Since 2011, True Up has been an initiative founded on empowering young people in foster care to gain the critical life skills they need to successfully transition from a structured environment to self-sufficiency in our communities. True Up is a caring family of foster care alumni who have faced the challenges of getting jobs, continuing their education, and overcoming the barriers of mental health management. They have overcome these obstacles and now support other foster youth alumni in the transition to independence and advocate for changes that better the circumstances for the next generation.

This year, we’re celebrating three years of True Up being an initiative of Kentucky Youth Advocates. That’s three years of lifting up the voices of foster alumni to inform policy and practice change in Kentucky’s child welfare system. We’re also celebrating big wins over the past three years and looking ahead to the future of True Up as we continue to expand our reach across the state.

Funding 

True Up has been grateful for The Harshaw Family’s innovation in the creation of True Up and their continued support for its sustainability and expansion. Throughout the last three years, True Up has been able to leverage its efforts to achieve better outcomes for foster youth by gaining additional funding from other local and national funders. This funding includes support from:

Peer Network Growth and Engagement

The True Up Peer Network is a family-style team of foster care alumni who have a passion for advocating for positive change within the child welfare system in terms of foster care. Since joining KYA, the Peer Network has grown to 26 members and has expanded into the Northern Bluegrass Service Region in Northern KY. Because of its growth, True Up expanded its team and hired Peer Network member Tatum Heath as a Peer Coach for the Louisville network. 

These Peer Network members have played a vital role in the many projects that True Up has worked on over the last few years. Several members shared their personal foster care experiences at the Truth Telling Circles, in which young adults collaborated with community partners to identify racial disproportionality within child welfare systems and created action steps in moving forward. 

Other members shared personal experiences of homelessness after exiting foster care. They collaborated to develop the Fostering Connections: Actions Needed to Prevent Homelessness Among Foster Care Alumni report, which was presented to community stakeholders at a summit to identify solutions to the issues going forward. This work also led to the hiring of Peer Network member Damareus Jackson-Martin as a contracted case manager for foster youth alumni transitioning out of homelessness.

Peer Network members also advocated for better care in children’s residential facilities through the Residential Foster Care Analysis Report, where they shared the findings with 23 community stakeholder groups, including DCBS leadership, family court judges, the Administrative Office of the Courts, and residential facility leadership throughout the Commonwealth. As a result, Kentucky has seen several policy and practice changes that were recommendations of this report, including Senate Bill 48 of 2023 which established an independent ombudsman office to ensure reports are being investigated to their full extent without conflict of interest.

Peer Network members also attended the 2024 Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol and youth retreat in Frankfort where they gained advocacy skills, participated in a mock legislative committee hearing, attended the Rally for Kentucky’s Kids, and met with Rep. Sarah Stalker. Others traveled to Washington D.C. in December of 2023 to participate in U.S. House and Senate briefings, meet with federal policymakers, and advocate for investment in and expansion of the Chafee Foster Care Program. 

The Peer Network members have been busy making Kentucky the best place in America to be a kid throughout the last three years, all while supporting one another in their day-to-day lives and celebrating the personal impact True Up has had on their lives.

Champions Growth and Expansion

Along with the Peer Network, the True Up Champions group has also grown exponentially. Over the past year alone, our Jefferson County Region Champions group has grown 80%, primarily due to expanding the group to youth-serving agencies and other providers in our community that serve foster youth and alumni. This group is currently planning the 2024 True Up Charrette where we will gather community members and policymakers around addressing the mental health challenges foster alumni face.

True Up has also recently established a Champions group in the Northern Bluegrass Service Region made up of DCBS regional leadership, residential agency staff, and other providers around the community. This group has spent the past 6 months focused on connecting with one another and ensuring continuity of care for the foster alumni in their communities.

Looking Forward

As we look ahead to the future, True Up staff and community partners are excited for the possibilities that lie ahead. Two primary foci of the initiative over the next year include:

  • Continued Expansion Across Kentucky – This includes expanding into one new service region by the end of 2024 and continuing to build momentum in the Northern Bluegrass Service Region.
  • More Intentional Focus on Statewide Policy and Systems Change – In order to achieve this goal, the True Up team is planning a summer advocacy retreat for Peer Network members and a policy agenda specific to True Up for the 2025 Kentucky General Assembly.