Collaborating for Change – Emergency Placement Blueprint

Many counties in California are grappling with emergency housing needs for older youth in foster care. This document details a three-pronged approach that can be replicated by counties seeking creative solutions for youth with intensive and more complex needs, including guidance on available funding and the necessary administrative and organizational partners for each prong. This approach includes a combination of short-term immediate responses, middle-term bridges to stability, and longer-term, upstream reforms in three main categories: (1) connecting youth to community-based mental health services; (2) emphasizing kinship finding and engagement; and (3) developing emergency home-based placements and services.