Have an extra room to rent? Earn some extra rent and do good for a young person in need.
Ohana has been awarded a contract through the Department of Child Safety for youth who have aged out of the foster care system. These youth are vetted and hand-picked to be ready for independent living. This program provides room & board and supportive services along with support to help with life skills needed for independence. This can include assistance in jobs training, locating permanent housing, and education services. Ohana is looking for host homes throughout all of Maricopa County!
Here are some of the details:
Month-to-month agreement (Typical duration is 12-24 months)
Ages: 18-20
Male or Female (up to host home)
Youth adult has been screened for safety and fit
Bathroom can be shared by home or designated for young adult
Host homes will have opportunities to meet young adult prior to move-in
Onsite orientation provided to host family
Supportive services provided by Ohana for young adult
Young adult has weekly support from Ohana
Young adult is provided with monthly allowance for food and transportation
Food: Young adult is typically labeled within the home fridge or host home provides its own mini fridge for that room
Additional house-specific expectations can be created by the host family (For example: quiet hours; what is not permitted)
General specific restrictions for all young adults in the program:
No consumption of alcohol in the home
No consumption of illegal drugs or smoking
No weapons
No overnight guests
No gang-related items
No indoor pets
The research shows...
“Aging out” is essentially when a youth does not get placed with a foster family, kin or adoptive family by the time they are 18. They now have the choice to stay under the state's custody in a more independent structure, or try things on their own. Most of the time, these services consist of a continued group home setting with the state giving a subsidy each month. These solutions have not been effective, and we firmly believe our new approach will be the change that is needed.
14,000
youth are in the Arizona foster care system
1,000
of those youth will age out of foster care this year
25%
of aged-out foster kids will become instantly homeless
Only 50%
of aged-out foster kids will be employed at age 24
$7,500
is the average annual salary of those with a job at age 24
30%
of aged-out foster youth will be arrested
Only 3%
of aged-out youth will gain a college degree, compared to over 33% of their non-foster care peers
7 out of 10
girls who age out of foster care will become pregnant by age 21
Requirement: Host homes must provide a welcoming and hospitable environment.