(AUSTIN) — The deadline is fast approaching for young adults who were once in foster care or are currently in extended care to apply for direct federal funding intended to help them weather the financial challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The funding flows through a program known as Young Adult Pandemic Aid, or PanAid. It’s being administered by the Texas Center for Child and Family Studies (a supporting organization of the Texas Alliance of Child and Family Services) and Monarch Family Services, a Houston-based nonprofit organization focused on family preservation, foster care and adoption services.
The deadline to apply is Sept. 15. Young adults and organizations wanting more information should visit https://tacfs.org/young-adult-pandemic-aid/.
PanAid is designed to help with immediate and basic needs such as rent, groceries, and cell phone bills — and to help these young people get back on their feet after the tribulations posed by the pandemic.
“This pandemic has been a struggle for everyone, and it’s added to the challenges facing young adults who were in Texas’ foster care system as kids,” said Katie Olse, CEO of the Texas Alliance of Child and Family Services. “These grants offer crucial help to Texans who need it, but they need to know the deadline for applying is fast approaching. We hope anyone who knows a young adult who was formerly in foster care will tell them about this available assistance.”
The program is targeted at young adults between 18-26 years old who have aged out of foster care or are in extended foster care. Funding and support services for these adults often end at age 21, so the time-limited PanAid program offers a unique and needed boost to young adults who have struggled through the pandemic.
The funding is available to be delivered through community-level partner organizations in every part of the state, such as child-placing agencies, shelters, and universities with supervised independent living programs.
“We’re grateful that this opportunity has opened up for young people who need help — and we’re excited to work with community partners to help them take advantage of it,” said Valerie D. Jackson, Founder of Monarch Family Services. “We hope PanAid will make a difference for these young Texans.”
The Texas Alliance of Child and Family Services is the state’s largest and most diverse network of organizations serving children and families in Texas’ foster care and child welfare systems. For more information, please contact Jason Embry at (512) 560-3876 or jason@newwestcomms.com.
