The University of Maryland School of Social Work, National Center for Housing and Child Welfare, and Maryland Department of Human Resources, recently sponsored a symposium at the Eastern Shore Higher Education Center at Chesapeake College entitled, “Housing Symposium: Youth in Transition” to address the housing needs of youth exiting the foster care system in the Mid-Shore. According to research gathered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, it is estimated that 11 to 36 percent of youth who age out of foster care become homeless, and 25 to 50 percent experience unstable housing arrangements after exiting foster care.
Photo: Pictured L to R are speakers at the recent symposium: April Sharp, Thrive@25 Local Project Director; Renee Ensor Pope, Assistant Director of Community Services at Prince George’s County Department of Social Service; Shari Blades, Assistant Director, Talbot County Department of Social Services; Steve Holt, Project Manager, Division of Neighborhood Revitalization, Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development; Linda Webb, Director, Talbot County Department of Social Services; and Julie Lowe, Executive Director, Talbot Interfaith Shelter. Pictured front row, left to right, Ruth White, Executive Director, National Center for Housing and Child Welfare; Cheryl Krebeck, Housing Navigator, National Center for Housing and Child Welfare; and Jeff Williams, Multi-Family Housing Program Director, Rural Development, United States Department of Agriculture.
The symposium brought together community leaders, housing providers and those who provide direct care to youth who are focused on ending youth homelessness on Maryland’s Mid-Shore. Topics covered included housing challenges facing youth, housing solutions through partnerships for transition-aged youth, and the history and purpose of Thrive@25.
Thrive@25 is a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Children and Families and awarded to the University of Maryland School of Social Work in partnership with the Maryland Department of Human Resources, the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare and the five local Mid-Shore Departments of Social Services, to end and prevent homelessness among youth and young adults with current or prior foster care involvement in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s and Talbot counties.
Presentations at the symposium were made by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, the Rural Development Program of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Talbot Interfaith Shelter, the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare, and both the Prince George’s County and Talbot County Departments of Social Services.
Cheryl Krebeck, Housing Navigator for the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare, who organized the symposium, said “It was amazing to see over fifty community members come together today around this important issue. It really does take a village to solve problems like this one.”
“Foster youth tend to mask their homelessness by moving from place to place or staying with different friends instead of finding a permanent housing solution,” explained Renee Ensor Pope, Assistant Director of Community Services at Prince George’s County Department of Social Services. “We can’t be afraid to ask our foster youth where they are sleeping at night.”
On the Mid-Shore, a partnership between the Mid-Shore Departments of Social Services, Main Street Housing, and Thrive@25, has created the Thrive House, a new housing opportunity for transitional youth aging out of foster care. The property is located in Caroline County and includes two two-bedroom apartments. Qualifying renters must be between the ages of 18 and 25 and have a minimum income of $500 a month. Referrals to the property are made by the Mid-Shore Departments of Social Services.
Kate Brittingham of Habitat America Property Management Company shared, “The symposium gave me a different perspective at the other end of the spectrum – youth housing needs on the Eastern Shore. I will be looking at new communication channels to reach this audience of young people through my job.”
For further information about how you can help with transitional housing issues on the Mid-Shore, contact the Program Management Specialist for Thrive@25 at 410-820-5571 or visit www.thrive25md.org.
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