Youth homelessness is on the rise, and officials are looking to quell it by targeting kids exiting foster care.
One of the bigger surprises coming out of January's annual count of homeless living in L.A. County was a dramatic rise in homelessness among children and young adults. The count found 6,000 homeless 18 to 24-year-olds. A large portion — 40 to 60 percent — had spent time in the child welfare system.
As L.A. County embarks on a massive effort to reduce its growing homeless population – which as of last count, neared 58,000 people – there's increasing focus on other public systems that feed into homelessness, like jails, hospitals, and foster care.
Three new pilot programs will act as experiments in creating more of a network around children aging out of foster care. If successful, they could be eligible for funding to expand, said Tina Estedabadi of the L.A. Homeless Services Authority.
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