Helping youth involved with (or graduating from) extended foster care find their way.
Life Skills and Coaching
Youth receive coaching to become self-sufficient by learning essential life skills like money management, cooking, and pro-social activities.
Job Skills and Housing
Youth also receive education and employment support, along with housing assistance, as part of their journey to independence.
Additional Support
Life coaches connect young people to internal and external programs that support their development and mental and emotional health.
Need help? Have questions? Please don't hesitate.
The Y is here for You.
Foster Care Services
Healthy Transition to Adulthood (HTA)
This YMCA Life Coaching program provides former foster youth in Hennepin, Anoka, Scott, and Carver counties ages 14-23 with Independent Living Skills and supportive services for Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) voucher recipients.
Life Coaches prepare young people for healthy closure, for life after foster care, and provide additional services to meet their unique needs.
Independent Living Skills (ILS)
This YMCA Life Coaching program provides ILS classes and workshops to COUNTY STAY Eligible Persons. COUNTY receives funding each year from DHS under The STAY grant.
The purpose of these classes and workshops is to provide the STAY Eligible Persons with an opportunity to experience and learn more about ILS skills such as budgeting, leasing an apartment, grocery shopping, meal prep, fixing a flat tire, and more.
Hennepin County Life Coaching
This YMCA Life Coaching program provides Hennepin County foster youth ages 14-21 with Independent Living Skills (ILS).
Life Coaches prepare young people for healthy closure, for life after foster care, and provide additional services to meet their unique needs.
Anoka Transitional Planning Services (TPS)
This YMCA Life Coaching program provides Anoka County foster youth ages 14-23 with Independent Living Skills and supportive services for Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) voucher recipients.
Life Coaches prepare young people for healthy closure, for life after foster care, and provide additional services to meet their unique needs
Youth Leadership Council (YLC)
The Youth Leadership Council employs young people (ages 14 to 22) to engage in local and statewide involvement to make recommendations to the state for improvement of the foster care system, and improvement of supports and services for current or former foster youth.
Youth Advisory Board (YAB)
The Youth Advisory Board provides input to Hennepin County's Children and Family Services area to address issues of foster care placement and adoption. The YAB acts as a resource that will give CFS a means to both help adapt to the changing conditions that surround the delivery of foster care and adoptive services, and to help evaluate the effectiveness of new and ongoing services.
Youth Voice and Advocacy
We value and champion youth voice through our Youth Voice and Advocacy programming. We hire young people with lived experience to have a seat at the table and advocate for systemic change.
Thanks to You
Your generosity makes our good work possible.