Albemarle County, VA
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Fostering Futures and Education and Training Voucher Programs
Are you a youth who is either in or from foster care? Do you know a youth who is either in or from foster care, and who is working toward living independently and might need some extra support for a few more years?
The Virginia Department of Social Services and Albemarle County Department of Social Services (ACDSS) recognize that transitioning to adulthood can be exciting yet challenging. To help foster youth transitioning to adulthood, ACDSS offers support and guidance to promote a successful shift into independence and adulthood.
Fostering Futures
Fostering Futures is a foster care program available to teens and young adults who turn eighteen while in foster care. This voluntary program allows the local department of social services to provide financial support, social support, and services to youth until age twenty-one. It can cover things like housing, education and/or job training assistance, and other independent living needs specifically for the youth. If you or a youth you know turned eighteen in foster care on or after July 1, 2016, you may be eligible.
To learn more about eligibility, access the Fostering Futures application, and additional information on the program, visit FosterMyFuture.
Eligibility for Fostering Futures
To be eligible you must meet criteria by doing one of the following:
- Attend school
- Attend vocational training
- Work at least eighty hours per month (part-time hours)
- Attend classes to promote employment or remove barriers to employment
- Unable to meet one of those four criteria due to a documented medical reason
In addition, you must demonstrate a willingness to work with the assigned foster care worker and allow monthly face-to-face visits with the worker. Youth must participate in the development of a transitional living plan, complete the Voluntary Continuing Services and Support Agreement (VCSSA) and attend court hearing(s), administrative review(s), and case planning meetings.
Apply for Fostering Futures
Talk with your foster care worker and make plans, prior to reaching age eighteen. If you have already turned eighteen and have left foster care, contact your local department of social services and speak with the agency representative about Fostering Futures.
If you did not apply for Fostering Futures shortly after your eighteenth birthday and now want to, you are still eligible to apply at any time before turning twenty-one years old.
Additionally, if you participated in Fostering Futures and voluntarily left or were terminated from the program, you may reapply for readmission at any time before turning twenty-one.
Education and Training Voucher Program (ETV)
The Education and Training Voucher (ETV) Program assists eligible foster care and adopted teens or young adults with post-secondary education and training expenses. It is designed to help teens or young adults aging out of foster care with the education, training and services needed for employment.
To learn more about eligibility, access the ETV application and additional information on the program, visit FosterMyFuture.
ETV Program Funding
Current funding includes up to $5,000 per year, or the total cost of attendance per year. ETV funds can be combined with other grants or scholarships to minimize or eliminate the need for student loans.
Program funds can be applied toward, but not limited to, colleges, universities, community colleges, vocational programs, and one-year training institutions.
The program can cover the following: tuition and fees, room and board, rental or purchase of required equipment, materials or supplies (including a computer), allowance for books, supplies and transportation, required residential training, special study projects and other related educational expenses.
Eligibility for ETV
Eligibility requirements for students are listed below.
- Be between the ages of fourteen and twenty-five;
- Hold a high school diploma or General Education Development (GED) certificate;
- Be enrolled in a post-secondary education or vocational training program;
- Currently be in Foster Care or enrolled in the Fostering Futures Program, have aged out of Foster Care or left the Fostering Futures Program after turning eighteen, or have left Foster Care through adoption or the KINGAP Program after turning sixteen-years-old
- Maintain a 2.0 grade point average (GPA),
- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), when applicable.
Students can access ETV funds for a maximum of five years (until their twenty-sixth birthday) and must complete a current application annually to remain eligible. Additionally, applicants must provide verification of their enrollment and GPA to the local department.