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Think back to when you turned eighteen...
Was someone interested in your success?
Did someone help you pursue your education or job training?
If you went directly to college, did you have the money to pay for college fees, books, food and other costs?
For most youth transitioning out of San Francisco’s foster care system, the answer to these questions is often a resounding “no.” At the age of 18, foster youth age out of (or “emancipate”) from the foster care system and must support themselves. Federal funding for transitioning foster youth is limited and demand for financial support far exceeds available funding.
To help meet the needs of these youth, a group of volunteers formed the Friends of the San Francisco Independent Living Skills Program (Friends of SFILSP) in 2005 as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Entirely volunteer run, the organization supplements the efforts of SFILSP, a program of the San Francisco Human Services Agency, which prepares current and emancipated foster youth for independent living.
“Thank you for being so generous as to allow us the opportunity to visit colleges. I was accepted into Clark Atlanta University and seeing the campus only made me sure that I wanted to attend. I feel so blessed to know that there are people who care and are willing to sacrifice to ensure our well-being.”