8/17/2005
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Mayor, community launch innovative program to aid former foster kids on brink of homelessness
One-of-a-kind initiative provides housing and services for youth leaving foster care system
Indianapolis – A new, ground-breaking program opened its doors today on the city’s Westside, providing direction and hope to dozens of local youth aging out of the foster care system and on the brink of homelessness.
Mayor Bart Peterson joined community leaders and residents in kicking off Fostering Independence, a collaborative effort led by the West Indianapolis Development Corporation and Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center that provides transitional housing and support services for former foster kids released from the state’s care at the age of 18.
The Mayor and project partners cut the ribbon on two of eight three-story units located on the 1800 block of W. Morris Street. Each house will offer four units designed in a shared, roommate-style living environment, and every Fostering Independence resident will receive personalized and intensive case management with an array of services, including education, employment training, financial development, physical and mental health counseling, and planning for future housing. In addition to the current houses, eight new units will be phased-in annually over the next three years, for a total of 32 units.
"There is no more important group for our community to reach out to than foster children, who -- by no fault of their own -- face a number of challenges and hardships that put them at risk of homelessness," said Mayor Bart Peterson. "Fostering Independence will be a national model for ensuring that our at-risk youth don’t fall through the cracks and are given the opportunity to beat the odds and become self-sufficient and successful."
Over the next ten years, about 1,000 young adults in Marion County will age out of foster care, and without the benefit of family, they face a number of difficulties in making the transition to adulthood. National studies have shown that many former foster kids leave state care without the education or life skills needed to succeed, and nearly 40 percent become homeless or are incarcerated within 18 months.
"Young-adults without families can achieve success and independence when they are given a supportive, transitional environment," says WIDC Board President Rick Freeman. "When these young people graduate from Fostering Independence into permanent housing at age 25, they will have the skills, mindset and education to reach their full potential."
Fostering Independence is part of the Mayor’s Blueprint to End Homelessness, a bold and aggressive plan to stem the tide of homelessness through intervention and prevention. The Blueprint cited a need for housing, supportive services and other initiatives targeting at-risk populations, including youth leaving the foster care system.
"Participant sponsors" will be secured for each individual in the Fostering Independence program, covering the costs of participation and ensuring all operational funds are in place and full commitments are made to the residents. Current resident sponsors lined up include National Starch and Chemical, Eli Lilly and Co., Bank One, Chase Financial Services, Irwin Mortgage Corp., Aero Industries and National City Bank.
Other project partners for the $1.3 million program include City of Indianapolis, which contributed more than $700,000 in federal grant funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban development, Local Initiatives Support Corporation and Fifth/Third bank.
Freeman pointed out that while a few cities have independent living programs for foster kids, the Fostering Independence program is one of the first geared specifically for youth aging out of the system. Other local efforts to support former foster kids include United Way’s Marion County Foster Youth Transitioning to Adulthood project, which is working to better coordinate existing services and address the need for additional supportive housing.
Since the Blueprint to End Homelessness was announced, the city has invested nearly $19 million of its annual appropriation from HUD in projects and initiatives that assist very low-income households and individuals to find and maintain quality, affordable housing. As a result of this investment and many other major financial commitments by private sector partners, more than 900 units have been added or are coming on-line for the purpose of housing the chronically homeless or those in housing crisis, according to the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention (CHIP), the organization charged with overseeing the Blueprint.
Other recent Blueprint initiatives underway include:
- The launch of www.IndianaHousingNow.org, an online tool that links low-income households with affordable housing opportunities; and
- The Mayor’s recommendation that $300,000 from the Indianapolis Housing Trust Fund, along with matching dollars from The Indianapolis Foundation, be dedicated to rental assistance for those on the verge of homelessness.
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