Homelessness prevention for former foster youth: Utilization of transitional housing programs

This article compares two groups of foster care alumni residing in transitional living programs in San Francisco, California. One group of youth was served in programs geared specifically towards youth aging out of foster care who were referred through a transition planning process. A second group of youth was served in similar transitional housing programs that were not exclusively for foster care alumni but instead served homeless youth in general. Comparisons between these two groups reveal that youth in the population-specific programs have less acute initial presentations than foster care alumni in homelessness intervention programs, who had faced more unemployment, school attrition, substance use, and mental health concerns prior to program admission than their peers in the programs specifically for foster care alumni. The research also shows that youth in the homelessness intervention programs had faced more instability during their years in foster care when compared to youth in the population-specific programs for foster care alumni. The research highlights the need for better understanding of the referral process for youth aging out of foster care so that transitional housing programs for young adult foster care alumni can better serve a diversity of youth with different service needs.