Supervised Independent Living (SIL) Sites on College/University Campuses

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Why have SIL sites on college campuses?

What better way to encourage foster care alumni to attend college/university than to have them transition straight from care to college/university housing?! Post-secondary, child welfare, and K-12 advocates have pushed for SIL sites on college campuses for years. Texas now has 5 colleges/universities acting as SIL sites for youth transitioning out of care. Many obstacles and challenges that foster care alumni face when entering college are demystified when they enter college housing and meet and/or room with students who attend college. Alumni get used to college student schedules, see benefits and struggles of other students, and obtain real life experiences (including but not limited to work for wages and taking academic courses) that help them decipher their place in higher education. Having colleges/universities as SIL sites can increase the likelihood of alumni attending and persisting through college.

What is Supervised Independent Living (SIL)?
SIL is a type of voluntary Extended Foster Care placement where young adults can live on their own, while still getting casework and support services to help them become independent and self-sufficient. The Department of Family Protective Services (DFPS) SIL program allows young adults to live independently under a supervised living arrangement provided by a DFPS contracted provider. Youth aging out of foster care should be advised that SIL sites are not the same as living in foster care. A young adult in SIL is not supervised 24-hours a day by an adult and has increased responsibilities. In other words, SIL sites give students space to live independently while still receiving minimal services from DFPS to help them transition out of care and live on their own.

The SIL program offers:
Increased responsibilities
o    Manage their own finances
o    Buying groceries/personal items
o    Working with a Landlord
Help transitioning to independent living
o    Achieving identified education and employment goals
o    Accessing community resources
o    Engaging in needed life skills training
o    Establishing important relationships

There are various housing setting options – apartment, college dorm, non-college dorm, shared housing – to best meet the needs of the young adults aging out of care.  The setting is chosen in collaboration with the provider, DFPS worker, and young adult.

Is your college/university campus interested in becoming a SIL site?
You will need to contact the provider agency for your region.  Follow this link for the details of SIL: http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/Child_Protection/Youth_and_Young_Adults/Transitional_Living/Extended_Foster_Care/SIL_Contracted_Providers.asp
On the right hand side of the screen there’s a box titled “more info”.  scroll down to where it says “providers” and it will open a word document of the providers.  It doesn’t have the specific contact person for each agency but it does provide the agencies, their region, their website, and the type of housing services they offer.

-This information was graciously shared by:
Carla Storey LCSW, LCCA, LCPAA
Senior Director
Residential Services
ACH Child and Family Services
achservices.org
Carla.storey@achservices.org
817.886.7128 direct dial
817.866.1623 fax

List of Approved SIL Sites on Colleges/Universities in Texas

1. Navarro College in Corsicana
   
2. Weatherford College – Weatherford
   
3. Tarleton State University – Tarleton
   
4. University of North Texas in Denton
   
5. University of Texas at San Antonio
   
6. Texas A&M University in College Station
   
7. Texas A&M Corpus Christi
   
8. Texas A&M Kingsville
   
9. Texas A&M San Antonio
   
10. Texas A&M International University in Laredo
    
11. West Texas A&M University in Canyon
    
12. Texas Southern University in Houston
    
13. Texas Women’s University in Denton 
    

For information on any of these sites, contact Carla Storey.