Placer County ILP Outcomes Report July - June 2019

Independent Living Program

OUTCOMES REPORT

FY 2018-2019

An analysis of the Independent Living Program provided by Unity Care in Placer County,
including an overview of the outcomes achieved

“Providing quality youth and family programs for the purpose of creating healthier communities through lifelong partnerships.”

Unity Care | 11716 Enterprise Drive, Auburn, CA 95603 | 408.971-9822 | www.unitycare.org

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Introduction

Overview:
Unity Care Group, a 501(c)(3) nationally accredited non-profit organization, was founded in
1992 with the mission to “provide quality youth and family programs for the purpose of creating
healthier communities through life-long partnerships.” Unity Care offers safe, stable, and
affordable housing for youth as they age out of foster care, and provides the supportive services
they need to achieve self-sufficiency. The agency serves transition age system-involved youth
throughout the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area as well as in Placer and El Dorado
Counties. As a strengths-based, family-focused, and culturally proficient youth-serving agency
founded on a commitment to social justice for youth and families of color, Unity Care is deeply
committed to improving outcomes for its youth.

Purpose:
This report provides a summary of program impact, along with the services and activities
provided by Unity Care’s Independent Living Program (ILP) in Placer County during Fiscal Year
2018-19.

Program Description:
In partnership with the County and numerous community-based entities, ILP assists youth
(primarily ages 14-22) who are/were in court ordered out of home placement to prepare for the
transition from dependency into adulthood and develop self-sufficiency through individualized
case management, life skills activities and goal setting.

Unity Care staff support the youth in learning about budgeting, college enrollment and financial
aid, job search, driver’s education, preparing meals, and other needs as identified.

Over this past fiscal years, outcomes for ILP youth were profound, with the overwhelming
majority residing in stable housing/housing programs, significant numbers of youth finding
employment, engaging in educational activities, and reaching other milestones on the way to
self-sufficiency.

Assessing Client Progress:
Unity Care supports client progress toward self-sufficiency by ensuring that every child and
family served has accomplished goals in the 5 Strategic Pillars of Success. These pillars are
key areas that are fundamental to improving the self-sufficiency and overall well-being of
program participants, and consist of:

1. Housing,
2. Employment,
3. Education,
4. Well-Being
5. Unconditional Care

Each ILP participant is assessed monthly and at exit in the five “pillar” areas to determine their
progress and program effectiveness.

Unity Care | 11716 Enterprise Drive, Auburn, CA 95603 | 408.971-9822 | www.unitycare.org

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Unity Care ILP – Placer County: Fiscal Year 2018-19

Overview: In FY 2018-19, Unity Care’s Placer County ILP served 142 youth ages 16-21. This
included 64 new cases. 54 cases were closed. At any given point in time, the program was
serving an average of 98 youth. In terms of race/ethnicity, the primary groups served were
Caucasian and Hispanic, with significant numbers of African American and other diverse youth
participating as well. An overview of client race/ethnicity, gender identity and age is provided
below.

Unity Care | 11716 Enterprise Drive, Auburn, CA 95603 | 408.971-9822 | www.unitycare.org

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Participant Age

Age %

14 0.7%
16 3.5%
17 21.1%
18 28.2%
19 20.4%
20 17.6%
21 7.0%
22 1.4%

Community partners and referrals made on behalf of participating youth:
Staff made approximately 926 referrals to community partners and other entities throughout the
fiscal year so that youth could access needed services. Referrals were made to: Sierra College,
financial aid resources, Guardian Scholars/CAFYES/NextUp Program, Food Bank, Taylor
House, Blossom Place, iFoster, CASA, Golden Sierra Job Training Agency, PRIDE/KEYS
Program, Whole Person Learning, YES Program, Financial Institutions, THP+FC program
providers, Chapa De Health Services, Unity Care counseling, Heartstrings counseling services,
PG&E Care Program, CalFresh, MediCal, Planned Parenthood, DentiCal, and Auburn Hip Hop
Congress.

Events and workshops: Unity Care provided numerous events and workshops to engage and
support youth throughout the year, including:

 An introductory workshop as well as workshops entitled: Paying for College: Financial
Aid; Time Management Skills/ Bus Schedules; Let’s Pass the Permit Test; Overcoming
Obstacles; FAFSA; Strengths Finder; Remember the Positives; Maintaining
Boundaries; Health and Fitness; Credit Cards and Loans; Apartments and
Maintenance; Connecting with Community; Relationships and Communication; Let’s
talk About Safe Sex; Health 101: Fitness and Nutrition; and Mental Health
Awareness/Advocacy

 Events included a holiday party, an end of year celebration, and Summer of Learning
activities, such as a tour of Alcatraz, a day trip to San Francisco with a mural walk, and
camping at Yosemite.

 Independent City, the brainchild of Unity Care, creates opportunities for our foster youth
to practice in many of the
realities of living
independently as young
adults. This event highlights
the amazing partnerships
among agencies in Placer
County: many agencies staff
booths and host workshops.
More than 200 youth and
volunteers participate in this
day-long event.

Unity Care | 11716 Enterprise Drive, Auburn, CA 95603 | 408.971-9822 | www.unitycare.org

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Events, continued
 Unity Care’s annual Youth Holiday Party is hosted in December to brighten our foster youth’s
holiday season. Last December, ILP youth enjoyed a warm holiday meal and played holiday
games with peers. Exciting prizes were given away and youth also had a special visit with
Santa. In addition, caring community partners donated stockings filled with goodies and each
youth received a gift card.

Below, we have provided some photos of our events.

Photos: Independent City Event

Unity Care | 11716 Enterprise Drive, Auburn, CA 95603 | 408.971-9822 | www.unitycare.org

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Photos: Holiday Party

Unity Care | 11716 Enterprise Drive, Auburn, CA 95603 | 408.971-9822 | www.unitycare.org

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Fiscal Year 2018-19 Quarterly Data Profiles

Program impact: To demonstrate the impact of ILP, we have provided a snapshot of quantitative
and qualitative data by quarter that shows service information as well as information related to
progress in the “5 Pillars” areas. Below that are three client success stories.

Quarter 1

In Quarter 1:

 95 total youth were served, including 17 new cases
 36% of eligible youth were engaged in housing programs and none were in need

of stable housing
 30% of youth were attending higher education
 54% of participants were employed
 29% of youth exiting were attending school regularly and achieving passing

grades
 82% exiting had support from a caregiver, extended family, and/or natural team

member
 23% were living independently at exit either in a roommate situation or on their

own; 59% were living with caregivers or extended family.
 Staff made 125 referrals and connections to community partners and other

entities so that youth could receive needed services

Service data: # of hours of Mean of Number of
# of 1:1 face to face minutes group
contact for all spent with
appointments youth per activities
with youth youth session (workshop
s/events)
92 95 62
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Quarter 2

In Quarter 2:

 100 total youth were served, including 22 new cases
 42% of eligible youth were engaged in housing programs and 1% were in need of

stable housing
 25% of youth were attending higher education
 46% of participants were employed
 15% of youth exiting were attending school regularly and achieving passing

grades
 77% exiting had support from a caregiver, extended family, and/or natural team

member

Unity Care | 11716 Enterprise Drive, Auburn, CA 95603 | 408.971-9822 | www.unitycare.org

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 15% were living independently at exit in a roommate situation; 31% were living
with caregivers or extended family.

 Staff made 339 referrals and connections to community partners and other
entities so that youth could receive needed services

Service data: # of hours of Mean of Number of
# of 1:1 face to face minutes group
contact for all spent with
appointments youth per activities
with youth youth session (workshops

179 180 133 /events)

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Quarter 3

In Quarter 3:

 100 total youth were served, including 13 new cases
 29% of eligible youth were engaged in housing programs and 0% were in need of

stable housing
 16% of youth were attending higher education
 52% of participants were employed
 25% of youth exiting were attending school regularly and achieving passing

grades; 31% were attending college
 87% exiting had support from a caregiver, extended family, and/or natural team

member
 25% were living independently at exit in a roommate situation; 44% were living

with caregivers at exit
 Staff made 242 referrals and connections to community partners and other

entities so that youth could receive needed services

Service data: # of hours of Mean of Number of
# of 1:1 face to face minutes group
contact for spent with
appointments youth per activities
with youth all youth session (workshops

186 320 60 /events)

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Unity Care | 11716 Enterprise Drive, Auburn, CA 95603 | 408.971-9822 | www.unitycare.org

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Quarter 4

In Quarter 4:

 96 total youth were served, including 12 new youth.
 33% of eligible youth were engaged in housing programs and only 3% were in

need of stable housing
 17% of youth were attending higher education
 54% of participants were employed
 50% of youth exiting were attending school regularly and achieving passing

grades
 75% exiting had support from a caregiver, extended family, and/or natural team

member
 37.5% were living independently at exit either in a roommate situation or on their

own; 62.5% were living with caregivers or extended family. None were homeless.
 Staff made 220 referrals and connections to community partners and other

entities so that youth could receive needed services

Service data: # of hours of Mean of Number of
# of 1:1 face to face minutes group
contact for spent with
appointments youth per activities
with youth all youth session (workshops

213 331 73 /events)

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Case Studies: three client success stories

(Names have been changed to ensure confidentiality)

Client 1 – “Sara”

Sara was in and out of foster care for most of her life. She is a bright young woman
with a ton of drive and heart. Sara has dealt with genetic medical problems her entire
life and shared her passion for working in the medical field with her ILP Coordinator
and the Employment and Education Specialist (EES). After career exploration with the
EES, Sara decided to start a program to become a Medical Assistant. The EES
connected Sara to a vocational school to start her educational journey. She gets
services from Unity Care and the Department of Rehabilitation to support her in her
schooling and future career. Sara excelled throughout this program and received
positive attention from her teacher and the other students. Sara recently graduated
from her program, passed the national exam, and starts her externship with a local
hospital soon.

Unity Care | 11716 Enterprise Drive, Auburn, CA 95603 | 408.971-9822 | www.unitycare.org

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Client 2 – “Hernando”

Before entering foster care, Hernando struggled early on in his life. He was
arrested at a young age and placed a Juvenile Detention Facility. Shortly
after, Hernando was placed in a Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Program and
attended a community high school. It was there that Hernando realized the opportunity
in front of him and he began the journey to take full advantage of the services that
helped him focus on transitioning into early adulthood. After graduating from High
School, Hernando envisioned a brighter future for himself. He was welcomed into
Unity Care’s THP+FC program where he began the pathway to self-sufficiency. With
the support of Unity Care staff and ILP, Hernando has hit the ground running pursuing
and obtaining his goals. Hernando is currently enrolled at Sierra College. He envisions
a career in the Criminal Justice field as he continues to work hard to fulfill this dream.
He is an inspirational young adult who looks forward to accomplishing his career goals.
Hernando is appreciative of the continued support received from the staff at Unity
Care and is grateful for the opportunity presented to him at an early age.

Client 3 – “Brian”

Brian spent his teenage years in a group home and struggled with self-esteem and
self- worth. Since becoming a part of ILP, Brian has blossomed into a young man that
stands up for himself and has goals. He participated in most of ILP's Summer of
Learning events. Brian is currently attending Sierra College full-time studying Computer
Science and working part-time at Compassion Planet thrift store. He is learning about
his skills through life experiences and is becoming a confident person with a voice to
stand up for himself and his values. We are all very proud of him and his dedication to
making his goals reality.

Unity Care | 11716 Enterprise Drive, Auburn, CA 95603 | 408.971-9822 | www.unitycare.org

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