The St. Louis-Area Aging Out Initiative
Quick Facts
Goal: To assist youth leaving foster care to become strong, self-sufficient adults through self-advocacy, education, and skills attainment. The Aging Out Initiative will establish a single-source, central “hub” where foster care youth can learn about various resources available to them after they leave state custody. The centralized network will enable youth to obtain guidance and support to enhance self-advocacy and independent living skills, learn how to live healthier lifestyles, and improve education and employment opportunities.
Program Design:
The Aging Out Initiative targets all 16-year-olds in residential or
transitional living arrangements throughout the St. Louis area. Youth
enrolled in the program will be followed through age 25. Direct services will
be available on a monthly basis in both individual and group meetings.
Referral information is available via an online computer workstation and a
24-hour helpline. The positive youth development approach “nothing about
us without us” is used to encourage youth participation and accountability.
A Youth Advisory Board helps identify concerns to be addressed by the
Aging Out Project.
Measurable Targets by June 30, 2009:
- Development of a youth-friendly, centralized resource center staffed
with peer advisors. - 85% of participants to exhibit self-advocacy behaviors.
- Behaviors to include: speaking in court on their own behalf and
self-directing their care/placement; identifying/navigating health
providers; securing a job; opening a bank account; exhibiting
leadership skills.
- Behaviors to include: speaking in court on their own behalf and
- 60% of those enrolled to have obtained a GED or high school diploma.
- Creation of “Life Binders” for all participants.
- Binders to include important documents such as social security
information, birth certificate, immunization records and family
medical history as well as high school transcripts.
- Binders to include important documents such as social security
Local Funders
- Daughters of Charity Healthcare Foundation of St. Louis
- Deaconess Foundation
- Express Scripts Foundation
- Incarnate Word Foundation of Missouri
- Lutheran Foundation of St. Louis
- Missouri Foundation for Health
- Commerce Bank (Norman J. Stupp Foundation)
- St. Louis Mental Health Board
- Trio Foundation of St. Louis.
For more information
Contact Kevin Drollinger, Executive Director, at Epworth Children & Family Services, 314.961.5718 or call the Aging Out Hotline at 314-222-4877.
Download the Aging Out referral packet (pdf)