Can Los Angeles County do more to help transitional foster youth find permanent housing, get mental health counseling and gain independence?
Six foster youths in the system — along with the nonprofit Children’s Law Center based in Los Angeles that represents thousands of older foster care youth in the county — say the answer is a definite yes, and they’ve forced the issue by suing several county and state agencies in federal court.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Aug. 22, alleges that the county and state child welfare system is allowing transitional foster youth ages 16-21 to fall through a safety net widened by state law 11 years ago, heaping more trauma onto youth that have been abused while in foster care. Often they are discriminated against because of their disabilities and have become part of a “pipeline to homelessness,” the lawsuit contends.
“We represent clients who, daily, are wondering where they are going to sleep or how they will get their next meal. We are talking about children and young adults in foster care who are hungry and homeless. That is unacceptable,” said Leslie Heimov, executive director for Children’s Law Center.
“The lawsuit is trying to ensure young people aging out of foster care will receive benefits they are entitled to, focusing on housing, supportive mental health services and other services,” Heimov said on Monday, Aug. 28. “We’ve seen many young people who have suffered many traumas and have not been served well by the system.”
According to the federal complaint, “by failing to provide transition age foster youth meaningful access to the safe, stable and appropriate placements and support services to which they are legally entitled, the defendants exacerbate the harms experienced by Los Angeles County’s most vulnerable young people, with profound consequences for their well-being and futures.”
Eligible youths can choose to remain in foster care until they turn…
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