EOF grant guidelinesWe provide a safe and supportive environment for youth groups and also provide individual services to youth aging out of foster care and for those who have already aged out.

Please contact Deb Kelleher if you would be interested in hosting or attending an alumni meeting in your local area. We are working on forming groups in Hartford, and New Haven and would be open to adding other towns if the interest is strong enough.

Employment and Educational Opportunity Fund: Through a generous grant from the Melville Charitable Trust we provide support in the form of small one-time grants to former foster youth in the area of education and job acquisition.

New Beginnings: Housing instability is a major issue for youth formerly in foster care. During a pandemic, it can be an issue of life or death. Former foster youth are vastly over-represented in homeless populations in their age group. According to HUD, “It is estimated that between approximately 20,000-25,000 youth age out of foster care every year. Of those, approximately 25 percent experience homelessness within four years of aging out, and an even higher percentage will experience some form of precarious housing.”1 According to a report by Chapin Hall, nearly 33% of youth experiencing homelessness had experiences in foster care. LGBTQIA+ youth who’ve aged out are at even higher risk, comprising 25% of the homeless former foster youth population. “Among racial and ethnic groups, African American youth were especially over-represented, with an 83% increased risk of having experienced homelessness over youth of other races. Higher risk of African American youth compared to other races remains even when we control for other factors like income and education. Disproportionality of homelessness experiences among black youth mirrors racial disparities documented elsewhere, for example in school suspensions, incarceration, and foster care placement.”2 This program will provide stable housing for former foster youth for a period of three year primarily using the HUD Foster Youth to Independence vouchers to pay rent for up to three years. Three years coverage of housing costs provides youth an extended opportunity to utilize their income to set themselves up for a successful future.

[1] https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/PIH/documents/PIH-2019-20.pdf[2] https://voicesofyouthcount.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/VoYC-National-Estimates-Brief-Chapin-Hall-2017.pdf

Youth Resources

Foster Club – the national network for young people in foster care.

Foster Care Alumni of America – For young adults ages 18 and over who have been in foster care.  Stories of former foster youth and information on how to start a support group for former foster youth, as well as information on transforming government policy affecting youth in care.

Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute – Foster Youth Internship Program (FYI) is a highly sought-after congressional internship for young adults who spent time in the foster care system. Almost every year, a Connecticut youth is chosen to participate. Click here to learn more.

National Foster Youth Institute: “NFYI matches foster youth with mentors and provides job readiness training, job shadowing opportunities, and internships in industries within their individual areas of career interest. Additionally, NFYI is working with policymakers to build an education-to-career pipeline for current and former foster youth.”