Housing is daunting for those leaving foster care

For young people across Long Island, the transition to adulthood has become increasingly difficult. Housing costs are high, affordable apartments are scarce — and even young adults with jobs often rely on their parents for help with rent, groceries, transportation and unexpected expenses.

Now imagine making that transition without parents to call. That is the reality facing many young people as they age out of foster care.

We look to 18- or 21-year-olds as though reaching a particular birthday magically creates independence. As a parent of an 18-year-old and a 20-year-old, I know the need for support does not end; it changes. We help our children find apartments, understand leases and navigate their first jobs. We lend them money for a security deposit. We answer the phone when something goes wrong. Sometimes, we give them a bedroom to come home to.

For a young person leaving foster care without a permanent family connection, that safety net may not exist.

On Long Island, an extraordinary shortage of affordable housing makes the challenge even greater. A recent Newsday news division analysis found that applicants for public housing through the Town of Hempstead Housing Authority wait an average of eight years, the longest wait among large public housing authorities in the nation. In Huntington, the average wait is an untenable 18 years, the longest reported anywhere in the country.

For a young person aging out of foster care, waiting years is simply not an option. They need to find a safe, stable place to live as soon as possible.

At Little Flower, we begin preparing young people for adulthood well before they leave care, yet housing remains a significant barrier to independence.

Consider “Emily,” whose name has been changed to protect her privacy. In foster care since age 10, she had completed a vocational program and was earning a decent wage by her 18th birthday. She received financial assistance for housing but had concerns about the safety of several options she was offered. Yet declining them could mean losing her place in line.

Emily faced an impossible choice: to accept housing where she did not feel safe or hold out for something better and potentially wait years.

Her experience illustrates what we see too often. Young people can be ready to work, continue their education, save money and build independent lives, yet have no safe, affordable place to begin. For many, market-rate apartments are simply beyond reach.

Housing instability affects nearly every aspect of life. Without a stable home, keeping a job, continuing an education, and maintaining physical and mental health all become harder.

We need to quicken the pace and increase capacity. That means expanding affordable, supportive housing; strengthening partnerships among government, housing providers and human service organizations; and ensuring young people have the practical skills and ongoing support they need to live independently.

This matters to all of us. With stability and support, young adults can complete their education, enter the workforce and become employees, neighbors, taxpayers, parents and active members of their communities. Helping them succeed is not simply an investment in their future. It is an investment in ours.

A young person’s need for support does not disappear on a birthday.

We would never expect our own children to enter adulthood without ongoing support. Young people leaving foster care deserve the same chance to begin adulthood with something every young person needs: a safe place to call home.

This guest essay reflects the views of Corinne Hammons, president and  CEO of Little Flower Children and Family Services of  New York.