THP-Plus News
Expanding Housing Options for Youth In Transition

Welcome to THP-Plus News, a quarterly newsletter that allows our partners to access up-to-date information about THP-Plus, California's only housing program targeting former foster youth.

What's New in THP-Plus

Welcome Message
Welcome to the inaugural issue of THP-Plus News, a quarterly newsletter of the THP-Plus Statewide Implementation Project. The Project is a partnership between the John Burton Foundation, the California Department of Social Services, and the Corporation for Supportive Housing. Our goal is to expand access to THP-Plus, California's only housing program for former foster youth. THP-Plus provides former foster youth with affordable housing and a rich array of supportive services, including job training, educational advocacy, mentoring, and case management.

Youth Perspective

Supportive Services Make the Difference for Parenting THP-Plus Participant
Each quarter, THP-Plus News will include a feature written by a former foster youth. In our first issue, one THP-Plus participant shares her experience with Larkin Street's LEASE program.
Learn more…

Practitioner's Corner

Your Turn

The THP-Plus Statewide Implementation Project also includes Amy Lemley and Michele Byrnes at the John Burton Foundation. As Policy Director at the foundation, Amy brings a wealth of experience and knowledge from her eight years as the founder and Executive Director of the First Place Fund for Youth, an Oakland-based nonprofit that provides housing and supportive services to former foster youth. Michele joined the John Burton Foundation in December, having recently been the Director of Honoring Emancipated Youth (HEY), an advocacy organization focused on improving opportunities for transitioning foster youth.

Last fiscal year, the reach of THP-Plus was limited, with only five counties implementing the program. A key barrier to statewide implementation was a 60% share of cost requirement for counties, which was removed in June 2006 with the passage of the state budget bill as a result of statewide advocacy. With the additional investment proposed in the Governor's budget, up to 46 counties will implement the program, assisting up to 1,000 homeless youth annually.

Advocates around the state are heralding this historic investment. According to Jennifer Rodriguez, Legislative Coordinator of the California Youth Connection, the organization that sponsored the legislation establishing THP-Plus in 2001, "Without safe and stable housing, former foster youth are greatly at risk, and unable to reach their potential to become productive, contributing members of their communities. CYC believes this budget increase is an important step in increasing the state's commitment and responsibility to youth who were in their care."

The impact of the expanded funding will reach the local level, according to Executive Director Sam Cobbs of Oakland-based First Place Fund for Youth, the first THP-Plus provider in the state. "I can't state emphatically enough the impact this budget allocation will have both on the lives of former foster youth and the health of the community. The end result will be that rather than entering the chronic homeless adult population, California foster youth will have the opportunity to live safely, develop job skills and continue their education."

The California Department of Social Services expects to issue a planning allocation in early March that provides each county's proposed allocation for the current fiscal year. A planning allocation for FY 07-08 will be distributed prior to the July 1 start of the fiscal year.

1. Proposition 1C Training
The passage of the Proposition 1C Housing Bond appropriated $50 million for
the development of affordable rental housing for homeless youth and young adults,
including former foster youth. This educational workshop is designed as an important step toward building our community's capacity to develop youth housing.

Date: Wednesday, March 7
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Location: Niles Hall, Preservation Park, Oakland
See attached invitation.

2. Web Seminar: Essential Elements of Successful THP-Plus Programs
Please join us for a presentation by a panel of experienced THP-Plus practitioners, youth participants and county THP-Plus administrators.
Date: Wednesday, April 4
Registration details will be distributed in March.

3. 2007 THP-Plus Institute: Effective Practices to Successfully House Former Foster and Probation Youth
The THP-Plus Statewide Implementation Project will be hosting a full-day educational conference in late July, the 2007 THP-Plus Institute. The goal of the conference is to share effective practices with the many new THP-Plus practitioners that will be implementing programs in the 07-08 fiscal year. Workshop highlights include: harm reduction in housing; domestic violence; promoting permanency in the context of THP-Plus; promoting youth leadership; and supporting parenting youth. The final date and location will be announced in early spring.

For more information about any of these events please contact Michele Byrnes at michele@johnburtonfoundation.org.

The LEASE Program offered me a chance to have a studio apartment of my own, that allows me to have a safe and stable place to live. This afforded me peace of mind to continue to work off the terms of my probation and gain stability in my life. The housing allowed me to have some place to call home and not feel the stress of trying to live under the rules of someone I did not get along with. I was able to learn to manage my time and take better care of myself because I knew I had a place to go, a place to sleep and the opportunity to learn how to cook and prepare healthier meals.

I want to express my gratefulness to the supportive services. I enjoy the relationship and support of my Case Manager in the LEASE Program and the ability to share my individual goals and experiences. I know I have a safe space and regular time with my Case Manager in order to work on all of my goals and receive support to learn how to make the positive changes and talk about the decisions I needs to make in my life. I truly feel that I am not judged and can be honest about my life and experiences, and I know that my Case Manager and the program is there to work with me through all of the obstacles and celebrate all of the successes in my life. I appreciate the Life Skills groups that have helped me to learn with my peers the various skills necessary to live independently and become self-sufficient. In particular, I have learned to better manage my money, save, and budget my expenses, as well as learn to better prioritize, organize and manage my time. I appreciate the services through Hire Up [Larkin Street's job training program], including the GED teachers and classes, and support with employment skills building. I recently had a baby, and I'm glad that my Case Manager as well as the Hire Up Program will work with me to continue my efforts toward my GED and building my employment skills, as well as help me with a housing plan to accommodate my family.

My recommendation for any future providers would be to offer the same wraparound services to accommodate a young person's many needs. I feel that is the key to helping a young person achieve success. The other thing I recommend is that providers help to offer or advocate for more affordable permanent housing for young people. Living in the Bay Area, especially for a young person, let alone a young parent is very difficult, and seeking affordable housing is often daunting. Therefore, the support to build up the life skills has been invaluable and needs to always be a top priority for any provider.

EW is a participant in LEASE, a THP-Plus program of Larkin Street Youth Services in San Francisco

Interview with Tony Walker
Can you tell us a little about the history of St. Anne's?
St. Anne's was founded in 1908 in the Rampart neighborhood of Los Angeles, and we'll celebrate our 100th anniversary next year. It started as an old-style maternity home, where single young women from Los Angeles came to have their babies. The focus then was really on the mother, because most children were put up for adoption immediately. In 1992, we started serving more young women who are at-risk of placement in the Los Angeles child welfare system and who are pregnant and parenting.

What programs does St Anne's provide?
We operate a huge facility that includes a Residential Treatment Center, the Bogen Family Center, a mental health program, and family-based services. It takes 30 minutes to walk the entire property.

You are about to be certified as one of the THP-Plus providers for Los Angeles County. Can you describe your program?
The Bogen Family Center opened in July of 2005 and includes 39 apartments and services for young women, ages 18-24, who are pregnant or parenting. All of the young women are former foster care or probation youth. Right now we have 39 young women and 56 children living in the apartments. On the ground floor is an early learning center with 126 spaces for children ages six weeks to five years. These services are offered free for the residents and low-income parents in the community.

THP-Plus can operate in a number of different housing settings. Can you talk more about the benefits of operating a single-site housing model?
Our housing program allows us to offer a continuum of services with one-stop shopping. All the services and supports our residents need are right here, including a full-service community mental health clinic. I'm keenly aware that when I see youth leave the Residential Treatment Facility, the transition to more independent living does not occur overnight. Some young women are clearly more ready for that than others. But our experience is that the first step requires a constellation of services around them.

What are some of the challenges of the single-site model?
I know there's a lot of debate about large, single facilities in comparison to the scattered site model. We started with this because we believe that the service need is here for these kids. Just because they turn 18 doesn't mean that they no longer need the services that were provided the day before.

The good side is you have 39 kids in one environment, and you can hopefully build a community, one that is self-supporting. The kids will begin to show each other that they can do things together, and support each other. That's the goal.

Here's the other side. You have the dynamic of putting 39 young women and 56 children on two floors of an apartment building; you're going to have flare-ups. There is also the potential intrusion of young men. One of the features not originally planned on was full-time, 24 hour security so that young women don't bring in male guests.

What are some special considerations in serving pregnant and parenting youth?
You start with the fact that you're building a program designed around an entire family, not just the young woman. Our services are dedicated to fostering a relationship between the mother and her child, so child care needed to be part of the plan from the very beginning.

You also need to have adequate staffing. Between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, we have one family advocate for every ten young women. We also have a full-time property manager and a security guard at night. Family advocates are like case managers; they help youth with formulating and implementing a plan, navigating the services in the community plus helping youth acquire permanent housing in the future.

The Bogen Family Center is a transitional model. How do you ensure that the participants make a successful transition at the completion of the 24-month program?
When you operate transitional housing, the transition process starts on day one. As soon as the young woman enters St. Anne's, we start talking about what comes next. What that will look like is different for every participant-but we start talking about it immediately. We have developed incredible relationships with affordable housing developers in Los Angeles that allow us to assist youth in moving to permanent affordable housing after they complete the program.

If you would like further information about St. Anne's or would like to contact Tony Walker directly, he can be reached at (213) 381-2931 extension 237 or twalker@stannes.org