A program offered through the Indianapolis Housing Agency is making financial assistance available to young adults ages 18 to 24 who have separated from the foster care system and are in need of housing.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded IHA nearly $14,000 through the Foster Youth to Independence Initiative, which provides these young people with up to 36 months of financial assistance toward housing costs.
The assistance is distributed via vouchers which will pay up to 70% of the rent at their chosen location, provided the landlord accepts the voucher, said John Hall, executive director of the Indianapolis Housing Agency.
The $14,000 grant provides funding for two vouchers, Hall said, but the state has been conditionally approved for six. The maximum allotment for each year is 25, Hall said, and he hopes the state will eventually reach that level.
Hall said his agency is accepting referrals from Children's Bureau, the Indiana Department of Child Services and similar agencies who are identifying youth in need.
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"Everyone needs housing, a place to go so they have stability," Hall said.
Caring for older foster youth
While many believe that 18 is the typical age that a youth will "age out" and leave the foster care system, there are services available for those who choose to continue working with the system until they're 23
The Department of Child Services starts planning for a foster youth's transition — provided they aren't reunified with their families or adopted — out of the system in their mid-teens, said David Reed, Deputy Director of Child Welfare.
"We want the youth voice to be influencing how that plan looks," Reed said. "It's their goals, it's their lives, not ours."
Collaborative care — essentially extended foster care — continues until a youth turns 21, at which point they can continue to participate in voluntary older youth services until they're 23. There are 344 Indiana youth currently using those voluntary services, according to DCS Director Terry Stigdon.
With collaborative care, placement options include college dorms, individual or shared apartments, host homes or "regular" foster care. The myth surrounding foster care that alleges youth are left on their own the moment they turn 21 isn't true, Reed said.
"We don't let that happen," he said. "They're adults, if they want us to go away, then we'll go away. But they can change their mind and call us and we'll take them right back into our system."
Davita Short is 21 and is now a member of the agency's foster advisory board as she navigates life through collaborative care.
"It helps me not with just independent living skills, but also, I got an apartment with them. they're teaching me how to budget, how to maneuver my way into adulthood."
'Don't be shy in asking for help'
Not every youth decides to stay in foster care, Stigdon acknowledged, for any number of reasons, including system fatigue.
"It breaks my heart that there are youth out there that are just done with the system for whatever reason," she said, "that they feel they didn't get the support they needed or they just disagreed or if it was in an area that we really still need to work on improving within the agency."
She stressed that these young people can still reach out to DCS for help finding connections to additional programming that can ensure their success, like the Foster Youth to Independence Program.
Hall, with the Indianapolis Housing Agency, said he hopes to capture those who do not stay in the system and find themselves without stable housing, with the goal of disrupting the cycle of homelessness. In addition to not having permanent residence, Hall said these young adults are at significant risk of having to leave school and may have difficulty finding a job.
"All this domino effect for negative things to happen," he said, "and for just destabilizing their futures."
Hall said he hopes to see more young people take advantage of this program and others like it.
"Don't be ashamed," he said, "don't be shy in asking for help getting connected to the right resources."
Stigdon encouraged former foster youth over the age of 23 who wouldn't otherwise qualify for services to reach out if they find themselves in need of a little help.
"I don't care how old you are, it doesn't matter. This is the right thing to do," she said. "It's about doing right by these young people and helping them whenever we can."
Call IndyStar reporter Holly Hays at 317-444-6156. Follow her on Twitter: @hollyvhays.
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