For most of us, December 31st is a time of celebration: New Year’s Eve! That’s not the case this New Year’s Eve, for 3,500 youth who will reach the end of the eligibility for foster care in California.
In April 2020, California authorized youth to remain in foster care past age 21 to protect and assist them during the pandemic. The California State Legislature extended this policy twice, and the deadline has finally arrived: December 31, 2021. It is commonly referred to as the “housing cliff.”
Youth Advocate Christina Torrez aged out of foster care several years ago. Now her sister is facing the housing cliff and she is worried about the challenges she will face as a foster youth, particularly given how the pandemic has impacted education and housing. “I think that foster youth are more at risk during COVID than anyone else,” said Christina.
John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) is stepping in to help. On Thursday, November 4th, JBAY will conduct a statewide training on an available housing resource. The program is the COVID-19 Rent Relief Program, funded by the federal government to help people impacted by the pandemic. In addition to unpaid rent, the program can also pay up to three months of prospective rent.
JBAY is playing a critical role, educating foster youth and their caregivers about this valuable, albeit complex program. “The program literally has over a billion dollars of unspent funding available, but it takes a lot of effort to help foster youth access it,” said Amy Lemley, executive director of JBAY. “We can’t sit by and watch young people become homeless.”
JBAY will conduct the 90-minute training together with LA-based Public Counsel. It will include detailed instructions about how to apply, including screen shots of the on-line application, sample verification forms and answers to frequently asked questions.
According to Lemley, this kind of “translation” of often complex public benefit programs is something that JBAY does well. “People are busy, and they need information that is clear, simple and easy to act on. At JBAY, we are happy to be able to do this and in doing so, keep foster youth safe and secure.”