Home Away From Foster Home Picks Up Support

Stepping up a campaign to help push foster kids toward independence, Ventura County leaders Tuesday endorsed plans for construction of an apartment house aimed at preparing those youngsters to fend for themselves when they grow out of the state’s care.

Despite looming uncertainty over where the complex will be built, the Board of Supervisors voted to push forward with plans to develop a housing project in the city of Ventura where foster children can live independently while learning how to pay bills, cook meals and master other life skills.

“This will give these youngsters the opportunity to get out on their own and experience real life,” Supervisor Frank Schillo said following the board’s unanimous endorsement.

However, the effort still has one obstacle to overcome.

Recently, Ventura officials ruled out a vacant lot in the downtown district proposed for the six-unit project, saying it does not fit the city’s long-range goals for downtown development. City officials also cited a proliferation of similar facilities in the downtown core.

“We’re not convinced this is the appropriate site,” said Loretta McCarty, a city planner. “We want to work with them to explore alternative sites.”

County officials and others who have worked to pull the project together say they will now concentrate on finding a new site. But project manager David Allen said he fears the city’s decision could doom the effort.

“This is the ideal site,” said Allen, a licensed building contractor and real estate broker who scoured the city before targeting the 9,000-square-foot lot on East Santa Clara Street. “I don’t know if the project is feasible on another site.”

Added Jerry Blesener, deputy director of protective services for the Public Social Services Agency: “The problem is not the concept, the problem is not the commitment, the problem is finding the right site.”

The drive toward self-sufficiency mirrors a nationwide trend to provide training and support to youngsters before they are pushed out of foster homes at age 18.

As envisioned, the six-unit complex--housing 13 kids, 17 and older--would be built and operated by a county-sanctioned nonprofit group. If it proves successful, county officials will consider building another project in eastern Ventura County.

Total costs for the project, as proposed in downtown Ventura, were estimated at about $300,000, with much of the work being done by volunteers.

Already, Ventura County and the cities of Ventura, Port Hueneme and Simi Valley have earmarked $77,000 in federal grant money for the effort. There will be no additional cost to the county for building construction. And once the project is up and running, operating costs will be paid for--at no additional county expense--with money currently used for foster care.

Rhonda Neumann,coordinator of the Independent Living Program for Interface Children, Family Services, said the housing project will be an extension of services her agency provides to foster-care kids.

Already, Interface teaches independent living skills to about 150 foster children countywide.

“I’m excited about the possibilities this will open up,” Neumann said. “The transitional living style of placement would allow them to have actual hands-on experience of living on their own.”

Unlike current foster-care facilities, where in most cases youngsters are pushed out the door when they turn 18, the transitional housing project will be open to foster children as long as they need it.

“We are going to teach them everything from how to floss their teeth to how to fill out tax returns,” Allen said. “We’re going to give them college tuition assistance and provide a career development program. Kids won’t go out on the street until they are ready.”