WKSU: Part 2: Aging out of Foster Care, page 3

The independent living program in Hamilton County was a national model, but was funded by county taxes. In December of 1999, Frazier was invited to the White House to introduce President Clinton as he signed the Foster Care Independence Act , which was designed to provide federal matching dollars for states to extend independent living benefits to foster care graduates until they were 21.

In Cuyahoga County, there are a number of different approaches taken to assist young adults from foster care to independence. The county offers all 16 and 17 year olds in foster care 45 hours of life skills training before they leave custody, and Dave Larsen, the chief of support services for DCFS says after they are 18...there are funds available to help former foster kids through emergencies...

Larsen: Whether it's paying the rent for a month, it might be paying for a special training program. The specific target of our intervention would be to address an immediate emergency, help a kid get back on their feet, and then contract with that kid in a way that links them to some outside service so that they can get ongoing help in the community. So it's a limited support, but for kids in trouble it can be a very important support.

Cuyahoga County also contracted last April with Applewood Centers to provide a supervised group home for young men 16 to 21 who are transitioning to independence but lack family support.

Twelve young men live in this un-assuming light blue house on West 25th Street, and receive job coaching, counseling, and instructions on how to operate a home. Lemuel Stewart is Vice President for Residential Services at Applewood, and says when young men enter the program, he assumes they know nothing...

pictured: Transitional residence home for teen boys on W. 25th St. in Cleveland, Ohio. Operated by Applewood Centers

Stewart: So we teach them from the ground up all those skills. That way we cover everything. So we go all the way from the basics, sweeping and mopping the floors, doing dishes, picking out the proper cleaning supplies and laundry, up through banking, opening a checking and savings account, what that does for you, balancing a budget, developing a budget, and on through job training, job placement, and then working.