5.5 Housing and Service Interventions for Youth and Young Parents: Successful Models
Speaker: Todd Witt
For unaccompanied youth and young parents who cannot be reunified with their families or quickly re-housed independently, longer-term housing interventions may be necessary. This workshop will examine transitional housing models currently being utilized to serve youth and young parents, including congregate facilities and scattered-site units, as well as methods of targeting and minimizing involuntary exits.
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5.5 Housing and Service Interventions for Youth and Young Parents: Successful Models
1. Walker’s Point
Youth & Family Center
Strengthening Youth & Families
Since 1976
2. About Our Organization
• Founded in 1976 as a private non-profit
corporation.
• State licensed as a child welfare agency.
• Each of our shelters are state licensed group
homes.
• Three Runaway Homeless Youth Programs.
• All of our services are FREE and counseling is
confidential.
3. Walker’s Point Transitional &
Supportive Housing History
1991: The Center purchases a building for
a new TLP for homeless youth.
2000: The program closes it’s doors due to
loss of funding.
2003: The TLP expands further to start the
Insights program.
2009: Center Receives Homeless
Prevention Rapid Re-housing Stimulus
grant.
4. TLP Youth Snapshot
• Youth ages 16-21 and children of parenting
young adults.
• Youth who have left home or have been put
out.
• Youth not currently in the child welfare system.
• Youth who are survivors of abuse.
• Many of these youth come AODA families.
6. Grant Street Transitional Living Program
SERVICES
Supervised group home care for youth
ages 16-17 years old for up to two years
Individual Case Management
Individual, Group and Family Counseling
Independent Living Skills Training Class
Focusing on Basic Life Skills
Follow-up and Aftercare
7. Grant Street Transitional Living Program
Independent Living Skills
Residents participate and will be assisted in:
- Job Preparation and Attainment
- Managing Personal Finances
- Menu Planning and Food Preparation
- Obtaining Vital Personal Records
- Support with Educational Advancement
- Assessment and Referrals for Physical and
Mental Health Needs
9. Insights Transitional & Supportive
Housing Program
SERVICES
Scattered site community housing for
homeless young adults and single parent
families ages 18-21
Individual Case Management
Independent Living Skills Training Class
Focusing on Basic Life Skills
Follow-up and Aftercare
10. Insights Transitional & Supportive
Housing Program
Independent Living Skills
Clients participate and will be assisted in:
- Finding Quality Housing
- Developing Life Skills
- Accessing Educational Resources
- Participating in Support Groups
- Exploring Employment / Career Options
- Developing Strong Parenting Skills
11. Grant St. TLP Program Outcomes
2010/11
AVERAGE STAY IN GROUP
HOME: 18 weeks
Home 3 (21%)
Acceptable Alternative 9 (64%)
Run/Streets/Unknown 2 (14%)
COUNSELOR ASSESSMENT AT
DISCHARGE:
79% of the fourteen residents discharged had made
progress on their counseling goals, all had made
progress or completed a program of educational
advancement and 36% had paid employment.
12. Insights TLP Outcomes
2010/11
AVERAGE STAY IN GROUP
HOME: 37 weeks
Home 1 (4%)
Acceptable Alternative 23 (92%)
Run/Streets/Unknown 1 (4%)
COUNSELOR ASSESSMENT AT DISCHARGE:
72% of the clients discharged had made progress on their
counseling goals. 72% had made progress or completed a
program of educational advancement and 72% had met their job
development & attainment goal. There were an additional 210
youth provided non-resident intake services.
13. Youth Homelessness
• In Milwaukee, it is estimated that on any given
night, at least 400 teens are homeless.
• Reports of runaways and missing adolescents
to the Milwaukee Police Department have
numbered about 4,000 annually
• An estimated 25% of homeless youth identify
as LGBTQ.
• In California, 65% of youth leaving foster care
do so without a place to live.
14. Staff Leadership
Executive Director Andre Olton, Ph.D.
walkersp@sbcglobal.net
Program Director Todd Witt, MSW, LCSW
414-647-8200
414-530-8486
toddwitt@sbcglobal.net
www.walkerspoint.org
www.facebook.com/walkerspoint
Notas do Editor
-Runaway Act 1974 Expanded to RHY Act 1977State licensing requirements can serve as both opportunities & barriers for access.
A Walker's Point youth and parent client testify in Congress on the importance of runaway and homeless youth services.1992: Grant St. TLP opens its doors.2001: Grant St. re-opens as a four-bed treatment foster home.2002: The Transitional Living Program expands back to eight beds for minor aged homeless youth.Insights program for up to eighteen homeless youth, ages 18-21 years old, including those who are pregnant and parenting, using scattered site housing in the community.A new three-year federal Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing grant doubles the number of homeless and near-homeless youth provided supportive housing and services in our Insights program.
The Minor Group Home is not licensed for teen parents. The 18-21 Year Old Insights program allows for the young adults to be housed in their apartments with their children.The youth have to meet homeless definition requirements to stay in Group Home program.Staff assist the minor youth to go through the children’s court process to obtain long term placement in our group home.Staff assess for where the youth are related to trauma, social and familial history and develop independent living plans with the youth. The plan fits the youth rather than making the youth fit a template plan.
*Through Groups/case management. Resume building, mock interviews, job searching, application assistance. *Budget development, saving 70% into checking account. Weekly meal development. Id cards, SSI, school id, birth certificates which are all needed to participate in independent living. Linking youth up with school and a school program appropriate to them, FAFSA, secondary school/tech school preparation. Some services are provided out of house in the areas of AODA treatment, health/dental needs and long term counseling/psychiatric needs. Through the services provided, the program staff will prepare youth for the responsibilities of independent living, enabling them to enter young adulthood better prepared emotionally, physically, and with the resources to lead healthy and purposeful lives.Staff purposefully work with the youth in a way that promote independent living skills.
-Case managers have ongoing relationships with local landlords. New relationships are established by local university and community housing listings, Craigslist and referrals. Potential clients take program letter when meeting landlords. Housing must meet inspection standards. Case managers advocate for potential and current clients. Client’s are the leasee but CM do apartment visits monthly.-ILS focus with maintaining apartments, healthy relationships/social emotional, employability skills and job readiness, budgeting/financial literacy, parenting skills, access to health care, obtaining vital records/accessing comm. Resources.. Case managers restructured group curriculum to provide 5 cycles of group in a year lasting 8 weeks per cycle. -Insights clients have to have completed a high school program or working towards a plan to complete primary education. Many are involved in secondary education goals.-Many employment resources are utilized including Milwaukee Workforce Development, temp agencies, seasonal employment, job corps, W-2 (welfare to work program) and other job readiness programs.
-The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the adult black unemployment rate is 15.8% and the black youth unemployment rate is over 40%. JSONLINE article January 21st 2012.-Youth not employed participate in volunteer activities to develop employment skills as well as strengthen resumes and applications.2010/11 WP served 20 youth in Grant St. Program.
-210 youth went through the application process, put on the waiting list but were ultimately turned away due to the program being @ capacity. Non-residential services included referrals to other community housing programs, adult shelters and access to basic living needs. *Given the amount of youth on the waiting list, the application process was revised to include a set schedule for youth to turn in applications, meet case managers and obtain a needs assessment survey. While awaiting an opportunity for interview clients were able to identify some basic tasks to accomplish. Staff have been better able to assess for need and motivation in the program. The result has been a reduction in premature discharges and those youth leaving their apartments upon discharge to go back to primary care giver. -2010/11 WP served 50 youth in the Insights program.
-As reported on 2011 Point in time survey-MPD 2009 Statistics-National Foster Care Youth Statistics