Growing up is hard, and family isn’t always easy. As tensions build between family members, communication becomes more complex, and frustration can accumulate to the point where the household is no longer a healthy living environment. Sometimes, family tensions can become so strained that running away seems like the only option. It could also be that a child gets kicked out of the house, abandoned, or left with nowhere to go. Thousands of young people under 18 are homeless yearly in the United States.
Luckily the U.S government has provided funding for emergency shelter programs for homeless individuals under the age of 18 who cannot return home. The 1988 Amendments to the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention act of 1975 saw the creation of the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB), which established the first transitional living programs in the country. But what exactly are these programs? Who were they created for? And what services do they provide?
What Is a Transitional Living Program?
Transitional living programs are designed for young adults who require stable, safe living accommodations that can provide shelter for up to 21 months. Transitional living programs are not just for teens who have run away or are not welcome home, as they are also programs available for young adults who have a hard time leaving home on their own. Both programs meet the same requirements. They provide a safe space for living, supply food and shelter, and provide young adults with mentoring, therapy, and activities aimed at helping them adjust to the requirements of adult life. Just as important as providing shelter, these programs offer a wide range of activities and mentoring programs that strengthen mental health and independent living skills.
What Services do Transitional Living Programs Provide?
The programs that transitional living programs provide can have a great range of variety. As each facility functions differently, each is likely to offer different services. According to the Family and Youth Services Beaura, transitional living programs must provide the following:
Outreach Planning
Plans incorporating trauma-informed care and positive youth development-based activities to develop leadership skills and emotional coping mechanisms while encouraging program members to engage with the community.
Service Coordination Planning
Programs must provide their members with access to youth and social services, vocational training, legal services, health care programs, law enforcement, affordable childcare, or educational services.
Extended Residential Shelter
Programs must offer extended residential shelters in the form of group homes, maternity group homes, host family group homes, and supervised apartments.
Transitional Living Plan
Programs must provide members with access to planning services to help them transition from program participation to independent living. These planning services include money management, budgeting, parenting skills, counseling services, educational opportunities, vocational education, job attainment skills, mental and physical health care, and individual and family counseling.
Each of these services is designed to help young adults transition out of the program into a stable, independent living situation. These services, however, aren’t intended to get kids out of the program as quickly as possible. Instead, they help young adults develop the emotional, social, and job skills necessary for living independently.
Finding a Transitional Living Program near me at the Santé Center for Healing
No child should face the prospect of homelessness. The United States Interagency Council on Homeless estimated that 114,055 public school students experienced homelessness between 2018-2019. At the Santé Center for Healing, we understand just how complex the requirements of modern life are for young adults.
That is why we have designed our transitional living program to provide our young adult patients with every resource they might need to transition into independent living. Our facility is at 914 Country Club Rd, Argyle, TX 76226, between the Adrea Claire Fitness Center and Food Adventure Memories. For more information on Transitional living programs or to schedule an appointment, contact us today at 866.238.3154.