AUSTIN, Texas — Roughly one in three young people who have spent time in Texas’ foster care system experience homelessness by age 21. To address what local leaders describe as a “foster care to homelessness pipeline,” a regional task force has developed a ten-step plan aimed at ensuring those aging out of the system have stable housing and community support.
The plan, announced Thursday morning, focuses on expanding access to federal funding, improving coordination among local agencies, and strengthening transition services for foster youth.
“It’s not just because people don’t have a place to shelter once we say you’re no longer in the foster care system,” said Austin Mayor Kirk Watson. “It’s because the foster care system fails them in preparing them, and there’s a whole lot of detail to that.”
According to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, approximately 1,451 children are currently in foster care in the Austin region. Research indicates many of them will face housing insecurity or homelessness after they leave state care. Travis County Judge Aurora Martinez Jones, who serves on the task force, emphasized the importance of community involvement once young people age out of foster care.
ALSO| Parents urged to follow Halloween safety tips as police highlight trick-or-treating risks
“What chance do they have when the whole state of Texas isn’t their decision maker anymore?” she said. “The hard work that happens at our Capitol, with our Legislature, can only do so much because it takes people who are in the community with boots on the ground.”
The first three steps of the task force’s plan call for raising additional federal dollars to expand the Foster Youth to Independence Voucher program, which provides housing assistance and services to former foster youth. Other steps include establishing a community-based transition hub, expanding housing options, and requesting additional support from the state legislature. David Gray, the City of Austin’s Homeless Strategy Officer, highlighted the collaboration that made the plan possible.
“I know some people say the city, county, and state can’t play together — well, we did with this task force,” Gray said. “We brought together those partners as well as folks from philanthropy and affordable housing advocacy organizations.”
Task force members are encouraging Austinites with experience accessing federal housing funds to contact the city’s Homeless Strategies and Operations office to assist in implementing the plan. Officials said the ultimate goal is to reduce homelessness among former foster youth in Austin and Travis County — and ensure that more young people leaving foster care have the resources they need to build independent, stable lives.