The Transitional Housing Placement Plus (THP-Plus) program provides affordable housing and comprehensive supportive services for up to 24 months to help former foster care and probation youth ages 18 to 24 make a successful transition from out-of-home placements to independent living. The program is administered by the California Department of Social Services, which distributes THP-Plus funds to counties.

A recent article in the San Jose Mercury Times highlights the benefits of THP-Plus to youth in the Bay Area. San Mateo County resident and former foster youth, Marcus Bell, age 19,  believes that THP-Plus, where he’s been for 18 months, has turned his life around. He said it’s a time when many people in the foster system face a fork in the road that determines how their lives are going to go.

In San Francisco County, there are four providers for THP-Plus: Edgewood; First Place for Youth; Larkin Street Youth Services; and the Salvation Army.

The Details:

The program: THP-Plus offers state-provided transitional housing, operated by the counties, for foster youths after they turn 18.
The law: The Fostering Connections to Success Act establishes transitional assistance for individuals until they turn 21.
The transition: Residents live in a dorm-like setting, observing guidelines and curfews, and doing community service.