Housing

John Burton Advocates for Youth successfully advocated for the passage of Assembly Bill 12 (AB12), which expanded foster care from age 18 to age 21 in 2010. Since then, the organization has sponsored additional legislation to improve and expand access to the program. John Burton Advocates for Youth continues to ensure that extended foster care remains implemented as intended through policy advocacy and the training of local county administrators and providers. Learn more about the California Fostering Connections to Success Act and Extended Foster Care HERE.

John Burton Advocates for Youth works to expand access to the one publicly funded housing program for former foster youth: THP-Plus, and has been successful in expanding the program budget from $1.3 million in 2006 to $35.6 million in 2016. Follow this link to find safe, affordable housing for youth currently in foster care as well as for those formerly in foster care in California. In 2018, John Burton Advocates for Youth successfully advocated for a $25 million investment in addressing youth homelessness.

John Burton Advocates for Youth works to improve the quality of housing for current and former foster youth by providing regular training and technical assistance for housing providers. John Burton Advocates for Youth recently launched the “Beyond the Safety Net” Initiative, which is an effort to improve college outcomes among youth in transitional housing for current and former foster youth and homeless youth. Email [email protected] for more information.

John Burton Advocates for Youth developed and administers the Transitional Housing Participant Tracking System. This data system was developed by John Burton Advocates for Youth in 2008 and stores individual records of current and former foster youth, age 18 to 24, who participate in the California’s transitional housing program. Data on 1,487 current and former foster youth are currently being entered into the tracking system, and to date, the tracking system contains data on over 6,500 youth. Follow this link to learn more about the Transitional Housing Participant Tracking System.

John Burton Advocates for Youth works to create permanent, affordable housing for former foster youth through partnerships with the non-profit and for-profit housing development community. John Burton Advocates for Youth has partnered with the Booker T. Washington Community Center in the creation of 24 units for transition-age youth at risk of homelessness; 16 of these units will be for former foster youth. We are also working with additional developers to create up to 50 additional set-aside units in San Francisco.