Transitional Campus:
The mission and goal of My Father’s House Transitional Campus is to provide a safe and secure environment for young men and women between the ages of 17-21 who have aged out of the Foster Care System of the State of Alabama and serve as a model for other communities throughout the United States of America.
Principles of Transitional Living:
The first goal of transitional living is to provide older foster youth with assistance, instruction and opportunities to practice and acquire necessary independent living skills and knowledge to become self-sufficient, productive adults.
The second goal of transitional living should be flexible enough to meet the wide variety of needs and skill levels of foster youth while providing them the opportunity to accept more responsibility for themselves with less adult supervision.
Program Goals
Provide a safe and secure home
Provide job training
Teach independent living skills
Develop self-esteem/self advocacy training
Offer GED preparation classes
Offer technology training
Teach skills of conflict resolution
Secure scholarships to further education
Provide medical and dental care
Offer wholesome entertainment
Expand cultural awareness
A Comparison of How We Care For an Endangered Species With How We Care For Children!
• 19,000 Plants
• 5,000 Animals
• 500,000 Children
Primary Causes of Extinction:
– A. Habitat Destruction
– B. Commercial Exploitation
– C. Pollution
Some species are labeled as critically endangered and vulnerable. The average cost of a captive breeding program is $500,000 per species annually. How much are we spending to save our children?
FACTS AND FIGURES:
Reasons Why We Should Establish a Transitional Life Skills Campus:
National Foster Care Figures
• 500,000 Foster Children in The United States
• 15,000 Age Out Annually
• 6,000 Will Become Homeless
• 9,000 Will Find Shelter
Alabama Figures
• 7000 Children in out of home care
• 210 Age Out Annually
• 84 Will Become Homeless
• 126 Will Find Shelter
Struggling in the adult world 12 to 18 months after leaving foster care:
• Average weekly wage
$210 for males
$157 for females
• Physical injury
26% of the males had been beaten or other-wise seriously injured.
15% of the females had been beaten.
10% of the females had been raped.
• Incarceration
27% of the males had been incarcerated.
10% of the females had been incarcerated.
• Other
33% were receiving some form of public assistance.
19% of the females had given birth to children.
37% had not finished high school.
50% were unemployed.