Finding housing a hardship for young adults aged out of foster care
SAN RAFAEL -- Alex Masters is looking for freelance work removing trees during the winter. He's been in the foster care system since he was 13.
He just rebuilt a chainsaw he bought second-hand after learning a new skill as a seasonal firefighter for Marin County Fire.
"We take them apart and clean them and put them back together on a daily basis," Masters said.
The 22 year-old recently moved into his own apartment for the first time but it took nearly three years to find transitional housing.
"A lot of children get bounced around a lot because they don't connect well with their parents. Another issue is there's just not enough homes in Marin," Masters said.
There's a shortage of foster care families in the North Bay and high housing costs are proving to be an extreme challenge for children who age out of the system.
Ashley Hurd of the Marin Foster Care Association recently spearheaded an effort to acquire a 10-unit complex in Novato with the help of donations and loans.
Marin County supervisors voted to approve $500,000 to help purchase the new apartment complex for foster young adults. Foster youth who age out of the system pay rent. It's one way of addressing the housing need amid the shortage of foster homes for younger children.
"An apartment like this for a teen going into adulthood gives them a sense of hope and that someone cares about them," Hurd said.
Hurd says landlords often refuse to lease units to young adults from the foster system. She has had to place many of them into temporary hotels.
The county Department of Health and Human Services says there's on average 80 children in the system but just 35 foster families in Marin.
"I feel very lucky to have connected with my foster dad. He's just a really great parent," Masters said.
Federal data show three consecutive years of increasing numbers of children entering foster care.
Federal and state public agencies indicate that the rise in parental substance use, including opioids, is likely a key driver in the uptick in the number of children entering foster care.
"It's so important as a human being to show that you can love a person, regardless, if they are a biological family member," Hurd said.
Living on his own is giving Masters a new perspective at a critical juncture in his life.
"Being independent and being able to take care of myself and learning what it's like being an adult," Masters said.
With a new place secured, he can focus on his next mission. He wants to become a full-time firefighter and maybe a foster dad one day.
"I have a lot to be thankful for considering my past. Any way I can give back and help it's just an amazing thing. It's an amazing job and I'm so grateful," Masters said.