THE TEEN PROJECT - Transitional Housing and Drop In

To provide teens aging out of the foster care system with all of the resources and support of an intact family. To allow the greatest opportunity for a successful transition to adulthood.

The transition from adolescence to adulthood is a difficult transition, even with an intact family structure. Recent studies have shown that the average young person must rely on parental support during this transitional period, and do not actually become self-sufficient until age 26. By contrast, youth exiting the foster care systems do not have this option; they are cut off from their sole support system at age 18.

Where most teens are entering this time of their life with a sense of awe and opportunity, foster kids are left in a state of desperation. Without a home to return to, they often sleep on couches, in cars or turn themselves in to the local homeless shelter. For these kids the future is bleak.

The number of homeless emancipated foster youth in the United States is a growing epidemic that must be treated aggressively. To adress the magnitude of the problem, THE TEEN PROJECT has three components, Sober College Housing, The PAD Database and the Teen Project Shelter Collaboration. THE TEEN PROJECT protocol seeks to address the issue on all levels. There are 4,000 teens exiting the system each year in California, only adding to the 25,000 that are currently homeless. No one program will ever suffice.

Though the youth we serve receive a great deal of life-skill training prior to leaving the system, because of their age and mental state they lack many of the skills necessary to apply what they learn. It is even harder for them to know how to use the services available them, and actually retain the information for later use. In many cases they leave foster care with little or no sustainable life-plan, and without the ability to reenter care, their chances are slim. Our solution increases their access to mental health services as well as other youth services. The direct result being the decrease of reliance on the reactive services of jails and the welfare system.

THE TEEN PROJECT provides housing, college funding and a sober living curriculum for emancipated foster youth ranging from 16 to 24 years of age. We give these motivated young adults independence, personal and career guidance and family support.

Many of the youth that we serve suffer from PTSD at rates five times higher than that of US war veterans. Many also have suffered severe child abuse which is also associated with greater risks of substance abuse. Adolescents who are physically abused are 6 to 12 times more likely to have problems with alcohol and drugs, and youth who are sexually abused are 18 to 21 times more likely to abuse substances (Dube et al., 2001). All of these are major factors we consider to effectively help our foster youth succeed and get their lives on track.

Our goal is to create a full service protocol that demonstrates a superior outcome. This can then provide a model that can be accepted as a standard amongst providers improving overall statistics.

The PAD (named Protection & Direction) by our youth is a simplified website for teens on the streets to obtain access to shelters, resources, and upcoming group meeting places and times. The Teen Project website also offers an instant chat option as well as free transportation to simplify access. The database will be shared with all partnering drop-in centers to create a complete library of community resources. This will help those in need and enable help centers to refer from one agency to another on a more active basis.

Our goal is to create a single point of access to these services. We see that the failure of reentry is due to the complexity of regaining services, long interview processes, lack of transportation and access to telephones.

THE TEEN PROJECT has relationships with many shelter resources to ensure that each and every teen that arrives at the door is provided adequate help. Due to the diverse needs of the population we serve and the vast number needing help, THE TEEN PROJECT is partnered with all homeless shelters, transitional housing programs, sober living programs, single parent shelters and abuse shelters. THE TEEN PROJECT will regularly post all partnering Drop-In Centers as well as a directory of group meeting places throughout the county, so that they can connect with a TEEN PROJECT COUNSELOR and obtain access to shelter.

OliveCrest is one organization that is partnering with the THE TEEN PROJECT to develop a vast directory of meeting places through out Orange County where our youth can build solid relationships. Our volunteers will meet youth at local Starbucks and other partnering agencies on a regular basis providing the youth the resources and sustainable relationships needed to thrive as young adults. Teens will be provided with internet access, phone cards, food cards and networking for any other needed services.

THE TEEN PROJECT was a created by Lauri Burns in response to her overwhelming feeling that no matter how many teens she fostered, it was never enough. Lauri's dream has always been that no teen should ever be without a home or a family. Lauri's vision is very clear that “system” teens will be provided with all of the resources and amenities that "normal" kids have.

HOW ARE OUR KIDS DOING?

• In California, an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 youth are homeless and living on the streets.

• A National study reported that more than 1 in 5 youth who arrived at shelters came directly from foster care.

• More than 1 in 4 had been in foster care in the previous year (National Association of Social Workers).

• Studies across the nation indicate that between 24 and 50% of former foster care/probation youth become homeless within 18 months of leaving the system (California Department of Social Services).

• 25% of those in prison were once in foster care.

Studies of California’s former foster youth found that:

• 65% emancipate without a place to live.

• Less than 3% go to college.

• 51% are unemployed.

• Emancipated females are 4 times more likely to receive public assistance than the general population.

• In any given year, foster children comprise less than 0.3% of the state’s population, and yet 40% of persons living in homeless shelters are former foster children.

• 70% of 17 year-olds in foster care express a desire to go to college.

• 54% will finish high school • 2% will earn a college degree.

Young people (ages 6-21) are 23% of the population but 100% of the future.

THE TEEN PROJECT was a founded by Lauri Burns in response to her overwhelming feeling that no matter how many teens she fostered, it was never enough. Lauri's dream has always been that no teen should ever be without a home or a family. Lauri's vision is very clear that “system” teens will be provided with all of the resources and amenities that "normal" kids have.

A product of the system, she emancipated at 18 and was homeless. After exhausting all resources, she survived on the streets. Lauri is the visionary that turned her life around. She is now a successful businesswoman, has fostered 18 teens and serves on the Orange County Foster Advisory Board.

The Teen Project will provide housing for the homeless foster youth that have been turned out to the streets, raise the standards of transitional housing programs to ensure each child has a higher education and impact the laws that allow foster youth to continue to be turned out onto the streets.

The Teen Project team is a group of foster children, emancipated foster youth and business people committed to tackling the cause. The Teen Project will create a prototype for transitional housing to be replicated throughout the US. We are clear that a "housing development" is good, but not a solution.

Given the magnitude of the problem, we must bring all resources together and work together to change the lives of these children in the US.