rti eliminating homelessness among youth who age out of foster
TRANSCRIPT
Road to Independence Network“Eliminating homelessness among youth
who age out of Foster Care”
Children in DHS Custody
10,233 Total Children
in DHS Custody
1,408 Youth between the ages of 14-17 in DHS Custody
Outcomes for youth
in DHS Custody
64%Reunified
21%Adopted
8%Guardianship 2%
Still inCare
5%Exit withoutPermanence
Outcomes for Youth after exiting
Foster Care
• More likely to become involved with thecriminal justice system
• More likely to experience PTSD
• More likely to experience economic hardship
• Less likely to have a high school diploma
• Less likely to pursue higher education
• Less likely to earn a living wage
Source: Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth- Outcomes at Age 21
Foster Care Experience and
Homelessness
Nationally, 3 out of 10 homeless adults report having foster care experience*
In Tulsa, 10% of homeless adults report having foster care experience**
*National Alliance to End Homelessness
** 2014 Tulsa City-County Continuum Point-In-Time Survey
-
100
200
300
400
500
600
# of OK Youth Leaving Foster Care by “Aging Out”
275
441 444 436 442464
487441 446
386
317 301279 283
Road to Independence Network
Phase I
• 2 year planning grant
• Develop a plan for systemic and community wide intervention strategies
• Identify evidence-based intervention or promising practices
Phase II
• 5 year implementation grant
• $1 million annually
• Implement evidence-based intervention or promising practices
• Rigorous evaluation and research design
Outcomes to be Improved
HousingSocial
Emotional Well Being
Permanent Connections
Education
Employment
State and Federal Dollars
Planning Grant Activities
• Data Matching and Analysis• Develop risk and protective profile• Assessment tool to identify youth most at risk
• Key Informant Interview • Assess services and gap analysis• Community strategies and interventions
• Community Meetings• Community Engagement• Identify effective evidence-based interventions• Local Planning teams
Profile of Youth who Exited Care
OK Foster Care at Exit: Racen=1631
Caucasian46%
African American
33%
Native American
19%
Asian American
2%
OK Foster Youth at Exit: Placement Type
n=1631
Kinship Foster Care
Traditional Foster Care
Shelter
Traditional Group Home
Level E, D+ and T
DDS Homes
Tribal
Medical setting
Detention
Level B & C Homes
IL Supervised
26%
23%
14%
11%
10%
6%
3%
3%
1%
1%
1%
OK Youth Who Exited Foster Care19 years of age
Reported positive connection to adult 91%
Completed GED or HS Diploma 69%
Receiving Medicaid 64%
Part-time or full time employment 53%
Enrolled in or attending school 41%
Experienced homelessness 30%
Received employment related training 28%
Public food assistance 21%
Financial assistance for education 20%
Received Social Security Payments 12%
Received housing assistance 10%
Having Children 8%
Incarceration 7%
Referred for Substance Abuse tx 6%
Received vocation certificate 3%
Comments from the Exit Survey
“I would create a place for teens that age out to stay and learn about
options and other things and have a job in place so they’re not just
released to crime and other things”
Comments from the Exit Survey
“Most importantly make sure they know all that they need to know and give them as much info as I could to help them to see a brighter future.”
More Exit Survey Comments
In support of extending foster care
“They really need probable cause to not keep them in custody after 18”
“Keep in touch with your case worker”
More Exit Survey Comments
• Work with homeless kids (written by homeless youth)
• Create a food bank (written by homeless youth)
• Support kids in custody who are parents with their kids
• Give the underage mothers more support when children are removed-help motivate them to get kids back.
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
Analysis of OK Youth
Sample of 1,372 Aging Out Youth without a history of homelessness (Source: KIDS, CY 09-13)
Sample of 267 Aging Out Youth with Homelessness Exp. (Source: AFS, Tulsa YST & NYTD Follow-up)
Exit at age18*
79%
87%
SNAP, ChildCare, TANF**
59%
79%
Child SupportCase
22%
32%
Being aparent
24%
67%
AWOL at exit
9%12%
11+placements**
45%
60%
AFCARSdisability
61%
70%
Dept. ofCorrectionsinvolvement
6%9%
1 AWOLepisode**
34%
51%
2+ AWOLepisodes**
20%
31%
Yes ICan/ETV**
49%
63%
Independent-samples t-tests show that the difference between groups for six of the above variables are statistically significant. * p<.05, ** p<.001
Analysis of OK Youth
• Findings: Risk Factors of Homelessness
– The odds of becoming homeless are:• 3 times higher for those who received some form of public aid than those who did
not
• 2.5 times higher for those who exited care from a shelter compared to those in atraditional foster home
• 2 times higher for those who received IL services (Yes I Can/ETV) after exit than those who did not
• 1.5 times higher for those who had some form of juvenile justice exposure than those who did not
• 1.5 times higher for those who exited care from a moderate to high group home compared to those in a traditional foster home
Key Informant Interview Process
Strengths
Gaps in Service
Possible solutions
Who else do we need to interview?
OKC Key InformantsDepartment of Human ServicesPermanency Planning Program AdministratorIL Program Administrator/StaffCW Supervisor/Former IL CoordinatorHomeless Services Program AdministratorEducation Specialist
Housing/Homeless ServicesHomeless AllianceBe the ChangeSalvation ArmyCatholic CharitiesCity RescueDay CenterOKC Public Schools- Homeless CoordinatorNeighborhood Services Organization (NSO)
Community MembersFormer Foster Care Alumni YouthCurrent Juvenile JudgeFormer Juvenile JudgeOK Foster Wishes
Agencies/Organizations/ProgramsYouth Services of OK CountyYouth and Family Services (El Reno)Department of Mental HealthOklahoma Healthy Transitions Initiative (OHTI)Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA)City Of OKC- Planning DepartmentDepartment of Rehabilitation ServicesMetro TechTherapeutic Foster Care AssociationPARB Transition BoardGoodwill IndustriesUrban LeagueDepartment of CommerceMental Health Association of OklahomaStand in the Gap Ministries Sunbeam Family ServicesHOPE CSINAMICASA
Strengths
DHS
• Independent Living Services
• National Resource Center for Youth Services
• Yes I Can
Community
• Awareness and active collaboration efforts to address homelessness(Homeless Alliance, Coalition to End Poverty)
• Faith community support of issues related to foster care
Gaps in Service
DHS
• Poor discharge planning for youth exiting care
• Poor transition between children’s mental health system and adult mental health system
Community
• Lack of transitional housing programs foryouth exiting foster care
• Landlords unwilling to rent to young adults
• Lack of services appealing to young adults
Gaps in Service
DHS
• Too many youth exiting foster care without achieving permanency
• Foster parents not receiving trauma-informed youth specific training
Community
• Lack of knowledge about available community resources
• Transportation barriers
Possible Solutions
DHS
• Improved discharge planning
• Youth specific case workers
• Increasedcollaboration with technical schools
Community
• Transitional Living Program specifically for youth exiting foster care
• Drop-in centers and youth shelters for unaccompanied minors
• Extended Foster Care
Tulsa Key InformantsDepartment of Human Services
Permanency Planning Administrator
IL Coordinator
Tulsa District Director
Family Group Conferencing Supervisor
Homeless Services Program Administrator
DHS Court Liaison
DHS Legal Counsel
Housing/Homeless Services
John 3:16 Mission
Salvation Army
Tulsa Day Center
Community Members
Former Foster Care Alumni Youth
Juvenile Judge
Zarrow Foundation
Agencies/Organizations/Programs
Youth Services of TulsaCommunity Service Council of TulsaTulsa County Social ServicesOUHSC Sooner SUCCESSUniversity of Oklahoma School of SocialWorkTulsa Advocates for the Protection of ChildrenTulsa County Social ServicesMental Health Association of OklahomaLegal Aid of OklahomaEquality CenterPARB TransitionCounseling and Recovery Services of OklahomaNational Resource Center for YouthServicesStand in the GapFamily and Children Services
Strengths
DHS
• DHS Leadership• DHS reaching out
into the community• DHS shelter services• Good foster homes• Individually
committed workers
Community
• Community and organizations open to collaborating and partnering
• Access to community services (feeding program, counseling, healthcare)
Gaps in Service
DHS
• Placement stability • Not achieving
permanency• Caseworkers lack
understanding of programs and community resources
• Last minute planning
Community
• Lack of housing resources and transitional living programs
• Not adequately addressing substance abuse and mental health issues
Gaps in Service
DHS
• Lack of consistent IL services in group homes
• Lack of Therapeutic Foster Homes and group homes
• Lack of knowledge of Yes I Can resources
Community
• Few youth graduate high school or get GED
• Lack of Coordinated Case Management
• Transportation barriers
Possible Solutions
DHS
• More worker training and supervision
• More training and support for foster parents
• Youth specific case workers/unit
• Involve youth • Start skills building
and planning early
Community
• More Transitional Living Programs specifically foryouth exiting foster care
• Prevention through addressing trauma, substance abuse and mental health services
• Online grade recovery program
• Extend Foster Care
Youth Voice Youth Voice
• In the Tulsa Area four focus groups were held with 29 youth participating
»Tulsa Boy’s Home
»Laura Dester Shelter
»Youth Services Transitional Living
»Sand Springs Children’s Home
Youth Voice Youth VoiceWorries Gaps Solutions
Safety Worker knowledge
More IL classes with follow-up on how to do things
Financial Child Welfare Caseloads
Mentors
Failing Limited freedom and learning
Ability to do more withinplacements
Being alone Education More foster homes for teens
Youth Voice
“No wonder people go
homeless.... everything is so hard
and nobody tells you anything”
Contact Information
Susan Kee, MSWRoad to Independence
Program Field Representative- Tulsa(918) 794-7502
Rachel Dorsett, BSWRoad to Independence
Program Representative- Oklahoma City(405) 522-3911
Jacqueline McDaniel, MHRRoad to Independence
Program Supervisor(405) 522-3869