Transitional Housing Programs
Transitional Housing Programs (THP) provide apartment living support and oversight to young adults who are currently in or who have recently left the foster care system.
Youth for Change assists young adults participating in THP programs with apartment searching, co-signing, deposit and funding. Social workers assist youth in creating monthly budgets, paying rent and bills (PG&E, phone, etc.), grocery shopping, maintaining apartments, scheduling and maintaining appointments, applying for jobs and completing high school or attending higher education settings.
Roommates are allowed and must be fingerprinted; they also must have an income in order to split the expenses with the THP youth.
How does it work?
With the support of a YFC foster care social worker, and the county social worker, a teenager will apply for the program and begin the process of locating housing. Once housing is obtained, the youth will begin receiving funding and weekly guidance from the THP team.
THP youth receive 2 checks a month, dispersed on the 30th and the 15th. Agency social workers will assist youth in cashing their checks and managing their money for rent, utilities and food shopping. This will continue until the youth feels comfortable and has shown responsibility in taking care of monthly expenses. Any additional monies will be set aside in a savings in trust account to be managed by the agency and dispersed upon exit from the program.
THP-M youth will need to live on the same property with an approved foster parent who will act as the mentor. An approved foster parent-mentor will have completed the full approval process through YFC.
THP-M (ages 16-18)
THP-NMD (ages 18-21)
THP-Plus (ages 21-24)
Who is eligible?
THP-M and THP-NMD programs serve youth who are currently dependents of the State of California. THP Plus participants are young adults who were in foster care on or after their 18th birthday. THP Plus participants are eligible for participation up to 24 months or until their 24th birthday.