That's the side of foster care people don't often think about: what comes after. While child welfare officials operate a range of programs to address young people's basic needs after foster care and to help them attain skills needed for adulthood, there just aren't enough resources to make sure all of them get everything they need to become successful adults.
Education and employment are the roots of success, but neither is attainable without a secure place to live.
Transitional housing programs help foster kids find their feet and sort out their futures, but there are far too few of them — maybe half of what's needed, said Rhelda Shabazz of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, the agency in charge of more than 15,000 kids in foster care.
And though various studies report that as many as one-third of those who emancipate from foster care can expect to become homeless at some point in their lives, state budget cutbacks threaten to reduce the amount of transitional housing available to those who grew up in the system.
The good news is that Burbank can help make a difference.
As early as Aug. 17, City Council members will consider whether to use designated affordable-housing funds and federal grant money for a project that would provide shelter and stability for local teenagers with no family to go home to and few options other than homeless shelters.
The nonprofit Burbank Housing Corporation is seeking a $1.2-million loan through the Redevelopment Agency to buy and then refurbish a cozy pair of duplexes at 255 W. Linden Ave., not far from the freeway.
Three two-bedroom apartments would house six young adults for up to two years each, with a manager in a fourth unit to supervise the site, said housing corporation Executive Director Judith Arandes.
