July 28, 2008

Pembroke Pines (FL) Mayor Frank Ortis, in collaboration with local organizations, has launched a new program to enable youths “aging out” of foster care to receive subsidized housing and ongoing guidance when they are emancipated from state supervision at age 18. Ortis, Broward County Children’s Services Council, Florida’s Department of Children and Families and a local consortium of nonprofit providers are working together to pilot a city-managed Transitional Independent Living residential and support services program.

The odds these youths face are sobering: only one in five former foster youth pursues further education or vocational training after high school; ten percent to 25 percent experience homelessness and 25 percent to 50 percent experience joblessness. Approximately 20 percent of all college students complete college, but fewer than five percent of former foster youth do. Adolescents who spend considerable time in foster care are at higher risk of experiencing poor health and long-term dependency on public assistance.

Youths in foster care in Florida are required to leave foster care on their 18th birthdays, regardless of whether they have completed high school. Recognizing that parenting rarely ends when a child turns 18, and most children receive continued financial support until they reach 25, Florida instituted the Road to Independence program, which provides a monthly stipend of approximately $1,000 to former foster youths who are enrolled in school full-time.

But the day-to-day mentoring component was missing. When the state’s Department of Children and Families approached the city about managing a residential apartment complex for emancipated youths on state-owned property in Pembroke Pines, Ortis was eager to help. “We saw this as a critical opportunity to help young people who are at a turning point in their lives. This city has a history of tackling tough challenges in innovative ways, and I knew we had the resources and a wonderful group of involved citizens to help mentor young adults during this transitional time,” said Ortis.

The Pembroke Pines Transitional Independent Living program, which opened in 2007, gives 20 young adults ages 18 to 23 a stable place to live while they work and go to school. It provides a safe, supported apartment living experience, the opportunity to participate in community self-governance, young professional neighbors as mentors and access to a range of services, including basic life skills training and life coaching.

Residents pay subsidized rent to share furnished two-bedroom duplexes. Many enroll at Broward Community College nearby. The city’s Community Services Department oversees two Pembroke Pines employees and two resident managers who handle day-to-day operations and connect the residents with counseling and other services. Adults from the community who agree to serve as live-in mentors receive subsidized rent.

Programming is designed to help residents become self'sufficient adults. Residents choose from a menu of life skills modules that include career planning, money management, work life and even exercise and cooking classes.

The city also calls upon its extensive network of educational and community partners to enrich this program, including Workforce I, on whose board Ortis serves. Community volunteers organized a “shower” to ensure that new residents have the household products and small appliances that they need. Residents may enroll their children at the city'sponsored Susan B. Anthony Early Childhood Education Center nearby. The Broward County United Way, ChildNet and the Junior League of Greater Fort Lauderdale have also played important roles in developing programming and expanding community support.

Ortis has a successful track record of establishing public-private partnerships to develop a wide range of community programs. Some model programs initiated by the city include a municipally-run charter school system, an 80-acre academic village, 900 units of affordable rental apartments for senior citizens, and a model senior center serving elder citizens from nine cities. Ortis serves on The U.S. Conference of Mayors Advisory Board.