St. Pete approves $1M for former foster youth

St. Petersburg City Council has approved a partnership with Ready for Life, Inc., allocating nearly $1 million to support young adults aging out of the foster care system. 

The funding, sourced from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), will initiate the Youth Opportunity Grants program, a pilot focused on providing monthly cash disbursements to former foster youth aged 18-27.

The Youth Opportunity Grants aim to provide an economic floor for participants, supplementing their existing income and providing a financial “safety net.” Eligible young adults will receive $500 per month for a total of 12 months, intended to assist in their transition to adulthood after exiting the foster care system.

“The Youth Opportunity Grants program is a great example of how the City is prioritizing the futures of our young people in St. Petersburg,” said Mayor Ken Welch in a prepared statement. “With Education and Youth Opportunities as one of our Pillars for Progress, we are pleased to partner with Ready for Life, an experienced agency providing young adults with much-needed  support at this critical juncture in their lives.”

Kathy Mize is CEO of Ready for Life, an organization that supports former foster care youth in homelessness prevention, education and employment and lifeline support networks. Ready for Life was selected to partner with the City through an RFP process, and will administer the Youth Opportunity Grants program and provide support services to ensure participants’ success during and after their participation.

Mize said this program is needed because individuals exiting the foster care system often face significant barriers, including high rates of homelessness, human trafficking and mental health issues. Lacking family support and resources, their transition to adulthood is further complicated by economic challenges.

“These youth enter foster care due to no fault of their own, and they’re put into a system where there’s lots of uncertainty,” Mize explained. “Many of our young adults have told us that they were in more than 25 and 30 different foster homes while they were in foster care. They moved so many times to so many different schools that they just fall behind, get frustrated and many drop out of high school. So they really start way behind what someone at 18 typically could be starting out with.”

Mize said more than half of those served at Ready for Life come to the nonprofit homeless, hungry and emotionally distraught – but still with a desire to turn their lives around and become self-sufficient.

“This grant, the $500 a month for 12 months, is going to be a cash payment that’s given directly to them, no strings attached, and it really is to supplement, not replace, any existing income,” Mize explained. “We know what housing costs in our area, so this truly could be a game changer to help them stabilize their crisis situation, find a place to lay their head or use it for other critical needs that they have.”

Research shows that participants in other pilot programs like the one coming to St. Pete have shown increases in full-time employment, increased ability to pay unexpected expenses and improved emotional well-being as a result of receiving these additional funds each month.

“They have found that [grant recipients] were spending the money on food, utilities, housing and transportation,” Mize said. “Once they’re able to get a little bit of their dignity back, we can start talking about, ‘What’s next for you? What’s your future going to look like and how can we be there to support you?’”

St. Petersburg joins Gainesville as one of the only municipalities in Florida with a city government-led direct cash transfer program. 

St. Petersburg plans to open applications for the Youth Opportunity Grants in late Summer 2024. Program updates and information will be available at www.stpete.org/YOG.