There are many resources available to transitional aged foster youth, especially in California. They can get on the waiting list for affordable housing.

I have a friend (former foster youth in fact) who has been waiting 8 years. I heard of another foster youth who got into affordable housing a little faster than others, but in Compton, and gets jumped by gangs regularly.

There’s free community college, even for those who haven’t aged out.

And there’s extended foster care options.

These are all great. We believe they are good and needed, but also not enough. As mother Theresa said,

“There’s two kinds of poverty. We have the poverty of material; for example, in some places like in India, Ethiopia and other places, where the people are hungry for a loaf of bread – real hunger.

But there is a much deeper, much greater hunger; and that is the hunger for love, and that terrible loneliness and being unwanted, unloved – being abandoned by everybody.”

The primary focus will be getting the kids adjusted to the program and set up with the essentials. ​

​Some learning may take place simultaneously, depending on urgency, but the general plan will be to focus on the following each month in order.

1st Month – Essential Logistics

• Gather & store essential documents and information
• Connect and apply for any untapped resources
• Fill in essential needs – food, water, clothing, transportation
• Learn how things work and adjust to the culture at Finally Family Homes

2nd Month – Essential Health

• Make any necessary doctor’s visits
• Hygiene education
• Nutrition
• Fitness
• Stress management
• Psychology
• Spirituality

​An essential part of growing up to be successful  includes learning how to set and pursue goals. 

“All successful people have a goal. No one can get anywhere unless he knows where he wants to go and what he wants to be or do.” —Norman Vincent Peale

For teens and especially those who've been in foster care, it's hard to imagine, much less make goals for the future.

So this post will provide guidance and a framework for creating meaningful goals.

This post is the 3rd in a multi-part series on helping your child to succeed at moving out on their own or how to "help your kid move out and stay out."

In my second post, I covered how to manage time well. 

Being good at time management means organizing your time intentionally and prioritizing activities that efficiently advance you towards your goals and honor your values.

Often poor time management comes from a lack of clarity on goals and values. 

When someone brings up essential skills for independent living, time management might not be at the top of your list.

It’s probably not one you would think of until your to do list has gotten out of control.

This post is the 2nd in a multi-part series on helping your child to succeed at moving out on their own or how to "help your kid move out and stay out."

This post covers how to help (ahem) "your child" establish good time management skills. I'll help you get the basics of good time management by sharing

• The definition of time management
• Why good time management skills are important
• Where the crux of the problem lies
• 5 Steps to get on top of your schedule
• 5 Great time management strategies
• 5 Tools to help you be more productive (including a FREE to-do list app)

Maybe you don't feel like you have time to manage your time. Making time for time management is like using a wish to ask for more wishes. It pays off in spades.
​
"You will never find time for anything. If you want time you must make it.” - Charles Buxton

Chances are, if your child is moving out, you'd like them to move out and stay out.  

Not that you don't love them, but you're ready for them to succeed on their own.

This post covers how to know when it's time for your kid to move out, what essential documents you'll need to gather for your child, and how to properly handle those documents. Also covered are the additional documents kids in the foster care system and the adults helping them should gather and store.

This post is the first in a multi-part series, covering how to help your child succeed at moving out on their own.

Whether they are headed to college or not, it's a huge adjustment for all parties involved. The argument could be made that moving off to college is more often a soft transition - with lots of continued help potentially from the parents and school. This article by NYU Child & Adolescent Psychology provides some great tips, in addition to what I'll be sharing, for helping parents and kids manage the psychological impact of transitioning to college. 

​It used to be common practice to move out after high school, at about 18 or 19 years old. And legally, they aren’t entitled to live with you past 18 years old.