OU's National Resource Center for Youth Services Partners with National Groups to Improve Housing Stability for Youth with Foster Care Experience
For more than 50 years, the University of Oklahoma College of Continuing Education’s National Resource Center for Youth Services (NRCYS) has worked to enhance the quality of life for our nation’s youth and families by improving the effectiveness of human services through training, resources and consultation.
Brainstorming notes from the cross-community meeting. A longstanding focus of this work has been supporting programs, professionals and systems serving older youth as they transition from foster care to adulthood. NRCYS works extensively in Oklahoma and nationally to strengthen practices and improve outcomes for young people during this critical transition.
Young people aging out of or otherwise exiting foster care can face significant challenges in achieving safe, stable housing. Addressing those challenges requires more than individual services. It calls for collaboration among child welfare systems, community organizations, housing partners and young people with lived experience.
NRCYS is helping advance that work through participation in two national learning initiatives focused on strengthening housing stability and preventing homelessness among youth and young adults with foster care experience.
Chafee Housing Continuous Learning Design
NRCYS team members were invited to participate in the Chafee Housing Continuous Learning Design (CHCLD), sponsored by the Administration for Children and Families. The study is being conducted by Westat, an independent social science research firm, to help lay the foundation for future learning and strengthen understanding of how communities can better support the housing needs of young people with foster care experience.
As part of the initiative, NRCYS brought together a core group of community partners in Oklahoma City to identify challenges, exchange ideas and develop strategies for improving housing stability. NRCYS hosted community meetings in Oklahoma City, participates in cross-community meetings with other states and facilitates planning meetings with a core group that includes people with lived expertise in the foster care system.
Participation provides important opportunities for Oklahoma, including:
- Financial resources to support community planning efforts.
- Opportunities to connect and collaborate with local organizations that are prioritizing housing stability.
- Guidance from national experts on measuring results and developing quality improvement processes.
- Opportunities to highlight Oklahoma’s housing efforts, successes and lessons learned on a national level.
- Increased collaboration among communities and states working toward similar goals.
The CHCLD work is designed to contribute to new strategies for implementing and strengthening housing practices in Oklahoma and across the country. Through cross-community collaboration, shared learning and the involvement of people with lived expertise, the initiative seeks to advance approaches that can reduce homelessness and improve housing outcomes for young people transitioning from foster care.
National Prevention Learning Collaborative
NRCYS is also participating in the National Prevention Learning Collaborative (NPLC), sponsored by Point Source Youth. This national collaborative focuses on preventing homelessness among young people exiting foster care by identifying and strengthening supports before a housing crisis occurs.
Oklahoma was invited to participate alongside four other states. As with the CHCLD initiative, NRCYS staff are joined in this work by people with lived expertise in the foster care system, helping ensure that strategies are informed by the experiences and perspectives of young people who have navigated these transitions themselves.
The current learning track focuses on helping young people build stronger permanent connections and support networks as they leave foster care. Participants meet monthly to share promising approaches, including flexible financial assistance, identify challenges and gaps, and strengthen collective understanding of how natural supports can contribute to long-term stability.
Through shared learning across participating communities, the collaborative is exploring ways to strengthen the field's ability to intervene earlier and prevent homelessness before it occurs.
Together, these national partnerships reflect NRCYS's longstanding commitment to turning learning into meaningful practice change. By bringing together national expertise, Oklahoma community partners and the voices of people with lived foster care experience, NRCYS is helping strengthen the practices and connections that support young people as they transition into adulthood. The lessons emerging from these collaborations have the potential to inform not only Oklahoma’s approach, but also broader efforts across the country to prevent homelessness, improve housing stability and help young people with foster care experience build lasting foundations for adulthood.