Those ages 18-24 who are aging out of foster care now have a safe place in Tempe to call home.
Foster360 opened a campus here in late 2023, due to demand and through support from funders.
The demand, says the organization, stems from the fact that 900 children age out of foster care in Arizona each year—with research showing that 50% of them go on to become homeless within two years.
Foster360 was founded in an effort to combat this cycle of trauma, poverty, and housing insecurity. The organization is focused on breaking the cycle of homelessness and adversity for youth aging out of foster care by providing holistic wraparound services that empower them with the necessary tools, education, and mindset to succeed in life, including safe housing in a community-centric and compassionate environment for those ages 18-24.
“Our first campus opened in Phoenix in 2019,” says Sommer Knight, co-executive director of Foster360, as well as a veteran trauma and resiliency life coach. “The Phoenix campus supports young adults 18 and older who have aged out of the foster care system, providing a safe home environment, as well as holistic trauma-informed care; life skills development; community partnerships; and workshops through Barrow Neurological Institute, Midwestern University, Junior Achievement of Arizona, Honor Health, and others.”
According to Knight, Foster360 also provides often-overlooked services for individuals, including traumatic brain injury intervention and support, nervous system calming, and introductory work as it relates to the re-wiring of neuropathways.
This new Tempe location serves as a second step in the program for these young adults.
“This step allows our youth more empowerment and independence,” explains Elena Reid, co-director of Foster360. “The new facility allows us to focus on our clients’ long-term plans through trauma-informed financial literacy, savings plans, education, and real-world practice as it relates to recognizing and maintaining healthy relationships, maintaining employment, identifying career paths and schooling, and ultimately being one step closer to never being homeless again.”
The campus features single units, so its resident youth take on the responsibility for their own space, and the goal is to serve as the stepping stone that so many young people need to successfully transition toward the next stage in their lives at their own pace. They can stay in the program for up to four years.
Among its biggest supporters is Mercy Care, who in late 2023 awarded the organization a Mercy C.A.R.E.S. Community Reinvestment Grant in the amount of $125,000.
“Mercy Care is a trusted partner with a legacy of helping Arizonans achieve better health since 1985. Mercy C.A.R.E.S., which stands for Community Action Resources Education and Service, is Mercy Care’s community-giving initiative, and amplifies our work to support the whole-health needs of Arizonans, deliver quality outcomes, promote health equity, and prevent abuse, neglect, and exploitation,” says Karrie Steving, Children's System of Care and Department of Child Safety administrator at Mercy Care. “Through this partnership with Foster 360, we are able to remove barriers to housing for youth who are aging out of foster care and offer the additional support needed to help them live a healthier life and achieve their full potential.”
Since its inception, Mercy C.A.R.E.S. has focused on partnerships with organizations across the state whose health focus areas are aligned with Mercy Care’s community health focuses, which are managing chronic conditions; supporting mental health and well-being; addressing housing security; and empowering recovery from substance use.
Just some of the other local programs and organizations benefiting from recent Mercy C.A.R.E.S. Community Reinvestment Grants include Valleywise Health Foundation Pediatric Care Coordination Medical Home Project, Ryan House Support-A-Stay program, Human Services Campus, Inc.’s Respiro, Oakwood Creative Care Welcome to the Dementia Hub, and Covenant Health Network Caring for our Care Force.
Mercy Care also provided $670,000 to launch the Choose Your Person community education campaign, which includes training as many as 50 community assistors and hosting community workshops on advance care planning where advance healthcare directives can be completed and registered in the Arizona Healthcare Directives Registry AzHDR, a platform that provides healthcare providers with seamless access to patients’ end-of-life care wishes.
For more information about Foster360 and its work in Tempe, visit Foster360.org. For more information about Mercy Cares and its Mercy C.A.R.E.S. Community Reinvestment Grant program, visit MercyCareAZ.org/mercy-cares.html.
“This step allows our youth more empowerment and independence,” explains Elena Reid.
The goal is to serve as the steppingstone that so many young people need.
