Transition
Age
Youth
Transition
Aged
Youth
(TAY)
are
youth
and
young
adults
ages
16‐24
who
are
in
a
state
of
transition
from
state
custody
or
foster
care
to
independence
or
who
are
homeless
or
runaway.
The
majority
of
TAY
do
not
have
access
to
positive
family
support
making
them
especially
vulnerable
when
compared
to
the
general
population
of
youth
and
young
adults.
San
Diego
County
Health
&
Human
Services
Agency
(HHSA)
provided
data
on
three
TAY
subpopulations:
1. 596
foster
youth
ages
16‐19
on
3/3/2011
(296
females)
2. 82
out‐of‐home
(i.e.
living
with
a
foster
family)
probation
youth
ages
16‐19
on
3/3/2011
(23
females)
3. 1,535
former
foster
youth
who
emancipated
or
reached
age
of
majority
in
the
last
5
years
(approx.
767
females)
Combined,
these
three
subpopulation
create
a
fully
documented
Countywide
TAY
population
(ages
16‐
24),
of
approximately
2,200
as
of
March
2011.
Approximately
50
percent
of
transition
aged
foster
youth
are
females.
However,
fewer
than
30
percent
of
“out
of
home
placement”
youth
were
girls.
It
can
be
estimated
that
approximately
50
percent
of
the
emancipated
youth
are
females.
Table A: Distribution of Foster Youth ages 16-19 by Region of Placement and Ethnicity on 3/3/2011
Source: Data tables produced and provided by San Diego County Health & Human Services Agency
Child Welfare Services Data & QA Unit
HHSA Region
Central
Total
Female
Native
American
Male
Black
Hispanic
Asian/Pacific
Islander
White
100
55
45
4
41
29
6
20
East
96
49
47
1
26
24
4
41
North Central
51
19
32
1
14
12
2
22
North Coastal
28
11
17
0
4
8
1
15
North Inland1
146
75
71
6
37
23
8
72
Out of County
49
26
23
3
17
13
1
15
South
126
61
65
2
21
68
6
29
Total
596
296
300
17
160
177
28
214
49.7%
50.3%
2.8%
26.8%
29.6%
4.6%
35.9%
Percentages
Table B: Out of Home Probation Youth ages 16-19 by Region of Placement and Ethnicity on 3/3/2011
Source: Data tables produced and provided by San Diego County Health & Human Services Agency
Child Welfare Services Data & QA Unit
HHSA Region
Total
Female
11
6
5
5
3
2
North Central
12
3
9
North Coastal
6
1
5
41
9
South
3
1
2
Total
82
Central
East
North Inland
Out of County
Percentages
1
4
Male
Black
6
Asian/Pacific
Islander
0
Hispanic
1
0
3
2
3
1
5
3
1
0
4
1
4
1
0
0
3
32
10
3
16
12
0
2
1
23
59
21
4
34
23
28%
72%
25.6%
4.8%
41.4%
28%
The majority (130) of the foster youth placed in North Inland are in San Pasqual Academy
1
White
4
Nash
&
Associates
2011
Table C: Foster Cases Closed for Reason of Emancipation/Age of Majority 2005-2010
by Region of Last Placement
Source: Data tables produced and provided by San Diego County Health & Human Services Agency
Child Welfare Services Data & QA Unit
Year of Case Closure
HHSA Region
2009
2008
2007
2005
2005-2010
Central
2010
64
50
65
40
45
46
310
East
51
44
48
50
39
49
281
North Central
31
52
52
39
33
29
236
North Coastal
17
19
23
13
18
19
109
North Inland
41
56
62
46
38
27
270
Out of County
15
18
24
18
18
19
112
South
32
52
44
27
35
24
214
1
-
-
1
1
-
3
252
291
318
234
227
213
1,535
Missing/Partial
Total
2006
While
it
is
visibly
evident
that
there
are
large
numbers
of
homeless
and
runaway
youth
in
areas
such
as
downtown
San
Diego,
Pacific
Beach
and
Ocean
Beach
there
is
currently
no
means
of
accurately
calculating
the
numbers
or
geographic
distribution
of
homeless
and
runaway
youth
within
the
region
–
or
of
knowing
what
number
or
percentage
are
female.
However,
the
2010
Regional
Homeless
Profile2
produced
by
the
Regional
Taskforce
on
Homelessness
in
San
Diego
gives
some
indication
of
the
problem:
• California
is
ranked
49th
State
in
the
nation
(1st
is
best
50th
is
worst)
for
child
homelessness.
The
number
of
homeless
children
in
California
was
counted
as
292,624.
3
• In
2008,
the
California
Dept.
of
Justice
reported
7,587
youth
as
runaways
in
San
Diego
County.
• There
were
8,574
homeless
individuals
Countywide
measured
through
the
2010
point
in
time
count
of
which
4,597
(53.6
percent)
were
counted
in
the
City
of
San
Diego.
Children
under
18
were
not
included
in
the
street
count,
however
15.4%
of
those
in
emergency
shelter
were
children
and
27
percent
of
those
in
transitional
housing.
Young
adults
(defined
as
18
to
29)
represented
11.2
percent
of
the
street
homeless,
15.4
percent
of
those
in
emergency
shelters
and
13.6%
of
those
in
transitional
housing.
• In
September
2010,
the
San
Diego
Downtown
Partnership
teamed
up
with
Common
Ground
to
administer
an
extensive
survey
and
create
a
registry
of
everyone
experiencing
homelessness
on
the
streets
downtown.
The
vast
majority
of
street
homeless
surveyed
through
this
effort,
737
or
71
percent
were
identified
and
surveyed
in
450
blocks.
The
majority
were
male
(78
percent)
and
only
34
(4
percent)
were
under
25
with
the
youngest
being
16.
120
(16
percent)
respondents
reported
having
a
history
of
foster
care.
2
3
http://www.rtfhsd.org/pdf/RHP_2010-FINAL.pdf
The National Center on Family Homelessnesshttp://www.homelesschildrenamerica.org/pdf/report_cards
2
Nash
&
Associates
2011
San
Diego’s
Transition
Aged
Youth
(TAY)
population
is
a
distinct
population
with
extraordinary
needs.
They
are
vulnerable
because
they
are
moving
through
a
period
in
their
lives
wrought
with
changes
and
challenges,
physical,
emotional,
financial,
psychological
and
social.
Yet
according
to
“Transitional
Age
Youth:
Navigating
a
Difficult
Course
To
Independent
Living”
a
Report
to
the
San
Diego
County
Grand
Jury
filed
in
May
2010,
almost
70
percent
of
the
young
adults
in
foster
care
system
age
out
with
no
family
support
and
few
skills
to
survive
adequately
on
their
own.
This
lack
of
support
is
often
compounded
by
other
challenges
such
as:
• Mental
health
needs
–
The
majority,
if
not
all,
TAY
have
experienced
significant
abandonment,
abuse
and
neglect
and
as
a
result
often
have
acute,
and
possibly
untreated,
mental
health
needs.
Studies
show
that
up
to
85
percent4
of
current
or
former
foster
youth
have
serious
mental
health
issues
—
compared
with
the
8
percent
of
youth
in
the
general
population
who
suffer
from
serious
mental
illness.5
A
2006
study
found
that
adolescents
who
had
been
in
foster
care
at
some
point
in
their
lives
were
almost
four
times
as
likely
as
other
adolescents
to
have
attempted
suicide
and
more
than
twice
as
likely
to
have
thought
seriously
about
killing
themselves
in
the
previous
12
months.6
• Substance
abuse
–
Foster
youth
are
at
higher
risk
for
substance
abuse
due
to
personal
histories
of
trauma
and
abuse,
lack
of
access
to
health
services,
peer
pressure
and
poor
decision
making
and
critical
thinking
skills.
• Healthcare
needs
–The
Director
of
San
Diego
County
Mental
Health
Services,
Alfredo
Aguirre,
identified
“connection
to
a
medical
home”
as
a
priority
need
for
emancipated
foster
youth.
National
data
also
indicates
that
30
percent
of
former
foster
youth
lack
medical
insurance.7
• Housing
needs
–
Once
they
turn
18
or
achieve
emancipation,
TAY
often
struggle
to
find
and
maintain
stable
affordable
housing.
In
California,
in
any
given
year,
foster
children
comprise
less
than
0.3
percent
of
the
state's
population,
and
yet
40
percent
of
persons
living
in
homeless
4
Marsenich, Lynn, Evidence-Based Practices In Mental Health Services for Foster Youth, California Institute for Mental Health
(March 2002) at 24 (available online at http://www.cimh.org/downloads/Fostercaremanual.pdf). The wide variation is
due to the different instruments used to measure mental health problems. For example, see Casey Family Programs,
Young Adult Survey 2006 ( [a] disproportionate number of respondents had mental health problems. Almost one-fourth
(23.0%) of the young adults were experiencing a clinically significant level of mental health symptoms according to a
global measure, while over one third (36.0%) were considered to be a positive case for having mental health
problems‖). The survey also found that half (49.4%) had alcohol problems (available online at
http://www.casey.org/Resources/Publications/pdf/CaseyYoungAdultSurvey2006_FR.pdf). See also Child Trends
Research Brief Publication 2003-23 (Dec. 2003) (available online at
http://www.childtrends.org/files/FosterHomesRB.pdf), which estimates that 40% of 11–14-year-olds in foster care and
47% of 6–11-year-olds in foster care have a clinical level of behavioral or emotional problems.
See also Casey Family Programs, Improving Family Foster Care: Findings from the Northwest Foster Care Alumni Study (2005),
finding that within the previous 12 months, more than half of the alumni (54.4%) had clinical levels of at least one
mental health problem and one in five (19.9%) had three or more mental health problems (available online at
http://www.casey.org/Resources/Publications/pdf/ImprovingFamilyFosterCare_FR.pdf).
5
This statistic is an average taken from statistics on the California Department of Mental Health website
(http://www.dmh.cahwnet.gov/Statistics_
and_Data_Analysis/CNE2/Calif_CD/q5asr_htm/California/q5asr2k_wsmi01_ca000_p0.xls.
6
Pilowsky, D.J. and L.T. Wu. Psychiatric Symptoms and Substance Use Disorders in a Nationally Representative Sample of American
Adolescents involved with Foster Care, JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENT HEALTH 38(4) (2006) at 351–358.
7
www.fostercaremonth.org and New America Media
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.hmtl?article_id=...
3
Nash
&
Associates
2011
•
•
shelters
are
former
foster
children.8
National
data
indicates
that
within
two
to
four
years
after
aging
out
of
foster
care,
40
percent
of
youth
are
homeless.9
Insufficient
number
of
transitional
housing
beds,
high
rental
costs,
lack
of
resources
to
meet
first/last
month
rent
and
security
deposit
requirements,
and
the
reluctance
of
some
landlords
to
rent
to
younger
tenants
are
all
factors
that
contribute
to
a
housing
crisis
for
this
population.
Further,
one
of
the
challenges
identified
during
the
planning
process
was
that
many
youth
struggle
to
meet
the
condition
of
housing
requirement
for
them
to
have
at
least
32
hours
of
productive
time
(enrollment
in
an
educational
or
work
readiness
program,
community
service
or
employment).
Employment
needs
–
By
all
accounts
securing
employment
is
a
priority
for
TAY
yet
this
is
another
area
fraught
with
challenges.
Even
in
the
best
of
times
young
people
as
a
whole
face
higher
unemployment
rates
than
adults,
and
minority
youth
consistently
have
higher
unemployment
rates
than
white
youth.
The
November
2010
national
youth
(16‐19)
unemployment
rate
was
22.5
percent,
for
Black
youth
the
rate
was
an
astounding
46.3
percent
with
a
30
percent
rate
for
Hispanic
youth.10
Considering
that
TAY
are
likely
to
enter
the
job
market
without
some
of
the
education
or
family
support
advantaged
available
to
other
youth
it
is
not
surprising
that
national
experts
estimate
unemployment
rates
for
former
foster
youth
in
excess
of
50
percent.11
Special
educational
needs
and
struggles
relating
to
academic
success
and
completion
of
high
school
‐
Research
has
shown
that
foster
children
perform
one
to
two
grade
levels
below
their
age
mates
in
reading
and
math.
In
addition,
they
have
higher
rates
of
grade
retention,
higher
dropout
rates,
lower
scores
on
standardized
tests,
higher
absentee
and
truancy
rates,
lower
graduation
and
GED
completion
rates;
and
are
placed
in
special
education
at
higher
rates.
A
literature
review
conducted
as
part
of
planning
for
the
TAY
Academy
surfaced
several
articles
that
discussed
challenges
within
the
current
system
of
services
to
transition
aged
foster
youth
and
homeless
youth.
One
of
these
challenges
includes
inadequacies
in
the
current
approach
to
teaching
Independent
Living
Skills
(ILS).
Former
foster
youth
describe
a
frustrating
paradox
where
they
have
little
or
no
opportunity
to
practice
skills
of
self‐determination
while
in
care,
but
are
expected
to
suddenly
be
able
to
control
and
direct
their
own
lives
once
they
are
emancipated.
County
sponsored
ILS
programs
offered
by
several
partner
agencies
throughout
San
Diego,
include
workshops
on
topics
such
as
Daily
living
skills;
Money
management;
Decision
making;
Building
self‐esteem;
and
Financial
assistance
with
college
or
vocational
schools.
However,
not
all
youth
take
part
in
the
ILS
program.
As
indicated
in
the
May
2010
report
filed
with
the
San
Diego
County
Grand
Jury
Finding
01
–
“Many
TAY
do
not
obtain
necessary
transition
training
because
they
are
reluctant
to
volunteer
for
this
training.”
12
Further,
while
participation
in
ILS
classes
can
be
useful
even
the
strongest
proponents
would
hesitate
to
argue
that
such
classes
alone
could
prepare
youth
to
be
self‐sufficient,
contributing
members
of
society.
The
majority
of
TAY
services,
such
as
ILS
and
TH‐Plus,
are
funded
through
government
sources,
and
authorized
and
governed
by
legislations
such
as
the
Foster
Care
Independence
Act
of
1999.
As
such
there
is
limited
flexibility
in
how
programs
can
be
delivered
and
success
is
measured
in
terms
of
how
8
Nixon, R. (1999). Testimony before the House Committee on Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Resources:
Hearing on challenges confronting children again out of foster care, March 9, 1999.
9
Information from www.fostercaremonth.org. and New America Media 10
Bureau of Labor Statistics - http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.toc.htm
11
Information from www.fostercaremonth.org and New America Media 12
http://www.sdcounty.ca.gov/grandjury/reports/2009-2010/TransationalAgeYouth.pdf
4
Nash
&
Associates
2011
many
units
of
service
were
provided
as
opposed
to
whether
a
young
person
can
demonstrate
or
profess
confidence
in
a
specific
skill.
Independently
funded
programs
such
as
The
TAY
Academy
presentsa
unique
opportunity
to
provide
TAY
with
a
means
of
developing
many
of
the
skills
needed
to
live
independently
through
the
management
and
operation
of
a
drop‐in‐center
as
well
as
through
scheduled
workshops
and
programs
that
could
focus
on
concentrated
hands
on
skill
development
–
for
example
youth
suggested
that
classes
on
how
to
cook
healthy
inexpensive
meals
would
be
popular
and
practical.
Organizations
currently
engaged
in
serving
Transition
Aged
Youth
Type
of
Partner
Government
agency
Organizations
County
of
San
Diego
Health
&
Human
Services
Agency
(HHSA)
Child
Welfare
Services
(CWS)
Mental
Health
Services
(MHS)
County
of
San
Diego
Probation
–
Juvenile
Services
San
Diego
County
Commission
on
Children
Youth
&
Families
(CCYF)
San
Diego
County
Office
of
Education
(SDCOE)
Local
school
districts
Local
Educational
Authority
(LEA)
Non‐profit
San
Diego
Youth
Services
(including
TAY
Academy)
organizations
Casey
Family
Programs
Just
in
Time,
Inc.
Providence
Community
Services
Alex
Smith
Foundation
Family
Health
Centers
of
San
Diego
Shakti
Rising
Outdoor
Outreach
Second
Chance
Strive
Wahupa
Educational
Services
5
Nash
&
Associates
2011