Maricopa County sheriff, HUD
partner to help young adults transition out of foster care
Christopher Roth
Maricopa County Sheriff Paul
Penzone and Chris Patterson, a HUD regional administrator, speak Wednesday.
(Photo: Christopher Roth/The Republic)
The Maricopa County Sheriff's
Office and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on Wednesday
said they will begin working together to help young adults who age out of the
Arizona foster care system when they turn 18.
The agencies will partner on a
program called the Foster Youth to Independence Initiative designed to help
those transitioning out of the system find housing to avoid homelessness and
other issues that can accompany that, said Sheriff Paul Penzone, during a press
conference to announce the effort.
Under the program, HUD will work
to provide housing vouchers for the young adults that will help supplement the
cost of renting an apartment.
"We are thrilled to have the
support of the government, supporting a program that helps foster children, who
are aging out of the system, get them into homes they can call their own. Not
having stable living conditions leads to the probability that they end in the
criminal justice system,'' Penzone said.
Chris Patterson, a HUD regional
administrator, said the effort is a first step in what he sees as an expanding
effort to help keep young adults coming out of foster care off the streets.
"I was in the foster system
as a youth, and I know how important it is to find places for foster kids to
find stable ground once they become adults,'' Patterson said.
"These vouchers demonstrate
HUD'S commitment to making sure these young people will have homes to invite
people into, and it gives them a sense of identity,'' he said.
The Sheriff's Office will work
with HUD in advancing the ongoing effort, though details on how the partnership
will work were limited at Wednesday's press conference.
Angel Peterson was among the
young adults making the transition who attended the event.
"Growing up in foster care,
my group home was more like family than friends. I hope the younger people
without families can look up to me and see that I was a product of the success
of this program,'' Peterson said.
Jillian Clark entered the system
at age 15.
"It was different for me
because growing up you think about what you want to do, and who you want to be,
and for me it was about who I was, and who I want to be. This program will help
me answer those questions."
Penzone said an estimated 15% to
20% of young adults who age out of foster care will experience homelessness.