Our agency is committed to providing youth in our care with resources to help
them navigate the world as adults. Our Independent Living Coordinator shares a
variety of knowledge from budgeting to employment interview support to
housing assistance, so every child has an opportunity to plan for the day they
step out into the world as an adult.

Adolescents ages 14-21 who are in substitute care or who have emanciapted from
foster care need consistent assistance from adults they trust in order to acquire
the many life skills that they will need to function “interdependently” in the
community as they are leaving care. They also need to have well established
community supports in place once they emancipate; a “safety net.”

This “safety net” is routinely available to kids not in the foster care system
through consistent, nurturing parents and family. While the ages of 18 and 21
have a magical meaning in our society, the reality is that life is difficult to
navigate even with someone helping you to learn to read a map, gain skills and
grow through mistakes and successes. Foster parents/kinship caregivers do an
exceptional job of working with our youth to gain these skills, as do caseworkers
and our Independent Living Coordinator. However, our kids need the entire
community to help.

If you are age 14 to 21 and have emancipated out of or are currently in foster care,
the Independent Living Program can help you make plans for your future. The
program provides services to assist teens and young adults with the transition
from foster care to independent living.

If you are interested in learning more about Independent Living, call
740-439-5555