Easing the Fall Into Freedom : When there’s no family to rely on, foster youths can turn to a range of special programs that offer financial, educational support in outside world.

Derek Sanders entered the foster-care system at age 11 and for the next five years bounced from home to home, riding a cycle of alcohol and drug abuse. He couldn’t wait for the day he could strike out on his own.

But when the time finally came, he quickly learned he was in for another rough ride.

Paying rent, buying groceries and going to school all at the same time--with virtually no family for support--was tougher than he ever imagined.

“I was in a big hurry to get out of (foster care) and had no clue what I was up against,” said Sanders, 19. “I wanted to get out of the craziness of the court system.”

After a bumpy start, Sanders, now a student at Saddleback College, got his life on track with the aid of some programs developed in the past several years to help foster children adjust to independence while still teen-agers.

Going it alone is difficult for most teen-agers, but especially so for foster children, social service experts say. Most children are placed in the foster-care system because they come from dysfunctional homes where they suffered neglect or abuse. They typically have no role models or relatives they can turn to for help, and no money when they leave the system, usually at 18, although Sanders won permission to leave at 16.

In the past, foster children such as Sanders were left to fend for themselves once they were “emancipated” from the system.

“Foster care just started recognizing there was a problem about four or five years ago,” said Carlos Grado, a senior social worker with the county who helps youths prepare for emancipation under a state-funded independent care program--the Independent Living Program. “Foster care just started realizing we have a responsibility to these kids.”

In Orange County, foster youths are eligible for vocational training, scholarships, emergency cash, driving instruction and more, primarily through four sources: the state-funded Independent Living Program, the Orangewood Children’s Trust Fund, Cypress College and the Life Enrichment Assistance Program, LEAP.

“These kids when they leave have no safety net,” added Barbara Anderson, director of a program at Cypress College that offers scholarships and training for foster youths. “Where are you going to live in Orange County with no car and no training, where housing is expensive? It’s tough.”

In Orange County there are about 400 people between the ages of 16 and 21 who are eligible for the Independent Living Program, Grado said. The program will pay for college tuition, registration fees, first-month apartment rent, bus passes and anything else youths may need to make ends meet for up to six months after they are emancipated.

Grado helps prepare these youths for self-sufficiency before leaving the system through workshops and personal consultations. He contacts the boys and girls when they turn 16 and assesses their strengths and weaknesses, to see if the child is preparing for independence.

“They are being asked to start thinking about this at age 16,” he said. “That’s reality. At 18 they have to go.”

Usually youngsters are not prepared for a future without the system, Grado said.

“Some kids will say, ‘I’m going to live with Aunt Bessie in Texas,’ ” he said. “And when I ask, ‘Have you talked to Aunt Bessie?’ the answer is usually, ‘Well, no.’ ”

Grado helps youngsters organize a plan. If “Aunt Bessie” is the first option, he has the youngster write to her, just in case she moves away, refuses to offer lodging or has died. Grado encourages youngsters without jobs to go out and get a part-time position, along with a savings account. “We don’t want kids leaving foster care without at least $1,000,” he said.

Grado said the county’s efforts to help is making a small dent in a very large problem.

“What we’re doing is still not enough,” he said. “. . . A lot of foster children are still winding up homeless.”

That’s one reason why the Children’s Trust Fund was created three years ago, said William G. Steiner, director of Orangewood Children’s Foundation.

“In the past, some of the kids would come to us and were literally sleeping in their cars,” he said. “They were nearly penniless and very, very desperate. (The fund) is a great investment in . . . breaking the cycle of abuse.”

Youngsters can apply for grants from the fund to help make ends meet. Many are referred by Grado and can apply for up to $1,000 for any need they have, such as rent, college tuition, or driver education classes, Steiner said. Youths are eligible to apply every year, from 18 until they are 21.

So far, a total of about $245,000 in grants and services have been doled out to help foster youths, including Sanders, Steiner said. The fund is often inundated with more requests than it can handle, but every effort is made to meet youngsters’ needs, he said.

“There are some (foster children) that we are absolutely sure would go down the drain if we were not there as a support service for them. It’s easy to slip into criminal behavior . . . if your parents haven’t worked out . . . and then you can’t turn to the foster-care system (because it) says when you’re 18, you’re out.”

April Ferree, 20, of Orange is among those who has turned to Orangewood for help. When she left the foster-care system, her safety net was a $500 grant from the Children’s Trust Fund. Now the mother of a 10-month-old, Ferree has applied for another grant to help her move out of the home of her boyfriend’s parents and into her own apartment.

“I just need a grant to help out with rent,” Ferree said.

Also, if foster children find themselves in a bind, they can apply for a $500 scholarship from LEAP, to pay for college tuition, utilities, clothing or medical care.

While at Cypress College, youngsters can prepare for their future through classes, funded by the state and federal sources, starting at 16. The school provides training in areas such as budget management, choosing a reliable roommate, checkbook balancing and job-interviewing skills. The classes also help students develop self-esteem and decision-making skills.

Sanders believes the Independent Living Program and organizations such as LEAP and the Orangewood Children’s Fund are a step in the right direction. Without these grants, college would not have been an affordable option for him, he said.

“We need some support because we don’t have parents to rely on if we fail,” Sanders said. “The system is obligated to us because we don’t have room for trial and error like other kids.”