Former Foster Youths and Housing at College

Students raised in foster care to get priority housing at California universities, By Larry Gordon, Los Angeles Times: “It can be lonely spending the summer in a mainly vacant college dormitory. But it’s a worthwhile tradeoff for Daysi Espinoza, who’s grateful to have a room at Cal State Fullerton to call home. For Espinoza and hundreds of other former foster youths attending California’s public universities, dorm rooms provide a much-needed stable residence. While classmates can retreat to childhood bedrooms and their families’ embrace, these students are often on their own and want to stay in their dorms during vacations. ‘It’s definitely important,'” said Espinoza, 19, who lived in foster homes through most of middle school and high school. ‘Personally, having guaranteed housing has helped me so much.’ State universities are paying much more attention these days to the academic, financial and housing needs of the relatively small group of former foster youths who are enrolled there. About 700 are enrolled at UC campuses and 1,200 in the Cal State system, plus several thousand at community colleges who might transfer to those four-year schools, estimates show…”