Gary Stangler

Dear Friends,

I recently had the opportunity to testify before a House Ways and Means subcommittee in Washington, D.C., focused on services and outcomes for young adults who "age out" of foster care. The panel was interested in how states are indeed doing using federal funds under the 1999 Chafee Foster Care Independence Act. While I was able to report that more states are doing a better job overall, I suggested there's much more states should do, including extending foster care until age 21 and providing Medicaid until age 21.

I also said that it should be national policy, and a nationally measured goal, to ensure that every youth leaving foster care be connected to a family for ongoing support. I noted that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has been slow to implement an assessment and data collection system to determine how states are meeting the needs of youth formerly in foster care, which was mandated in the law eight years ago. I believe the Initiative should play a key role in shaping the data collection efforts to go beyond the government's minimum requirements, at least in our 10 states. Several of our young people also testified, and you'll read more about that in this issue of the e-Update.

Also in this issue, you'll learn more about the important findings from our sites about young adults' ability to save and purchase assets, including some information that you may find counterintuitive. You will also learn about one foster mom's intriguing effort to help her son – and countless others – find permanence in their lives. I hope her Permanency Pact takes off.

Sincerely,

Gary

• A Foster Mom Tries to Help Her Son – and Hundreds More – Find Permanence
• At Annual Convening, Sites Celebrate Success, Set Goals for Future
• Youth from Foster Care Save and Build Assets in Their Opportunity Passports™
• Among Our Best Savers: Single Moms Building Foundations for Their Families
• Michigan Launches New Web Site to Help Youth Aging Out of Foster Care
• San Diego's 10News Honors LEAP Leader Danielle Brunetta with Award
• Nashville Site Partners with United Methodists to Help Youth From Foster Care
• Youth from Foster Care Rally to Save Special Dinner for Foster Parents
• It's My Life Conference: Get to Atlanta and Unleash Your Genius
• Youth from Initiative Sites and Initiative's Gary Stangler Testify on Capitol Hill
• New KIDS COUNT Data Book Includes Essay on Supporting Permanence for Children in Foster Care
• R.I. Restores Funds for Some Youth Aging Out; Other States Extend Services
• Recent Legislation Across Our Grantee Sites And Other States
• Upcoming Conferences

A Foster Mom Tries to Help Her Son – and Hundreds More – Find Permanence

by Martha Shirk

Jeff Bodner, Celeste Bodner and Seth Wendzel

Unlike many of the 25,000 youth who "age out" of foster care each year, Seth Wendzel, 20, of Seaside, Ore., has a safety net.

Before he was discharged from foster care at age 18, Seth and his foster parents, Celeste and Jeff Bodner, entered into a "Permanency Pact" that formalized the couple's commitment to him. The pact states explicitly what the Bodners will provide for Seth, from educational assistance to spiritual support to help with money management to a home for the holidays.

Entering into the pact allayed Seth's concerns about his future. "I don't know where I would be without these guys," says Seth, a student at Oregon State University in Corvallis.

Convinced that individualized Permanency Pacts could benefit many other youth, Seth and Celeste have taken steps to help their idea spread. Since last year, Celeste has been disseminating the Permanency Pact on the web site of FosterClub, the nonprofit organization she founded in 1999 to link youth in foster care around the country. And early this spring, she briefed several dozen social workers at Casey Family Services on the pact's potential for helping youth in foster care think about what supports they need from adults. In the Spring 2007 edition of its quarterly Voice Magazine, Casey Family Services described the Permanency Pact as an "innovative approach."

More >>

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At Annual Convening, Sites Celebrate Success, Set Goals for Future

by Martha Shirk

Youth who attended the 2007 All-Site Convening

St. Louis – Only five years after its founding, the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative has helped more than 2,000 youth open bank accounts, save for asset purchases, and develop leadership and advocacy skills that promise to change the way the nation's foster care systems prepare youth for adulthood.

Moreover, by drawing public attention to the many challenges that youth face when they age out of foster care, the Initiative has contributed to the enactment in several states of laws that provide them with health insurance, more financial support for college and housing subsidies.

"These are important developments for which you all deserve major credit," Gary Stangler, the Initiative's executive director, said here on July 18 at the opening session of the annual all-site convening. About 85 representatives from the Initiative's ten demonstration sites gathered to review the Initiative's progress, share strategies, and discuss the continuing challenges to youth who age out of care.

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Youth from Foster Care Save and Build Assets in Their Opportunity Passports™

Given an opportunity to save and invest in assets, youth from foster care gain greater access to mainstream banking, maintaining accounts, making deposits, saving and building assets, according to a new report from the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative.

The Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative released its first major evaluation of asset purchasing and saving over time by Opportunity Passport™ participants. The Opportunity Passport™ is an Initiative tool that provides youth with a matched savings account (also known as an Individual Development Account (IDA)) that matches savings for specific asset purchases, a personal debit account for short-term expenses and also connections to opportunities in the community, such as access to jobs, housing, and educational supports.

The 1,740 young adults deposited a total of $1.33 million in their Opportunity Passport™ with a mean deposit of $775. Opportunity Passport™ participants actually saved slightly more than low-income adults participating in American Dream Demonstration, a national IDA program; they saved $1.31 million.

But the report also notes that it is unlikely that a stand-alone IDA program will succeed for this vulnerable youth population. Instead, young adults' involvement in key supportive strategies, such as youth leadership boards, door openers and other supports are linked to successful saving and asset development, the report concludes. The report also analyzed progress in the five youth outcome areas: employment, physical and mental health, personal and community engagement, education and housing. Subsequent issues of this e-Update will explore each of those areas more in depth.

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Among Our Best Savers: Single Moms Building Foundations for Their Families

Randie and son, Noah

The most vulnerable group of young adults who have aged out of foster care – young single mothers – save and purchase more assets through their Independent Development Accounts (IDA) than other Opportunity Passport™ participants, according to a recent report by the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative.

More than half of the young moms bought assets, compared to a third of the other young adults, according to surveys filled by the young people. They also made larger deposits – $1,201 – than the adult participants in the American Dream Demonstration project, whose average deposits were less than half that. And despite all the demands on their time, the young single moms also were involved in the Youth Leadership boards at a similar percentage as other youth.

No one's entirely sure why the single moms appear to be doing such a good job saving and buying assets, but Randie Camp, a 20-year-old in Iowa, offers some insight. She took advantage of a matched savings account to receive eye care, enroll in college and purchase a computer for schoolwork.

Randie entered foster care when she was 12 years old and joined her first independent living program at age 16. There she first heard about the Opportunity Passport™ and other support systems available to youth, but she wasn't ready to listen. "I was young and in high school, and I was a spender," she says. "Money was very important to me – and as soon as I got a paycheck, I would spend it on myself and my clothes." In 2005, at 18, Randie aged out of the foster care system and stayed with friends and with her grandmother until she got her own apartment.

Living by herself in Ames, Iowa, Randie found out she was pregnant and gave birth to Noah last year. "With Noah, everything is different – I'm always thinking about him, I always put him first," she says. Randie decided to take advantage of the opportunities available to her. With support from her church and friends, she enrolled in the Opportunity Passport™ offered by the Initiative's Iowa site, the Youth Policy Institute of Iowa, in August. She used her first matched savings for an eye exam and contact lenses. Randie used her next match to pay a registration fee at Iowa State University.

Randie recently used her latest savings match, along with the resources of the Iowa Aftercare Services Network, to purchase a laptop computer to complete her assignments. Although most other students could use the campus computer lab or the local public library, those options were nearly impossible while caring for a one-year-old child.

Now, Randie believes that using the matched savings account has changed her outlook on her financial future. "Everything is long-term now. I stock up on diapers and anything else we'll need and I try to buy everything way in advance," she says. Randie continues to save – this time for a new car to make commuting between home and school much easier. Randie plans to continue her studies at Iowa State in elementary education with a concentration in special education. In the future, she hopes to become a school psychologist or a principal.

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Michigan Launches New Web Site to Help Youth Aging Out of Foster Care

Michigan has launched a new, colorful web site to help its youth from foster care transition to adulthood. The web site, recently unveiled by the Department of Human Services, provides young adults with services, information and links to issues important to them.

Youth can find help for everything from banking to buying a car to finding a place to live to high school graduation requirements to applying to college to health advice. One section offers tips on relationships and dating, including how to spot an unhealthy relationship. The new web site is http://www.michigan.gov/fyit.

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San Diego's 10News Honors LEAP Leader Danielle Brunetta with Award

Danielle Brunetta, who aged out of foster care five years ago and is vice president of the San Diego site's youth board called Leadership Empowers All Possibilities (LEAP), wants to break the cycle of homelessness for youth aging out of foster care. She was honored for her efforts by the local ABC affiliate KGTV. Danielle received 10News Leadership Award for making San Diego a better place to live and was featured in a two-minute segment. She has been trying to raise awareness of the challenges that young adults face transitioning out of the child welfare system. "You don't have the family, you don't know where to go, and a lot of the kids don't know who to lean on," she said in the taped segment. As a result, too many youth fall victim to homelessness and gangs because they don't have anyone to help guide them, and that concerns Danielle. On the TV segment, other LEAP members described Danielle as extremely passionate about helping youth formerly in foster care. "You have to get to the root of the problem and ask them what's happening, and what's not working, and then present it to the legislators," she said.

To watch the segment, visit http://www.10news.com/leadershipaward/index.html.

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Nashville Site Partners with United Methodists to Help Youth From Foster Care

Kudos to the Initiative's site in Nashville, the Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies-Fostering Success, for building a partnership with faith-based communities across the country. Nashville's partnership with the United Methodist Publishing House has resulted in publication called "Faithlink: Aging Out." The six-page guide explores how the faith-based community can support youth aging out of foster care. This issue of Faithlink highlights the special challenges young people face as they transition from foster care to adulthood. The guide gives an overview of the population in foster care and aging out of care as well as public policies affecting them. The guide offers strategies for faith-based groups to use in Sunday school and Bible classes to better help young adults aging out. The document can be downloaded for $5 at http://www.cokesbury.com/search.aspx?scope=all&query=Aging%20Out&pid=FLNK05172007.

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Youth from Foster Care Rally to Save Special Dinner for Foster Parents

The appreciation dinner for foster parents was
saved.

State foster care leaders in eastern, central Michigan were heartbroken when they learned Michigan's dire budget crunch meant there was no extra money for a planned dinner honoring foster parents in Arenac County.

The bad news came just a week before the dinner, and invitations already were in the mail. When word spread that the dinner might be canceled, Doug Lewis and his group of young adults from foster care rallied. Lewis is the local coordinator of the state's Youth in Transition program that prepares youth from foster care to live on their own. Michigan's Department of Human Services (the Michigan Youth Opportunities Initiative) is a partner of the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative.

With little time to spare, the youth board rescued the dinner. Two young adults who work in restaurants planned the evening's menu: broccoli soup, salads, baked chicken, potatoes, green beans, desserts and beverages. Five other youths served the meal. Arenac is a small community with a population of 17,269, and other local organizations pitched in. "Do-All" raised money for food and supplies; while the teens absorbed other expenses. The Community Methodist Church on Standish shared its facilities.

"They just didn't pull off the dinner," Lewis said. "They did it with great finesse."

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It's My Life Conference: Get to Atlanta and Unleash Your Genius

Get ready: The It's My Life conference will be held September 30 to October 2 in Atlanta. This year's theme is: Unleash Your Genius. For the past five years, the conference has brought youth in foster care, alumni, care givers, practitioners and advocates together to share experiences. The goal is to share innovative practices to help youth aging out of foster care gain practical knowledge in preparation for adulthood and to reinvigorate the work of advocates and practitioners. Conference organizers expect at least 700 participants this year. Conference highlights include a resource fair for participants to meet representatives from regional and national companies, including United Parcel Service, who will provide information about employment, education, finances, and health. An admissions counselor will lead a walking tour of a college campus and will answer questions about applications, campus life, school success and different study areas. UPS will give participants a tour of its large processing facility. Afterward, students will meet with UPS managers to discuss work and educational opportunities at the company.

There also will be plenty of fun at the conference, including powerful and positive hip-hop performances by 2007 Native American Music Awards nominee, Native Era; soulful blues by Janiva Magness, who is the Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year and the National Foster Care Month Spokesperson. There also will be a Talent Night, emceed by poet Divine Essence and a Movie Night, featuring award-winning filmmaker Chris Eyre, co-producer and director of acclaimed Sundance Festival hit Smoke Signals.

The conference is sponsored by the Casey Family Programs, which aims to improve and prevent the need for foster care for children. For more information about this year's conference and online registration, visit: http://www.casey.org/Resources/Projects/ItsMyLife

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Youth from Initiative Sites and Initiative's Gary Stangler Testify on Capitol Hill

JJ Hitch (left) and Anthony Reeves

Anthony Reeves, 23, spent 12 years in foster care, and last month he testified on Capitol Hill about what it was like when he aged out at 18 in Atlanta.

"We, young people in foster care, do not ask to be put in the system. When you drop your child off at the day care, they usually cry their lungs out, signifying that most children don't want to be away from their family. For many of us in foster care, we spent our childhood quietly crying for family," he said. "Life is tough enough when transitioning out of care, and it is even tougher if you don't have the support that you need from people who care about you, or if you don't have resources and skills packed along with the rest of your belongings as you are shown out the door."

Anthony was one of four youth who told their stories during a House Ways and Means subcommittee hearing on youth who age out of the foster care system. A second panel included child welfare experts such as Initiative executive director Gary Stangler and Jane Soltis of the Eckerd Family Foundation, which supports our Connected by 25 site in Tampa. Testimony transcripts are available for Gary Stangler, Jane Soltis, and Anthony Reeves.

More >>

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New KIDS COUNT Data Book Includes Essay on Supporting Permanence for Children in Foster Care

At a Capitol Hill briefing for the Anne E.
Casey Foundation's 2007 KIDS COUNT Data
Book release, Sharon McDaniel-Lowe spoke
about permanence. McDaniel-Lowe is
president and CEO of A Second Chance and
also a trustee of the Jim Casey Youth
Opportunities Initiative and Casey Family
Programs.

At a Capitol Hill policy briefing on July 25, the Annie E. Casey Foundation released the 18^th annual KIDS COUNT Data Book with this year's essay, "Lifelong Family Connections: Supporting Permanence for Children in Foster Care." Every year, KIDS COUNT tracks the status of children in the U.S. through various benchmarks of child well-being at the national and state-by-state level. This year's essay focuses on the child welfare system and challenges policymakers and citizens to make lifelong connections for children and youth in foster care a national priority. At the briefing attended by more than 100 Congressional staff and organizations, panelists discussed the importance of permanence and policies that would help children in foster care to more easily develop permanent relationships. Panelists included Douglas W. Nelson, president of the Annie E. Casey Foundation; Nadege Mardy Breeden, past chair of the Youth Leadership Board, Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative in Bridgeport, Conn.; and Dr. Sharon McDaniel-Lowe, president and CEO of A Second Chance and trustee of the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative and Casey Family Programs. Read the 2007 KIDS COUNT Data Book and essay.

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R.I. Restores Funds for Some Youth Aging Out; Other States Extend Services

Some youth in foster care age 18 and older in Rhode Island will continue to receive state assistance after Democratic legislators restored about half of the nearly $20 million Gov. Donald Carcieri proposed cutting in funds to help youth aging out of foster care at age 18.

The legislature directed the Department of Children, Youth and Families to redesign the way it delivers services to young adults aging out of care. But what that new system will look like is uncertain.

"Right now, we are very concerned about how the change in legislation is being implemented by the Department of Children, Youth and Families," says Kat Keenan, policy analyst with Rhode Island KIDS COUNT. "While we were relieved that some of the governor's proposed cuts were restored, we have serious concerns about the accessibility and types of services that will be available for youth."

Indeed, Keenan says the state is moving forward with closing cases and cutting off funding for some 900 young adults who have aged out. She says the state is required to do transitional planning for all the young adults, including how they may opt in to voluntary aftercare services. Yet many youth report they are receiving notices saying they will need to find new places to live and have not been notified of any transition plans or voluntary services."

The current controversy in Rhode Island stems from Carcieri's drastic proposal in the spring to end services for youth in the child welfare system at age 18 instead of age 21. The state was recently sued by Children's Right, Inc.

Child advocates want Rhode Island to develop a system in which youth 18 and older can voluntarily opt into the system to receive some benefits. But advocates say all aspects about the new system are unclear now.

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Recent Legislation Across Our Grantee Sites And Other States

Colorado

Legislation was passed and signed by the governor to extend Medicaid to youth 18-21 leaving foster care. The bill contained an emergency clause so that it took effect upon the governor's signature, and contained $8 million in appropriations, roughly half to enroll the youth in the managed care plans under Medicaid, and half to expand mental health services with community mental health agencies.

A bill setting up the Task Force on Foster Care and Permanence passed, also with an emergency clause. The Task Force will have 23 members, including foster parents, adoptive parents, state and county staff, legislators, nonprofit agency leaders, and three young people currently or formerly in foster care.

Florida

Legislation passed to extend Medicaid from 20 to 21 for youth formerly in foster care.

Georgia

HR 789 was introduced and adopted commending Metropolitan Atlanta Youth Opportunities Initiative Youth Leadership Board Member Anthony Reeves for his work in assisting youth to transition from foster care and helping his peers to achieve success.

Iowa

Legislation passed establishing perhaps the most far-reaching tuition assistance program in the United States, according to the Senate sponsor. The bill calls for the state to pick up the costs of college for any youth in foster care of any age (or adopted youth if 16 or over when adopted) at any public or private university or two-year college up to $28,000 per year (with ETV and Pell funds as first money out).

Passed legislation requiring the state agency to maintain sibling relationships for youth in foster care and appropriated $200,000 for that purpose.

The legislature appropriated $120,000 for the Elevate program, which supports advocacy efforts of youth in foster care.

Maine

Legislation passed that extends tuition waivers to youth adopted from foster care.

Michigan

Legislation was passed to extend Medicaid to age 21 for youth formerly in foster care.

Vermont

Vermont Governor Jim Douglas signed House Bill 449 that makes foster care services available to youth until their 22^nd birthday with the ability to stay in care or leave and return if they choose to do so by age 21. There also is funding available to support youth in care to get their driver's license and to remain in their school of origin when their placement changes, if it is geographically possible.

California

General Assembly Majority Leader Karen Bass introduced new foster care bills that include:

• Assembly Bill 194-calls for counties to provide computer software programs that allow youth in foster care to connect with their families.
• Assembly Bill 184-allows youth in foster care adopted at age 14 or older or in care of non-relative guardianship placement to be eligible for Independent Living Program Services.
• Assembly Bill 638-required youth in foster care who are in the juvenile justice system to receive case management services including permanent planning, Independent Living Program, Chafee grant, etc.

Federal Legislation

U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced the Foster Care Continuing Opportunities Act, legislation that would provide federal funding to states to continue providing essential foster care services such as food, housing, and legal services to youth over the age of 18, which are currently inaccessible to young adults aging out of foster care.

Boxer said, "This legislation would help improve the services for foster care youth so that they can better transition from childhood to adulthood. The future for youth in foster care, once emancipated, is often bleak. In my state of California, about 65 percent of emancipated youth are homeless, less than three percent go to college, and 51 percent are unemployed. We must do more for these young adults who deserve much better, and there is no better time to do it than during Foster Care Month."

Boxer's legislation would:

• Allow states to access federal funding to match state and county funds to provide foster care payments and related administrative costs for youth in foster care 18 to 21, in the same fashion as youth under age 18.
• Allow states the option to offer foster care services for older youth.
• Allow youth to voluntarily elect to remain in foster care after the age of 18.

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September 19-22, The Daniel Memorial Institute presents "Growing Pains" National Independent Living Conference in Denver. For more information, visit: http://www.danielkids.org/

September 24-26, Child Welfare League of America holds the 2007 Mid-Atlantic Region Training Conference in Baltimore. For more information, visit: http://www.cwla.org/conferences/2007midatlanticrfp.htm

September 30-October 2, Casey Family Programs presents "It's My Life" Conference in Atlanta. For more information, visit: http://www.casey.org/Resources/Projects/ItsMyLife

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