San Mateo County awarded $340,677 to provide housing assistance to foster youth aging out of foster care who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
Funding was provided through Housing and Urban Development’s federal Foster Youth to Independence Initiative.
“This is great news because the high cost of housing often forces our foster youth to move once they age out of the system, or too often become homeless,” said Ray Hodges, executive director of the County Housing Authority.
"When these young adults move or become homeless, they often lose connections with friends and support systems," she added.
The grant will provide 15 young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 with vouchers they can use to subsidize their rent.
The subsidy is necessary because fair market rent is $2,631 per month for a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment in San Mateo County. Thus, each participant will receive on average about $1,700 per month in rental assistance.
"It's a monumental challenge for these young people just becoming adults to find any type of affordable housing," said Carole Groom, a member of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors.
“Most have struggled with so many issues and it takes a special kind of resilience to overcome obstacles without a family to support them. I am so grateful that this grant will help us help these deserving young adults,” she said.
Under the terms of the grant, qualifying youth can receive housing assistance for up to 36 months. Youth also receive a range of supportive services through the County Human Services Agency.
Vouchers and support services are seen as key to helping foster youth transitioning out of the system from becoming homeless. Researchers have found that in California, “one of the most significant challenges facing transition-age foster youth is homelessness.”
The county called on anyone interested in becoming a resource family for local foster youth to visit the website https://www.helpsanmateokids.com/foster/ to know how to get started.
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