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City Approves Proposal For Youth Transition Home A proposal to transform an abandoned building into a center that helps youth transition out of foster care received support from City Council last week. At its June 2 meeting, the City Council unanimously approved the conversion of the former Palace Hotel in central Long Beach to a foster youth transition home, which will be run by Los Angeles-based nonprofit United Friends of the Children (UFC) and developed by the LINC Housing Corporation. Fourth District Councilman Patrick O’Donnell said he became aware of the issue about 15 years ago after watching a Public Broadcasting Service documentary that detailed the struggle youth undergo after being emancipated from, or aging out of, the foster-care system. “It’s a fact that not all youth at the age of 18 are ready to support themselves, and the statistics bear that out,” O’Donnell said. “…You don’t hear a lot about this issue. So, this is an effort to address the challenge of youth who are unceremoniously released from the foster-care system.” According to UFC President Polly Williams, national statistics indicate that approximately half of former foster youth encounter homelessness and/or chronic unemployment within two years of leaving care, and roughly 1,400 to 1,500 youth in Los Angeles County are emancipated from the system every year. Through its Pathways Transitional Living Program, UFC tries to decrease those statistics by providing young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 an affordable place to stay, where they can gain the necessary skills to live independently. The program UFC will set up at the rehabilitated Palace Hotel will be similar in nature, Williams said. Participants will be required to work and pay rent, in addition to attending weekly life-skills classes as well as regular meetings with their advocacy counselors. “What we are really giving young people is a chance to live in a stable environment and have a family experience to prepare them to go out on their own,” Williams explained. “It’s through a long-term, stable relationship with an adult who cares, that foster youth can overcome the barriers and experiences they faced to go on for independent living.” The average length of stay at the yet-to-be-named transition center will be approximately 18 months. The renovation plan for the Palace Hotel, which is owned by the Long Beach Housing Development Company, is to turn it into 14 studio apartments. According to O’Donnell, there isn’t similar housing currently available for transitional youth in Long Beach. “It’s a strong model based on case management,” O’Donnell said. “There’s reciprocal accountability built into their model… The idea is to secure a bridge to the future. It’s not a handout, but a hand-up.” At the new transition home, a resident manager will live onsite to oversee youth. Williams said participants are taught the importance of being a good neighbor and having respect for their community. “The work of UFC is relationship-based, which we view as the cornerstone of our work with youth,” she continued. “It is the reason we are able to achieve such outstanding outcomes.” According to Williams, 85% of Pathways Program alumni live in permanent housing and 78% are employed. The estimated development cost of the project is $5.8 million, with a projected completion in the summer of 2011. UFC, and most likely its work at the Palace Hotel, is financially supported by individuals, private foundations, corporations and public grants and contracts, Williams said. For more information about United Friends of the Children, visit www.unitedfriends.org.
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