Foster youths need help moving on to adulthood

This time next year, Matt Watson hopes to be in an apartment of his own, working toward his college degree at Utah Valley State College.

It's not a dream unlike that of most 18-year-olds, but Watson won't rely on the typical sources to get there.

In and out of foster homes since he was 5, Watson won't be able to do what most teenagers do when it comes time to fly the coop — take all the old linens, kitchen and household items on his way out and rely on mom and dad for much-needed health insurance or excess cash when things get tight.

Instead, Watson and the other 170 or so foster youths who "age out" of the system each year count on the state to fill in the gaps through things such as the Department of Child and Family Services' Transition to Adult Living program and a recently approved extension of Medicaid benefits.

"Any youth who spends a significant amount of time in foster care, the national statistics and the Utah statistics have shown that they need some additional support once they exit care, especially between the ages of 18 and 21," said Pam Russell, Transition's program manager. "Many of our youth who exit care do not have the family support that all of us had, or that safety net."

Foster youth are more likely than their peers to live below the poverty level, have a higher need for medical and mental health services and have higher rates of criminal activity and suicide.

More than half of the state's 2,100 foster youth are eligible for the Transitions program, which was launched in 2003 by former Gov. Olene Walker to teach life skills to young people 14 and older. With subjects ranging from money management to maintaining healthy relationships, the course covers "a wide variety of topics that most youth need to hear repeatedly throughout their adolescence," Russell said.

With a newborn baby and an upcoming wedding, Betty Jo Dohse will take particular advantage of the skills she learned in classes on parenting, decision-making and finding affordable housing.

"It was a pretty good class. It was a lot of fun, not only because you learned a lot, but you met other individuals who were in the same situation you were," said the 18-year-old, who requested to be taken into state custody five years ago amid problems with her mother.

Dohse is also taking advantage of DCFS' most popular resource for foster youth: Education and Training Vouchers funds, which offer teens up to $5,000 for education-related expenses. The money, mostly federal dollars with a 20 percent state match, can be used for everything from transportation to and from school to child care, if necessary.