When a child is too old to remain eligible to stay in the foster care system, Aspiranet’s Transitional Aged Youth (TAY) program takes over. Because of the lack of consistency in many foster kids’ lives, they’re often lacking key skills that will allow them to thrive as an adult. Aspiranet’s TAY program helps former foster kids make the transition from care to independence.
Aspiranet’s TAY program provides all the necessities required for a young adult to start their independent life. Thanks in part to an ongoing partnership with Ashley HomeStore, TAY youth are provided with a furnished apartment, including a bed, furniture, and everything else needed to make a house a home. Through ongoing classes, they receive employment and education assistance, help with resume building, and a clear direction on where their path will lead. In California, roughly 3% of foster youth attend college. Aspiranet’s TAY program addresses these educational deficiencies by helping foster youth complete high school and prepare to enter college.
Aspiranet’s TAY program helps foster youth receive the level of support they may not have received throughout their lives. And because everyone has different needs, the program is individually tailored to each participant. Aspiranet’s TAY program helps former foster youth develop a strong sense of purpose. In many cases, TAY foster youth have never had someone who believes in them and pushes them to fulfill their true potential.
Aspiranet’s TAY program is the vital last step in a foster youth’s journey. Your generosity will help them succeed. Aspiranet’s TAY program is the final opportunity for kids in the foster care system to receive the help and mentorship so many of us take for granted. As many as 70% of eligible foster youth aren’t able to access TAY services in California. Your gift to Aspiranet’s TAY program extends the reach of our services and helps ensure California’s foster youth are given all the opportunities they deserve.
https://www.aspiranet.org/give
Founded in 1975 with a single group home in Moss Beach outside of San Francisco, Aspiranet has become one of California’s largest and most successful social service organizations. Aspiranet is a 501 (c) (3) California nonprofit organization with the mission of providing children, youth, and families with a foundation of support so they can thrive at home, at school, and in their communities.
The Transitional Aged Youth division closes a critical gap for youth who are aging out of foster care by helping them with housing, employment, mental health care, and anything else they need to move from foster care to independence.
There is a tremendous need to provide foster youth with support as they transition out of the dependency system, considering the alarming correlation between homelessness and foster care*:
• Approximately 400,000 youth are currently in foster care in the United States. Approximately 20,000 of those youth age-out each year without positive familial supports or any family connection at all.
• Within 18 months of emancipation 40-50% of foster youth become homeless.
• Nationally, 50% of the homeless population spent time in foster care.
• A history of foster care correlates with becoming homeless at an earlier age and remaining homeless for a longer period of time.
• 65% of youth leaving foster care need immediate housing upon discharge.
• The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty estimates that 5,000 unaccompanied youth die each year as a result of assault, illness, or suicide.
*Foster Focus, August 2015 “Foster Care and Homelessness”
Equally discouraging are education and employment prospects for foster youth and former foster youth. According to John Burton Advocates for Youth (www.jbay.org):
• Only 53% of students in foster care graduate from high school, compared to the statewide average of 83% of students graduating from high school.
• Although 93% of foster youth report wanting to go to college, only 4% obtain a bachelor’s degree by age 26
• At age 21, almost half of foster youth are unemployed and of those who are employed, 70% live below the federal poverty level.
Life Coaches for Aspiranet’s TAY programs work one-on-one with each program participant to explore opportunities for education and employment, meaningful adult/peer relationships, physical and mental health services, parenting needs, cultural/spiritual fulfillment, affordable housing, mentoring, and advocacy. Housing Specialists support our youth in securing safe, stable, and affordable housing, assisting with timely rent and utility payments, apartment care, and building and maintaining landlord relationships. Some TAY programs additionally offer Educational and/or Employment Specialists who encourage and guide participants with their educational goals, employment ambitions and opportunities, and provide linkages to community resources. Since 2007, Aspiranet has offered programs dedicated specifically to assisting youth emancipating from foster care in making the transition to independent adult living.
We believe that all young people deserve a strong foundation from which to launch their futures.
Organization name
Aspiranet Sacramento
Mission Category
Human Services
Operating Budget
$5,000,001-$10 million
Organization Need
Funding: Program, Funding: Unrestricted, Furniture, In-Kind Donations
Demographics Served
Youth & Children, Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx, Low-income individuals/families
BIPOC Leadership
Board Chair
Local Counties Served
Sacramento
Address
800 Howe Ave #420Sacramento, CA, US