Resources
There are many resources available to former foster youth students, both at USC and within the local community, to ensure a successful academic experience.
Resources at USC
- Student Equity and Inclusion Programs
- First Generation Plus Success Center
- Financial Aid Office
- Student Basic Needs
- Academic Advisement at USC Dornsife
- USC Libraries
- The Writing Center at USC Dornsife
- Office of Student Accessibility Services
- Trauma Recovery Center at USC
- Engemann Student Health Center
- USC Housing
- Free Legal Support and Counseling
Community Resources
- Alliance for Children's Rights
Provides advocacy resources to help young adults who have aged out of foster care connect with a supportive adult and programs. - Foster Nation
Provides resources and connections to help support foster youth and address their basic needs. - Youth on the Move
Helps secure transportation resources for former foster youth, part of The Independent Living Program at the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services - A Sense of Home
Focuses on preventing homelessness among youth who have aged out of foster care by providing first ever homes, furniture donations and home goods. - Aging Out Institute
Promotes resources and strategies to help youth aging out of foster care. - The Right Way Foundation
Helps system involved youth have access to necessary resources to thrive and build a better tomorrow, grounded in mental health and solidified through employment and permanent housing. - Echoes of Hope
Helps children, youth, and young adults alleviate barriers to help them reach their full potential. - Ready to Succeed LA
Ready to Succeed is a career and personal development program that provides youth impacted by foster care and low-income first-generation college students with the resources, relationships, and opportunities they need to thrive, both personally and professionally. - Biddy Mason Foundation
The Biddy Mason Charitable Foundation provides quality services and support to current and former foster youth through innovative programs and collaborative initiatives with community partners. - United Friends of the Children
Helping current and former foster youth transition to adulthood through housing and educational services. Through these programs, we support youth in graduating high school, going to college, getting a degree, getting an apartment, finding a job, building meaningful relationships, and pursuing their goals. - International Student Foundation
Whether the goal is a 4-year college degree, or a vocational trade program, ISF partners with students to assist them in their educational journey. ISF supports its students through scholarships, mentoring programs, and leadership development. ISF students are armed with the support to rise above the challenges to make higher education a reality. - IFoster
iFoster’s mission is to ensure that every child growing up outside of their biological home has the resources and opportunities they need to become successful. iFoster provides “the stuff” kids in foster care need to succeed. We connect kids in the foster care system with the products, services, knowledge, and supportive adults that can best help them reach their full potential. - A Home Within
A Home Within identifies, recruits, trains, and supports a network of licensed therapists who each provide free, weekly, one-to-one therapy to a single foster youth "for as long as it takes." For foster youth who often watch people move in and out of their lives, our model creates an anchor of support. - Journey House
Journey House provides services for former foster youth in housing, education, employment, and independent living counseling. The primary focus is to help youth live successful and independent lives through getting their education