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Home > Services > Missouri > Youth and Family Services
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Transitional Living Programs
 The purpose of the transitional living program is to provide a safe, comfortable, living environment for qualifying foster youth, and assist them in the development of their identified independent life skills, providing a path for the youth to transition from state care to self-sufficiency in adulthood.
AO offers two types of Transitional Living Programs (TLP):
1) Transitional Living Scattered Site Apartment Services (TLSS): An AO Transitional Specialist visits the youth in their apartment every 72 hours to provide training and assistance for the development of daily living skills as well as assist with emergency care needs in cooperation with the referral source case managers.
2) Transitional Living Group Home (TLG): AO Direct Care Staff work at the group home and provide supervision and training for the development of daily living skills as well as assist with emergency care needs in cooperation with the referral source case managers.
TLP services are for foster youth, ages 15-20 (TLG), and ages 18-20 (TLSS) who remain in state custody, and need support as they transition into adulthood.
Alternative Opportunities provides TLG services for boys in Rolla, Missouri and TLSS services in Saint Louis, Southeast and Southwest, Missouri. In addition to housing assistance, AO will work with each youth to achieve the following goals:
Academics:
Education is a priority within our organization and we will do everything possible to guide youth toward completing their high school coursework to earn a diploma or obtaining a GED. If an individual has already completed high school and wishes to pursue additional education, we will help with career exploration, finding a training program, applying for financial aid, enrolling and registering.
Employment:
AO staff works with youth to develop pre-employment skills. The staff will assess each individual’s employment needs. We assist youth in learning what they can expect to earn at a job and how easy or difficult a particular job may be to find in their community. AO staff supports individuals as they search for a job. This may be through services such as Vocational Rehabilitation or the local Career Center. Our goal is to help clients not only find a job but plan for a career. We will do this by combining education and career moves that will help each person obtain their specific goals.
Community Services and Support:
AO staff assists youth as they develop relationships with positive role models. There are many adults who have a bounty of valuable experiences in education, employment, and basic life skills. We assist individuals in finding mentors (both adult and peer) that can guide them to self- sufficiency. We aid clients in accessing a full range of health and social services.
Youth Leadership:
We will assist and encourage individuals to participate in activities to build leadership skills such as athletics, school clubs and organizations, community or church organizations, volunteerism and advocacy. Some youth may participate on the Foster Care Youth Advisory Board (local and/or state).
Independent Living Skills:
AO offers Life Skills Training (in part or full) as needed and appropriate. Examples of independent living skills training provided: 1) cooking; 2) budgeting; 3) social skill development, etc.
For additional information and how to get referred to the TLP program, contact your local Children's Division with the Missouri Department of Social Services.
For additional information on AO TLP services please Contact Us.
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