aging out | Fostering Advocates Arizona

Aging Out of Care: The Beauty

June 12, 2019 by FAAZWebAdmin Leave a Comment

Lori, Mentor and Sora, Young Adult Leadership Board Member

I entered foster care at the age of 15. Like most youth who enter care as a teenager, I bounced around to many placements. As a trans-youth, it was especially hard for me to build connections and find a placement where I would be accepted. DCS struggled to continue to find me new placements. It got so bad that I had to spend my 17th birthday sleeping in an office building because they couldn’t find a placement for me. Fortunately, around this time I entered the THRIVE program and was paired with my mentor, Lori, who provided me with much-needed support to help me as I transitioned out of care.

THRIVE is a mentorship program offered through Arizona’s Children Association. It is designed to provide support to youth ages 16 to 21 who have or will be transitioning out of foster care. THRIVE works with young adults to match them with a mentor based off on their interests.

Lori was not my first mentor in this program. Before her, I was paired with a man who ended up being removed from the THRIVE program because he was not helping the youth who he mentored. When I was told they had a new mentor for me, I was very apprehensive. Like many teens in care, I had trouble trusting that someone was there for me. THRIVE thankfully has a trial period to make it easy for youth to decide that a mentor is or is not a good fit, so I took a leap of faith and met Lori, who has since changed my life.

Lori and I were not the perfect pair when we first met. I thought Lori was loud and obnoxious, and she didn’t understand what it meant to be trans. We disagreed on a lot of things, but we both stuck it out and got through the adjustment period, and she since has become a significant support in my life.

I disrupted from a placement at 17, just a couple months before my 18th birthday. Lori took legal custody over me to make sure I could get back on my feet and has continued to be there for me ever since then. She helps me when I need guidance on things like housing or education, and even if we disagree, I know I always have someone I can reach out to and that Lori will set any disputes aside to be there for me. We celebrate holidays together, Lori and her partner take me out for my birthdays, something I never celebrated while in care, and they treat me like family. Young adults in care may have a lot of support from DCS workers, and other program staff, but we all want that personal relationship that a mentor provides. I am will always be grateful for having Lori in my life to provide just that.

This blog was written by Sora, Young Adult Leadership Board Member for FAAZ. You can read more about Sora here.

Supporting the Transition to Adulthood

September 17, 2018 by FAAZ Blog Leave a Comment

As most children approach age 18, they are excited about new independence and freedoms. For youth in foster care, their 18^th birthday is often a time when the services they relied on the most to survive, come to an end. For many, they lose their support system and find themselves on their own without any connections. With the correct guidance, resources, and connections, this time could be easier for youth in foster care. As a foster parent, you can help ease this transition.

I entered foster care at age 15. Like most older youth, I was first placed in a group home. Fortunately, I was moved to a foster family took after a few months and I stayed with them until was ready to transition. The group home was a difficult place for me to succeed. Due to limited staffing and the desires of the other girls, I often didn’t have time to work on my homework. I also didn’t have access to a computer which made completing many of my assignments quite challenging. This changed when I was placed with a foster family, and later gain admittance to Arizona State University. I was still 17 at the time, and my DCS caseworker was worried about me living in the dorms on my own. With help from my foster parents, I was able to get a judge to sign off on me going straight to ASU and living independently. I also decided to do extended voluntary care and joined the DCS’s Independent Living Program. where I found even more support and resources.

My story is not the norm. Most youth in foster care will not go to college. Many will end up young parents, and many others will end up homeless. I was fortunate enough to have the determination and guidance to succeed. Foster families can help provide this same guidance to the youth they care for.

The first step foster families can take is to care for older youth. Older youth are more likely to be placed in a group care setting vs. family setting. As my story demonstrates, this can be a key factor in a youth succeeding. For me, the group home interfered with my ability to study. Group home restrictions can make it difficult for youth to find jobs and succeed in other areas. Youth may also not receive the individualized guidance they would receive in a family setting.

Foster families should also be informed about the services and resources offered to young adults who have experienced care. The Independent Living Program is one example. Other resources include YATI, tuition waivers, education and training vouchers (ETV), financial literacy training and support through Opportunity Passport™, and more.

Lastly, foster families should recognize, that like a traditional family, the needs of a child do not end at 18. Foster families can continue to stay in contact and offer guidance to youth who have been in their care. My foster family keeps in touch and has invited me to come back for the holidays. While it can still be scary starting out on your own at 18, these simple gestures can help all the difference.

-Nikki, FAAZ YALB member

Natalie’s Opportunity Passport™ Match!

August 21, 2017 by FAAZWebII Leave a Comment

Opportunities come and go, but for Natalie Murillo, her recent opportunity has been taking her places. Natalie purchased a 2012 Honda Accord with the support of the Opportunity Passport™ program. Natalie says she is thankful for the help she got because it would have taken her two to three times longer to save the money she needed to buy her car.

Not only did Natalie save money, she now saves time. “Growing up in the system, you are always on someone else’s time; going to work and appointments.” She shared freedom is a luxury that comes with owning a car. “Now, I am able to choose when and where I want to go,” said Natalie.

With her own savings in hand, Natalie was able to double her money through the program’s match savings funds. Ready to make her purchase, she met with Opportunity Passport Coordinator, Gerardo Novoa. She says Gerardo stayed with her through the entire process, from keeping in touch online until she drove off the dealership car lot. She is very thankful for the funds and support she received through the program and recommends anyone looking to purchase a car using Opportunity Passport stay connected to the staff.

“Keep in touch, one simple email,” she said. Although moving around from time to time can be part of life, Natalie highlighted, the support team from the Opportunity Passport™ program is there for you, not matter what the circumstance.

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