New housing designed to support young moms in foster care opens in the Bronx

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A New York City foster care provider is trying a novel approach to help the young moms in its care: housing them under one roof in apartments equipped with washer-dryer machines and where they can access support staff 24 hours a day. The New York Foundling recently opened a brand new building complex on a quiet residential street in the Bronx that will house 18 young moms between 14 and 21 years old and their infants and toddlers. Moms already under the nonprofit's care began moving into the pair of shared apartment buildings two weeks ago, where staff members can help them with child care, feeding their children or cooking — all in one place. The organization said its ultimate goal is to help young moms learn to live on their own when they age out of foster care. The new side-by-side buildings will allow the Foundling to expand its mother and child program that works with young moms. Organizers hope their new approach can be a model for others. More than 6,000 children and young people are in the city’s foster care system, with about 80 young moms in the city’s care, according to the Administration for Children’s Services. But as teens and young adults age out of the foster care system at 21 years old, they’re facing an increasingly tight housing market with the city’s overall vacancy rate at its lowest point since the 1960s and rents rising faster than wages. The debut of the program comes as the city is also investing in more career and education training for foster youth. Read the full story on Gothamist.com