The Dane County Department of Human Services announced a transitional living program earlier this month for young adults who age out of foster care.
According to a March 6 press release, the county’s Adult Transitional Living program aims to prevent youth homelessness of children leaving foster care in partnership with the Madison/Dane County Youth Homeless Demonstration Project and Urban Triage.
The building, located along Roth Street on Madison’s north side, will shelter adults aged 18-21 and provide social services to help its residents find permanent housing, according to the press release. The building will include nine bedrooms, two-and-a-half bathrooms, a full kitchen and living and dining areas.
Dane County Executive Joe Parisi said in a press release that young people deserve “a safe and stable home environment as they make the transition from foster care to the community.”
“This will make a tremendous difference in the lives of young adults as they learn how to prepare for the workforce, manage finances, connect to stable housing [and] care for their health, all while building a network of support,” Parisi said.
In addition to housing, the building will include an in-house mentor, case manager, housing navigator and peer support specialist to ease the transition from foster care to society.
Staff will provide services including employment readiness, financial literacy, housing navigation, education on healthy relationships and transportation support, according to the press release.
Between one-fourth to one-third of homeless youth and young adults had a history of foster care placement, according to the University of Chicago’s Voices of Youth Count initiative. Roughly 8,000 Wisconsin children are in foster care at any given time, according to the county human services department.
The program aims to move residents to safe, permanent housing within two years of entering transitional housing, according to the press release.
Bryna Goeking is an arts editor for The Daily Cardinal.
