin Williams, and others.

Today, if you ever need a laugh, or just some encouragement that all is not wrong with the world, and that some men truly do care with all their heart about being great fathers...

Check out “New Father Chronicles” by La Guardia Cross on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/user/laguardiacross

Excellent quote that gets right to the heart of the matter

Youth Voices Matter

This year, I am celebrating Independence Day by focusing on how to continue to advocate and help create more resources to support young people entering into young adulthood.

While also feeling deeply saddened by what's going on in our country regarding the detainment and treatment of immigrant children and teens.

Come on, America, we can do BETTER than this:

The Very Impatient Advocate

The Very Impatient Caterpillar by Ross Burch is my favorite Picture Book of 2019, because it captures the advocacy struggle so well.

As foster care youth, alumni and ally advocates, we have a shared sense of URGENCY. The work we are doing matters so much, and the initiatives we are trying to launch and policies we are trying to change feel long overdue.

And yet, we are often faced with delays and/or needing to take additional time to figure out more details...

Because we want the things we are trying to achieve to have strong wings to fly, and to soar upwards towards success and long-term sustainability.

Grateful for 19 years of marriage

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I am deeply grateful for 19 years of marriage to Nathan Dickson. He is my songbird and my oasis. He challenges, exasperates and inspires me on a daily basis. I love his brilliant brain, hilarious wit, and creative talents.

Celebrating the journey: May - June 2019

A wise sister of mine, Angie Cross, taught me that we need to take time to celebrate milestones during the course of our ongoing advocacy work. So far, May and June have been incredibly busy months...

 1.) We met with the new Director of Child Welfare Transformation to talk about the need for a statewide foster care ombudsman, and to include youth voice in what that office should look like...

 2.) We are continuing to share the need for a statewide medical ombudsman (to address overmedication in foster care), and following up on youth reports of abuse in a specific residential facility.

 3.) We are continuing to work on national efforts to improve housing outcomes after foster care, including the Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act, The Higher Education Access and Success for Homeless and Foster Youth Act of 2019, and The Fostering Success in Higher Education Act

 4.) We had the privilege of being a part of the 2019 Ohio Family Care Association Conference, and are deeply grateful to Dot Erickson Anderson, Denise St Clair and others for caring about youth voice and for helping identify host homes for young adults in the Bridges program.

 5.) We are deeply grateful for the ongoing commitment of CMHA to bring Scholar House 3 from vision to reality. (groundbreaking is set for August 2020, with 30 residents -- hooray!!)

I wanted to take a moment to send some love and appreciation to our foster care youth, alumni and allies for their diligence and dedication.

We can - we are - we will make things better.

Thank you for being a part of this ongoing journey.

Two Federal Bills to Improve Higher Education Outcomes for Foster and Homeless Youth

Ohio foster care youth and alumni are grateful to have two federal Senators who care about improving college access, retention, and completion rates for foster and homeless youth.

1.) The Higher Education Access and Success for Homeless and Foster Youth Act of 2019 (S.789/H.R.1724) was co-introduced by Ohio’s very own Senator Rob Portman in the Senate.

This bill amends the Higher Education Act to simplify eligibility for federal financial aid and to improve outreach, resources, and policies for homeless and foster youth, by doing the following:

 • Ensuring that college access programs identify, recruit, and prepare homeless and foster students for college, as well as collecting data in order to identify ways they can further support student retention and success

 • Streamlining the process of applying for and receiving financial aid for foster and homeless youth, including retaining paperwork and not requiring the young person to re-determine their status, year after year

• Retaining important documentation-- paperwork often gets lost for homeless and foster youth, and can jeopardize our access to financial aid and other critical supports

• Requiring states to provide in-state tuition rates for foster and homeless youth, in order to reduce barriers to college attendance due to lack of financial support

• Developing a plan to assist homeless and foster youth in accessing campus housing resources during and between academic terms

• Communicating the resources and financial aid available to homeless and foster youth • Designating liaisons to assist homeless and foster youth in accessing institutional and community services and to support their ability to complete higher education

2.) The Fostering Success in Higher Education Act  (S. 1650) is supported by Ohio’s very own Senator Sherrod Brown, and is scheduled to be reintroduced in the Senate and House early next week!!

This bill seeks to update the Higher Education Act by providing grants to states throughout the nation to increase the number of foster and homeless youth that apply for and enroll in institutions of higher education. States that receive grants must use at least 70% of the grant funds to award sub-grants to colleges/universities to support and require them to become institutions of excellence by improving college access, retention, and completion rates for foster and homeless youth.

This bill would:

• Establish or expand transitions between K-12 and higher education for foster and homeless youth, including summer bridge programs, through statewide initiatives.

• Develop “institutions of excellence” that are committed to serving foster and homeless youth from entrance to completion via robust support services and by covering the remaining cost of attendance beyond federal and state grants.

Ohio foster care advocates, if the Fostering Success in Higher Education Act becomes federal law, it could:

 1.) Help support existing #excellentinstitutions, including: Columbus State Community College, University of Cincinnati, Cuyahoga Community College, Wright State University, and Ohio University.

2.) Provide opportunities to support sustainability and expansion of awesome programs, including: Scholar Network, HEMI, Sullivan-Deckard Scholars Opportunity Program, Reach Scholars Mentoring Program, and the Independent Scholars Network.

3.) Lead to the creation and development of more #excellentinstitutions throughout each state in the nation, to support improved higher education outcomes for foster and homeless youth.

I wish Daenerys had never met Jon Snow

She would still have three dragons, and still have Jorah.

Arya and Sansa don't appreciate any of her sacrifices, nor do any of the Northerners.

I am beginning to hate this show.

"Do you ever make mistakes? They’re birds now."

Cue every insightful Bob Ross quote ever... 

"I want everything that I love."

Quote from Edward: “I want everything that I love.”

Lisa: “Who doesn’t? You said it, Edward - I want everything that I love, too.”

#KidKnowsWhatHeWants