RECOMMENDATION TWO GOAL
Eliminate Homelessness and Housing Instability Among Foster Youth
RECOMMENDATION
Develop a mixed-use, single-site housing model for current and former AB 12 foster youth and other at risk community members. Within this model, create a wellness center and supportive community for residents to utilize as a tool for their personal growth. The program should also incorporate supports for independent living, including training and guidance in financial literacy.
WHY IT’S NEEDED
The 2015 Sonoma County Homeless Count identified 630 homeless transition age youth living on the streets of Sonoma County, 20% of whom (126) reported previous foster care history.30 The combined capacity of Tamayo Village and the Dream Center in Sonoma County is 75 beds. The cohort envisions the Dream Center providing emergency shelter and entry to the continuum. AB 12 eligible youth would then have the option of accessing transitional housing or the Supervised Independent Living Placement (an AB 12 placement option that subsidizes rent in market rate apartments or shared living situations). The permanent supportive housing model proposed by the cohort would then be available to those youth who need additional time to heal from trauma and work towards self-sufficiency. Through wellness-focused, permanent supportive housing, the cohort’s model both responds to the extreme lack of affordable housing stock in Sonoma County and ensures that youth are able to experience the stability necessary to focus on healing and building self-sufficiency, without the “ticking clock” of transitional housing programs.
POTENTIAL FUNDING STREAMS INCLUDE
Land and Buildings: • US Department of Housing and Urban Development • Federal Home Loan Bank • Community Development Block Grant and other block grants • Tax credit programs • Capital campaigns Programming: • Title IV-E (AB 12) / THP-Plus/2011 Realignment / ILS • THP-Plus Foster Care • THP-Plus/2011 Realignment • Independent Living Skills funding • Medi-Cal Early, Periodic Screening Diagnosis and Treatment program (EPSDT) • Mental Health Services Act (MHSA)
