Youth Aging Support Services (YASS)
Age 18-23yrs+
Jacob Transition Safe House Inc. d/b/a YASS, a privately owned and operated transitional support service is interested in assisting youth age 18 and up to 23 yrs+ who are in need of more than a place to live, but a place to call home while finding their way to adulthood. YASS will provide a “wholistic” approach to support youth aging out of the foster care program as they navigate the unchartered territories of adulthood.
With a cumulative of over forty-five years of professional experiences, YASS owner and co-owner are willing to support our YASS residents on this new journey. As YASS staff, they will offer a guiding hand to YASS residents by providing housing and finding community support to serve as building blocks. YASS staff will ensure safety measures are in place to aide residents who have no support system of their own.
Jacob Safe House - YASS is centrally located in Golden Gate City. Majority of the essential stores and services are accessible by waking or biking, taxi and within proximity of the Collier Area Transit (CAT) public bus system. There are community resources that located within a 5 miles radius and are considered convenient for majority of the YASS resident’s personal needs.
| Winn Dixie/Publix |
Dollar Tree |
Pharmacy |
Banks |
| Fast Food Restaurants |
Planet Fitness |
Public Library |
Churches |
| David Lawrence Cente |
GG Community Center |
DMV |
|
These services are accessible by the various modes in the local community.
Beginning Steps
Pre-Orientation
As a state requirement, a transition plan must be developed a minimum of 90 days period prior to youth 18th birthday. All potential YASS residents will be required to complete an informal pre-assessment (a personal inventory checklist). YASS resident may utilize the toolkit available on FosterClub’s
website: http://www.fosterclub.com/files/transition_toolkit_v3.pdf.
From the toolkit, YASS residents may identify 10 critical areas to focus on during their transition:
*Finances * Employment * Life Skills * Identity
*Permanence *Education *Health * Housing
*Transportation * Community
This assessment will be used to create a portfolio that will gauge individual residents’ needs and personal goals and areas of deficiencies while identifying the areas in need of immediate support. This will be done in a confidential manner.
Even though, YASS residents are independent individual, there will be ground rules established to support everyone. This will be a commitment plan to themselves and their future goal.
According to the age of all YASS potential residents, the personal assessment will have goals with time frames established and accepted by all, as part of their residency agreement. The average length of stay for this program will average one to five years. The length of stay for each resident varies based on the resident’s progress and therecommendations of the resident’s affiliates. YASS residency is contingent upon individual’s ability to follow through and achieve the required milestones over a specific period. (Graduation into adulthood.)
Yass staff will also work in conjunction with other agency staff assigned to YASS residents to help evaluate and determine what services will be sourced internally or externally.
As YASS staff, we will operate as the independent living specialist to work with YASS resident to assess their independent living skills, needs, and will likely provide the tool(s) to facilitate this assessment.
YASS CATEGORIES OF SERVICES
YASS staff with the assistant of case managers will help residents to assess potential independent living skills including:
· Maintaining healthy relationships.
· Work and study habits.
· Planning and goal setting.
· Using community resources.
· Daily living activities.
· Budgeting and paying bills.
· Computer literacy; and
· Permanent connections to caring adults.
These living skills will be broken down into categories of services which will have set milestones and ongoing progress reports.
Category 1- Housing Overview
Housing and boarding includes furnished apartment, electricity and water, laundry room on site, internet (basic cable in general area/living room) Residents desiring cable in their personal bedroom may purchase cable packet at their expense) There will be basic groceries purchased and provided by YASS staff as part of the general housing. Any special diets will be at the expense of each residents.
Initial housing expenses maybe covered in whole are in part by outside funding sources/affiliates. Residents who become employed and sustain stable employment will be required to undertake a portion or all their housing expense should fund allocation decrease/diminish.
Category 2-3
To better serve YASS residents, they must be:
· At least 18 years of age and a former foster youth
· Willing to attend school part/full-time (GED, HS, Vocational, College)
· Work full or part time
· Participate in an employable skill training effort.
· Participate in essential life skills
· Shop, cook, and do own laundry and assist with household chores
· Maintain a savings account
As YASS staff, we will provide general support in these assigned categories as identified in the residents’ personal goal plan. The milestones will be reviewed weekly then transitioned to bi- weekly and scaled back as deemed necessary, as staff continues to document and share with YASS resident’s individual milestones and progress.
With the assistance of YASS staff, various aspects of residents’ care plan will be discussed and addressed to ensure maximum benefit, including medication, dietary requirements, therapy, family counseling, medical and dental care are supported as much as possible.
Category 4
YASS staff will explore community partners in the following areas to help strengthen the individual needs of YASS residents. (No cost)
- Substance Abuse Treatment
- Sexual Reactive Therapy
- Group Therapy
- Behavior Management Program
- Sexual Abuse Therapy
- Trauma Informed Care
YASS staff will work with community partners and affiliates who are identified in YASS residents’ support plan. (YASS residents will be considered the lead member of their plan, while YASS staff will provide guidance and support. (This client- centered approach is to ensure each resident will be taking charge of their own future while receiving YASS staff and affiliate guidance.)
YASS provides a cost breakdown for residential services; the categories are contingent upon the plan established for each resident of YASS.
Length of Lease Agreement
Each YASS resident will be referred to Jacob Safe House YASS through their case manager. YASS residents may reside with us until age 23+years, then transition into regular housing in the community, if they choose, once they obtain their personal goals.
Each YASS resident will be required to sign a residential lease. The lease will be revisited and extended at the 3rd, 6th or 12th month time frame for the benefit of the resident. The lease is renewed annually thereafter until the resident chooses to move out, which will require a minimum 30 days advance written notice. Should there be reason to interrupt the lease, prior to suggested time frames, (in the case of intervention purposes) YASS staff will give agency staff adequate notice to have resident relocated to ensure the remaining residents welfare are not impacted.
Should YASS resident choose to return, they may do so, if they depart on good terms and the room is still available. (second chances are given)
As a form of commitment, each resident will be required to submit a deposit of which a nominal amount of $50 serve as part of the initial application process. The remaining funds to secure their room, this will be incorporated into the first month rent. The rent is due by the first of each month, a late fee is assessed after the 5th of the month ($25). YASS residents are responsible for their housing will be provided a receipt as proof of monthly payment.
All YASS residents will be provided with basic guidelines that everyone must adhere to for the benefit of the other YASS residents and their own personal growth and development.
The guideline will be discussed at the time of move-in as well as other in-house expectations will be established among YASS residents for the benefit of all who reside within the apartment. There will be opportunities for community gathering to discuss concerns or collective activities that might be of interest to others.
