Independent Living Program
Independent Living Program (ILP) - Minnesota
About this resource
There is a National fund of money, through the John H. Chafee program, that provides money to each State and Tribe to ensure current/former foster youth have support while transitioning to adulthood and exiting foster care. These programs are usually called Independent Living Programs (ILP) or Transitional Age Youth (TAY), but it's different in every state. There are different programs under Chaffee that provide services or funding for education, employment, housing, budgeting, and building a support network.
In Minnesota, there are two ILP programs youth can access for help reaching independence:
Stay (Successful Transition to Adulthood for Youth) Program (linked)
Program helps youth meet their independent living plan goals
What services are available can vary depending on the county the youth lives
Extended Foster Care to Age 21 (linked)
Allows youth that are in foster care immediately before their 18th birthday to receive extended foster care services and payments
If you are a youth in foster care who is also enrolled in a Tribe, you should contact your tribal child welfare office to find out more about signing up for Independent Living Program services.
Click the following link for more information/contact information for the seven Anishinaabe (Chippewa, Ojibwe) reservations and four Dakota (Sioux) communities.
Eligibility
- Eligiblility for STAY Program:
- Youth who are or were previously in foster care for at least 30 days in a row after turning 14
- Young adults up to age 23 (cannot exceed 24 years old)
- Eligibility for Extended Foster Care:
- Youth must be in foster care immediately before their 18th birthday
- And Youth must meet at least one of these:
- Completing college education or a program with similar certification
- Enrolled in a school/institution that provides college, university, or vocational education
- Participating in a work program to promote/remove barriers to employment
- Employed for at least 80 hours per month
- Or incapable of doing any of the activities described above to due a medical condition
- Social workers will help you come up with a plan for extended care