Resources

Developed in partnership with the Chief Probation Officers of California, this toolkit equips probation officers to help non-minor dependents (NMDs) secure stable housing—both during extended foster care and as they transition to adulthood. It breaks down available placement options alongside essential California housing supports, including housing vouchers, student housing, Medi-Cal-funded housing programs, affordable housing options, and strategies for navigating local homelessness response systems.

The 2026-27 California state budget includes $900 million for round 7 of the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Program. HHAP provides funding to homeless Continuums of Care, counties, and large cities to support a variety of homelessness interventions. HHAP contains a 10% “youth set-aside” requiring local jurisdictions to invest at least 10% of its funding in addressing homelessness among youth. This fact sheet provides more information about round 7 of HHAP.

California has made significant investments to ensure current and former foster youth can succeed in higher education. The creation of a statewide network of public campus support programs, funded at $68 million annually, is among its most significant achievements. This analysis examines how the Cost of Attendance (COA) adjustment process is functioning across California’s public higher education systems and whether it enables students participating in foster youth campus support programs to access the financial support these programs are designed to provide.

This review examined the transparency of Cost of Attendance (COA) adjustment processes on the publicly available websites of California’s public colleges and universities. Federal financial aid rules allow institutions to adjust a student’s COA when documented educational expenses exceed standard budget estimates. These adjustments can enable students to access financial aid sufficient to meet their expenses.

This guide outlines benefits and resources available to youth and young adults in California based on their status as current or former foster youth. Areas covered include foster care and legal permanency; benefits for parenting foster youth; housing support after foster care; college housing, access, enrollment, and financial aid benefits; mental and physical health benefits; and tax credits.

This webinar walked attendees through a toolkit released by JBAY to assist county child welfare agencies, probation departments, and their partners, providing strategies for increasing the number of current and former foster youth who receive the California Foster Youth Tax Credit (FYTC), including the new county mailing required by Senate Bill 624 (Caballero, 2025).

This toolkit assists county child welfare agencies, probation departments, and their partners, providing strategies for increasing the number of current and former foster youth who receive the California Foster Youth Tax Credit (FYTC), including the new county mailing required by Senate Bill 624 (Caballero, 2025).

This free course, available on the Udemy platform, is a virtual, asynchronous training for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site personnel to learn about the California Foster Youth Tax Credit (FYTC) and how to assist current and former foster youth.

This webinar featured a study from the Transition-Age Youth Research and Evaluation Hub (TAY-Hub), which conducted an analysis linking CalYOUTH and state administrative data to better understand how extended foster care and the types of placements young people receive shape their risk of homelessness.

This “how-to” webinar is to assist those working with California’s foster youth and unaccompanied homeless youth to successfully complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (CADAA). The webinar will review the FAFSA and CADAA, page by page, including detailed instructions on how eligible students can qualify as independent students for the purposes of maximizing financial aid. Presenters will also provide information on key steps to take after the FAFSA or CADAA is completed, such as creating a WebGrants account and claiming a CalKIDS Scholarship. In addition, attendees received important updates on state and federal policies relevant to the financial aid process.