Nationally, about 30,000 youths age out of foster care each year. According to one estimate, 36 percent will be homeless within 18 months of leaving the system.
LINC Housing converted an abandoned 1929 hotel in Long Beach, Calif., into The Palace. The development features 13 studio apartments for youths aging out of foster care.
Barry B. lives at The Palace. "I don't know where I would be [without The Palace]. I would probably be another statistic, another foster youth being homeless," he says.
Developed by Affordable Housing Associates, Harmon Gardens in Berkeley, Calif., features 15 apartments for transition-age youths.
Affordable Housing Associates Executive Director Susan Friedland says supportive services within the housing work best for the youths. The Fred Finch Youth Center delivers programs at Harmon Gardens.
Housing and job training come together at the new $76 million Job Corps Urban Campus in Los Angeles, which was financed with New Markets Tax Credits.