The Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) was created to protect children and adolescent dependents that are being abused or neglected by their parent(s) (or caretaker). According to an LA County DCFS organization, “172,896 youth were referred to DCFS care in the year 2015,” (lacdcfs.org). According to the DCFS website, in the month of January 2016, there were 12,505 children who were referred with an allegation. Cases ranged from, “Sexual Abuse (1,181), Physical Abuse (2,483), Severe Neglect (195), General Neglect (4,035), Emotional Abuse (1,625), etc.… Upon DCFS intervening, if there was found to be reasonable doubt that abuse or neglect has occurred, a child is then removed from his or her home. If no relative is available for …show more content…
Foster youth became unaccounted for in colleges, higher paying jobs, housing, and the general population. Foster youth were found more in populations such as: the homeless, incarcerated, sex laborers, unemployed, unemployed mothers on welfare, etc.…. “50% of youth who have aged out of foster care end up homeless or incarcerated” (http://kids-alliance.org/facts-stats/). In 1990, UFC developed their College Sponsorship Program (CSP) that assisted eligible foster youth, enrolled in a four year university, with minimally restricted financial support for four to five years. This was the pilot to their program. Aiding students, seemingly without parental support, complete college and become successful. However, less foster youth were going to college due to other circumstances in their life that they endured without …show more content…
In doing so, they developed their transitional housing extension to provide temporary housing (18-24 months) for young adults who emancipated or “aged out” of the foster care system. Even recently, homelessness among foster youth is an epidemic that is increasingly gaining attention. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority recently conducted a homeless count where volunteers surveyed specific areas to gather information on homeless youths. Unlike in past counts, this count identified youths specifically, where past counts did so