Aging Out Housing Program
The transition to adulthood can be a difficult one. Beginning in spring 2025, Southern Cross Campus Inc will be providing a program to house youth who have aged out of the foster care system.
What is Aging Out?
Foster Care is a system designed to help children under the age of 18 to find the housing and care that they need. When a child in the foster system turns 18 years of age, they stop recieving benefits from the foster care system. This is known as “aging out” of the foster care system.
If a youth had been placed with a foster family, that family may choose to let them remain living with them after aging out. However, many foster children find themselves in the position where they no longer have a place to call home and have to make a very quick transition into adulthood. Southern Cross Campus Inc is helping to smooth this transition by offering housing and services specifically to youth who have aged out of the foster care system.
What Does Our Aging Out Housing Program Do?
Southern Cross Campus Inc, will be providing youth who have aged out of foster care system with housing and supplemental services to help them learn how to be an independent adult. Youth will recieve:
- A fully-furnished apartment with a single-occupancy bedroom.
- Weekly check-ins from Southern Cross Campus Inc staff to make sure that the youth have everything that they need.
- Assistance learning life skills and connecting with appropriate programs.
Youth will live on their own with their roommates as they learn the ins and outs of adult life. Southern Cross Campus Inc staff will be there to help guide them and provide resources so that they will never have to feel alone.
Who Does Our Aging Out Housing Program Serve?
Our program will be serving youth ages 18 to 21 who have aged out of the foster care system. Housing will be provided both to single youth and youth who are parenting young children. Placements will be determined with assistance from local housing and child welfare agencies.
The first homes that are being opened to our Aging Out Housing Program will be located in Charlotte County, Florida. Youth from this area will be given priority. As our program progresses, we will likely have homes in other areas as well. Feel free to contact us for information.
How You Can Help Aging Out Youth
We need you! Southern Cross Campus Inc is taking donations to help furnish the homes for youth aging out of the foster care system. We are accepting both monitary donations and donations of new or like-new items. See the list below to find out what items we need (to print the list click here ).
We also have an Amazon Wish List to make it easy to donate the items that our aging out foster youth need! Purchase the items from the comfort of your home and Amazon will ship the items right to us.
If you have questions or would like to donate items, please contact info@southerncrosscampus.org . Southern Cross Campus Inc is an official 501(c)3 non-profit organization and all donations are tax-deductible.
Scroll in box to see list!