State Guidance Released on Extension of THP-Plus from 2 to 3 Years for Youth Up Until Turning 25

The California Department of Social Services has released an All County Letter (ACL) describing the policy changes to the Transitional Housing Program-Plus (THP-Plus) for former foster youth which took effect July 1, 2022. The length of the program has been increased from 24 to 36 months for all THP-Plus-eligible youth. Additionally, youth may participate until they turn 25 instead of 24.

These changes, championed by Assemblymember Phil Ting, were made in the state’s 2022 Human Services Omnibus bill, AB 187, accompanied by a $25.3 million investment in the state budget for the Transitional Housing Program, a source of funding for THP-Plus that is administered by the California Department of Housing and Community Development.

THP-Plus is administered by county child welfare agencies, providing supportive, transitional housing to approximately 1,300 former foster and probation youth. THP-Plus was previously a 24-month program for youth up until turning 24. There was an optional one-year extension that counties could offer youth enrolled in school. As described in the ACL, AB 187 eliminated the optional extension for youth in school, turning THP-Plus into a 36-month program for all THP-Plus-eligible youth up until turning 25, regardless of their county or whether or not they are students.

The ACL explains that while these changes apply to all existing and incoming THP-Plus participants, previous participants who are under age 25 and who exited THP-Plus due to the initial program limits may have the opportunity to partake in the program for an additional year. 

New Report Highlights Challenge of Housing Affordability for Foster Youth Placed in a Supervised Independent Living Placement (SILP)

John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) has issued a new publication, featuring the lived experience of young people placed in a Supervised Independent Living Placement (SILP). The publication is a companion document to Assembly Bill (AB) 525, authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting, which proposes to increase the foster care rate for youth living in a SILP based on the local cost of housing.

The five young people featured live in different parts of California: Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Bakersfield. They include young parents, college students and full-time workers. Through their stories, the publication documents how they share a common challenge in their transition from foster care: housing affordability.

In addition to the experiences of these five young people, the publication lays out the case for increasing the rate of the SILP based on the local cost of housing, an approach that has been successful for the Transitional Housing Placement for Non-Minor Dependents. For more information and to read the full publication, follow this link. 

All County Information Notice Announces Transitional Independent Living Plan (TILP) Revisions that Expand College Planning Requirements

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) released All County Information Notice (ACIN) No. I-08-23 to inform counties that the Transitional Independent Living Plan (TILP) has recently been revised to better support the postsecondary educational goals of youth in the foster care system and the new version should be used effective immediately.

California State Law requires all county child welfare agencies to complete a TILP for all foster youth, age 16 and older, every 6 months. The TILP serves as the central case planning tool for older foster youth to help prepare them for self-sufficiency. The newly updated form includes information notifying every foster youth that is age 16 or older that they are entitled to receive assistance from their social worker or probation officer in identifying a person to assist them with applying to postsecondary education, including career and technical education, and financial aid.

This right was made possible through the passage of Senate Bill 12, which went into effect January 1, 2018. The updated form also requires at least one postsecondary education support person to be listed as well as the youth’s Educational Rights Holder. Lastly, this form now requires the signature of the supervisor of the social worker or probation officer completing the form.

In addition, this ACIN provides instructions for utilizing the revised TILP and best practices for postsecondary education planning. This includes guidance on ensuring that goals and activities in the TILP are tailored specific to the youth’s needs and written in a manner that is clear and easy to understand. Lastly, the ACIN states that it is best practice to engage in conversations about a youth’s interests and goals related to postsecondary education often and ongoing as their plans may change over time. ACIN No. I-08-23 can be found here. 

National Partnership for Student Success Seeks Partners in Student Success Campaign

Created in response to President Biden’s call to help students recover and thrive, the National Partnership for Student Success is a three-year public-private effort that is bringing together experienced organizations to recruit, screen, train, support, and engage an additional 250,000 caring adults in roles serving as tutors, mentors, student success coaches, wraparound service coordinators, and post-secondary transition coaches. This includes encouraging college campuses to dedicate federal work study dollars to support college students engaged in community service, particularly those reaching back to work with K-12 students or serving as navigators for their campus peers.

The campaign is currently gathering baseline data about the numbers of adults providing these supports now, and what services are being offered. Youth-serving programs are being asked to complete a survey that describes the scale and types of services currently provided. The Department of Education is particularly interested in hearing from campuses who have used public and/or private funding to offer tutoring, mentoring, post-secondary transition coaching, or success coaching to support students with experience in foster care, juvenile justice, or homelessness. The survey can be completed at this link before March 31. Organizations, individuals, schools, colleges and universities can also sign up to join this effort and learn more here.

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