Developing and Operating Housing and Living Arrangements for Youth Aging out of Foster Care

1. Developing and Operating Housing and Living Arrangements for Youth Aging out of Foster Care ~ A National Perspective on the Role of Housing in the Transition Process

2. Presented by: Mark Kroner LISW-S Trainer and Consultant Cincinnati, Ohio 513-284-7779 markjkroner@yahoo.com

3. Thanks! -to OACCA for being the glue that holds the child welfare and youth services field together in Ohio!

4. My Experience • Ran the Lighthouse ILP for 21 years • Helped write the CWLA National Standards in 1987 • Served as OHILA President • Wrote the first book on youth housing for the IL field • Spoke at over 100 State and National Conferences • Helped pass the Chafee Bill in 1999 • Trained IL staff from all 50 States • Wrote numerous articles, books, studies and workbooks on housing & IL prep. and a field certification training curriculum.

5. Signing of the Chafee Bill

6. A Brief History of the ILP Field • IL exists in the Developmental Disabilities field • 80s Studies=many adult homeless were in foster care. • Small pilot programs pop us around the US. • Palmer vs. Cuomo lawsuit in NYC • First Federal IL Initiative 1986/TLP started in 1990 • 1987 Development of Field Standards (CWLA) • National Conferences: Daniel Memorial, CWLA, NRC,CFP • Chafee Foster Care independence Act of 1999 • Education and Training Vouchers 2002 • Fostering Connections to Success Act of 2008 • National Youth Transition Database

7. Goals of Housing Efforts: • Prevent homelessness upon aging out • Help develop self-sufficiency skills • Help youth understand their limitations and realistic options • Buy time for maturity/ or a better option

8. Key Observation • Independent Living training without housing experience is like driver’s training without a car.

9. Reasons for Discharge from Foster care: 2015 • Reunification with Parent(s) or Primary Caretaker(s) 51% 121,241 • Living with Other Relative(s) 7% 15,774 • Adoption 21% 49,693 • Emancipation 9% 22,392 • Guardianship 9% 21,055 • Transfer to Another Agency 2% 4,173 • Runaway 0% 1,138 • Death of Child 0% 326 2015 AFCARS Report

10. The Little Field that won’t go away! • Permanency should always be the first goal in planning for youth. • Permanency is not always permanent!

11. A Question of Balance • Develop relational permanence and independent living skills at the same time. • A sole focus on either permanence or housing can lead to problems for the youth and system

12. Extension to 21 = housing more important • Gives youth more time to mature and get real life experience • Allows for youth to try out options • Won’t be a gain if youth see it as more chill time

13. The 10 Key Elements of a Comprehensive Transition System* 1. Education and development of entire system 2. Stable sources of funding 3. Training of staff on needs of transition age youth 4. Life Skills assessments and training 5. Social support development/permanency 6. Employment and Educational support 7. Real life experience 8. Most appropriate living arrangements 9. Addressing of special needs 10. Aftercare *And a well-paid case-manager to make it all work!

14. Challenges to Achieving Permanency • Lack of willing/able Permanent Families • Lack of services/people to assure permanency • Failure to address trauma/mental health • Inadequate Permanency Planning efforts • Youth resistance/characteristics/desires • Staff resistance/other job duties • Court and Legal Issues/existing policies • System change/dysfunction • Cultural misperceptions

15. A Key Issue • Relational permanency does not always mean a place to stay.

16. So who still needs Independent Living Skills & Housing? • Youth who are ready to go out on their own • Youth who do not want to/cannot live with others • Youth who do not want to be adopted/were adopted • Youth with mental health issues • Youth with criminal backgrounds/sex-offenses • Youth who want to/do not want to return to unstable families • Pregnant/parenting youth • Youth who do not want to leave foster care but need to

17. Living Arrangement Options • Foster/relative homes -Group homes • Individual apartments -Shared housing • Supervised apartments -Host homes • Roommate strategies -Shelters • Adoptive homes -Boarding homes • Trailers -Adult/youth apartments What are the advantages and disadvantages of each option?

18. How Communities Fund Youth Housing 1. Use existing funding differently. 2. Find new sources of funding. 3. Blend new and old funding sources. 4. Access federal, state, local, private funding and resources.

19. $ources of Funding • Purchase of service contracts; state or country • Shifting of funding from other placements • HUD • Donated buildings • Set-asides • McKinney Vento/supportive housing • Family Unification Program • Foundations • Chafee • Private donations of supplies/furnishings/cash • United Way • Fundraising

20. Keys to operating successful housing programs • Planned preparation of youth and adults • Flexible living arrangement options • Clear policies and expectations • Consistent supervision and monitoring • Back-up plans for when things aren’t working • Management of risk and liability • Staff who can engage and motivate youth • Connections with landlords/housing entities • Tolerance of normal behavior • Multiple options/back-up plans

21. Common Concerns • Who signs the lease? • How can you tell if a youth is ready for IL housing? • What about liability? Damages? • What is the best housing option? • How often do you need to see a youth? • How do you find landlords willing to rent to youth? • Do youth have to contribute anything? • Can we place foster youth in TLP/HUD programs? • Shouldn’t we focus more on keeping youth with adults? • What about visitors/roommates? • What about after office hour crises?

22. Core Services • Intake and Orientation Housing/furnishings • Financial support Case-management • Special needs are addressed Life skills training • Weekly face-to-face contact Apartment checks • Educational support Vocational support   • Social support development. Treatment team coordination. • Treatment/Counseling On-call/crisis services. • Discharge planning Aftercare • Outreach Advocacy

23. Needed Policies • Aftercare Account Keeping Appointments • Apartment Condition Keys • Budgeting Issues Lending/Borrowing Money • Care of Furnishings Medical Problems • Cars Medication • Child Care Pets • Curfew Tenant Responsibilities • Disciplinary Measures Unauthorized Purchases • Education Requirements Use of Phones • Emergencies Use of Utilities • Grounds for Early Termination Visitor Control • Harboring Runaways Weapons • Illegal Activities Work Requirements • Social media Use of internet

24. “Normalcy” • What is normal for current youth? • Are our youth allowed to do the same things as their peers? • Are our expectations different for our youth?

25. Questions to ask when discussing consequences: • What did my parents do when I did this? • What did my school do when I did this? • What would a local college do if someone did this? • What would I do if one of my own kids did this?

26. Minimizing Risk • Effective Screening • Documentation • Clear Policies • Signed Agreements • Clear emergency procedures and 24/7/365 on call • Liability Insurance • Back-up living arrangements • Quick confrontation of problems • Mandatory counseling/AA, if necessary • Contracts • Daily contact with high-risk youth

27. Why Landlords Like Us • We guarantee rent • Tighter rules than landlords • 24/7/365 On-call • Coverage of damages • We handle confrontations • We clean up messes • We evict if necessary • We limit visitors • We have a steady flow of renters • We monitor & supervise clients

28. Working with Special Needs Youth in ILPs • Youth with mental health issues • Youth with Developmentally Disabilities • Teen moms/dads • Sex-offenders • Youth with criminal records • Youth from different cultural backgrounds • LGBTQ youth • Chemically dependent youth • Youth with chronic medical problems • Youth involved in gangs • Native American Youth • Youth with physical disabilities

29. Aftercare • Emergency assistance • Non-emergency financial assistance • Provisional discharge • Allow for re-entry • Counseling/support • Involvement of former youth in training/policy development • Connections to adult services • Referrals to needed resources

30. The IL Success Formula ILS = $ + ce X CP/ Xf + T X (CES) SD cr SE ==================================== S = success $ = funding CE = client effort CP = client potential Cr = client resistance SD = system disorganization Xf = x factors SE = staff effort T = time CES = current economic situation

31. Ways that Agencies Capture Outcomes • Pre-post measurement of self-sufficiency skills • Achievement of client expressed goals • Progress in money-management • Progress toward educational goals • Referring agency surveys • Client satisfaction surveys • Global Assessment of Functioning/DLA20 scores • Movement to a more appropriate program/situation • Stable housing at discharge • Less involvement in criminal activity • Fewer psychiatric hospitalizations • Reunification with family/significant others

33. Lessons Learned from 30 years of providing Youth Housing 1. You have to really work hard to make housing programs work! It takes long term system willpower! 2. Many youth can learn, change and grow from housing experience but results can be delayed. 3. The transition process rarely goes as planned. Housing can lend stability to chaos. 4. The transition process is a challenge to child welfare goals of safety, permanency and well-being.

34. Lessons Learned-continued 5. This demands changes in system attitudes, financing, billing processes, case-management strategies, system roles, expectations, staffing and policies. 6. Housing programs can save money for CW systems. 7. A change of people at any level can make or break your efforts.

35. Lessons Learned-continued 8. This is not any more risky than other CW placements. 9. Life skills training is high school. Housing is college. 10. Nothing works for everybody-flexibility is needed. 11. All systems have to be involved in the self-sufficiency process.

36. Lessons Learned-continued 12. Independent Living is not finishing school! There will always be unfinished business. 13. We have to build bridges into adult services for many youth. 14. Outcomes are tied to employment picture. 15. You can’t learn to swim standing on the shore.

37. Useful Publications • “Housing Options for Independent Living Programs” Available at or 202-662-4278 or www.cwla.org • “Moving In: Ten Successful IL/TL Program Models” Available at Northwest Media 800-777-6636 or www.northwestmedia.org • “Transition to Adulthood: A Resource for Assisting Young People with Emotional or Behavioral Difficulties” Brookes Publishing Co. • Kroner Mark J., & Mares Alvin S. Living arrangements and level of care among clients discharged from a scattered-site housing-based independent living program. Children and Youth Services Review 33 (2011) 405–415.

38. More Useful Publications • “A Path Near Me: Questions to guide a Young Native American Journey to the Future” National Resource Center for Youth Services 918-660-3700 www.nrcys.ou.edu • “My Next Best Move: Making the Right Moves toward Independence” National Resource Center for Youth Services 918-660-3700 www.nrcys.org • “Operation Independence: Individual and Group Life Skills Training Activities” National Resource Center 918-660-3700 www.nrcys.org • “VIP; Becoming a Very Independent Person” Daniel Memorial Institute (904) 296-1055 www.danielkids.org g

39. More Useful Publications • CWLA “Standards of Excellence” – CWLA Standards of excellence for transition, independent living and self-sufficiency services. www.cwla.org • Housing Assistance for Youth Who Have Aged Out of Foster Care: The Role of the Chafee Foster Care Independence Programhttp://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/12/chafeefostercare/rpt.shtml • Housing for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care: A Review of the Literature and Program Typology http://www.huduser.org/portal/publications/interim/hsg_fter_care.html

40. More Resources • Becoming Adults: One-Year Impact Findings from the Youth Villages Transitional Living Evaluation http://www.mdrc.org/publication/becoming-adults • Transitional Housing Placement Program (THPP) http://www.dss.cahwnet.gov/cfsweb/res/pdf/THPPlusFactSheet.pdf • Rapid Re-Housing: A History and Core Components http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/rapid-re-housing-a-history-and-core-components • Assessing Whether Your Community Has Achieved the Goal of Ending Youth Homelessness https://www.usich.gov/resources/uploads/asset_library/Youth_Questions_to_Assess_02_2017.pdf

41. Bio: Mark J. Kroner LISW-S • Mark is an independently licensed social worker who has worked with thousands of youth in transition in the child welfare, juvenile justice, mental health and homeless youth systems for over 34 years. Mark has written numerous articles and books on housing and self-sufficiency and has been active as a 21 year IL program director, advocate, writer, trainer and national consultant. • Mark has four children, ages 26,28,31 and 33 and 4 grandsons, all in various states of transition.

42. Notes