ARTICLE TAG

Amy Lemley

1/24/2019

Report: Extended Foster Care in California Boosts Wealth, Stability

California foster youth who remain in extended foster care after they turn 18 have more savings and are more educated than their peers who exit foster care at 18, according to a report released late last year by the University of Chicago-based research group Chapin Hall.

Youths gather for a discussion.

10/12/2017

One-Third of California Foster Youth Leave Transitional Housing Involuntarily, Report Finds

More than a third of older foster youth in transitional housing placements in California were involuntarily removed, according to a new report. A John Burton Advocates for Youth report looks at how youth in California used the Transitional Housing Placement-Plus (THP-Plus) and THP-Plus Foster Care (THP+FC) programs during the 2016-2017 year and how they fared upon exiting, in addition to other data.

8/29/2016

Child Welfare Advocate Angie Schwartz Leads in Opposition to Family First Act

Last week, several prominent California child welfare experts expressed grave concerns about the Family First Prevention Services Act, ­pending federal legislation that would dramatically change how foster care is paid for.

10/28/2015

California, New York Bet on Foster Youth to Succeed in College

During a packed conference luncheon in Los Angeles on Tuesday, California Community College Chancellor Brice Harris accepted an award from a consortium of foundations, advocacy groups and college-based service centers for foster youth.

4/13/2015

Angel Enters Foster Care through Probation’s Door

A 20-year-old’s saga of abuse, incarceration and heartache illuminates the shadowy intersection of child welfare and juvenile justice. “Like a picture in a magazine.” That’s how Angel’s mother Leah wanted their small townhouse in Pacifica, California, to look.

3/16/2015

$30 Million Proposed to Assist Older Foster and Homeless Youth

A California-based policy shop is asking for a $30 million expansion of the state’s transitional housing program to serve homeless youth and older foster youth with extra challenges. The John Burton Foundation sent a letter to California Assembly Budget Subcommittee Chair Tony Thurmond asking for an increase to the Transitional Housing Program-Plus (THPP), a model designed to house and build the life skills of youth who age out of foster care.

    7/21/2014

    John Burton Foundation Update: Equity Funding & Financial Aid Barriers to Foster Youth

    Every week, I work with my team at The John Burton Foundation to identify what we think are important developments in the field of child welfare and foster care. This week, two that caught my eye were equity funding for foster youth in community college and financial aid barriers for kinship youth.

    4/16/2014

    Number of California Foster Youth Aging Out Cut Nearly in Half, for Now

    The number of foster youth in California who age out at 18 has plummeted in the past two years, suggesting that its federal partnership to expand foster care until 21 has had a significant impact.

    2/13/2014

    California Advocates Push Equal Financial Support for Kinship Caregivers

    A group of child welfare advocates is urging California to level out assistance to relatives caring for children who are removed from their homes. California is the last remaining state that provides no foster care support at all to relatives of children who are not eligible for federal foster care support, according to John Burton Foundation Policy Director Amy Lemley.