In early 2025, CASA of Santa Cruz County shared a blog outlining the challenges that lead to teenagers in foster care being placed outside the county. Since then, several developments have made the situation even more difficult for youth who need stable placements close to home.
When foster youth are separated from their community and placed faraway, it has many harmful effects. Not only are they going through the trauma of being removed from their families; they are also now without any of their community supports, including their schools, friends, and familiar community environment. It truly complicates family visitation and disrupts the momentum needed for reunification when that remains the goal. The continuity of their education is disrupted as they enter an unfamiliar school. If they had a job, that is also upended, resulting in lost income. Any service providers, such as therapists, psychiatrists, life skills assistance providers, and even CASA Advocates must either end services or change to a distance model.
I personally have seen the listlessness, confusion, and lack of a clear vision of the future that the disruptive change of moving out of county causes. Running away from placements as youth try to return home or to somewhere familiar, chronic truancy leading to credit deficiencies in school, and deep anguish, sadness, and shame follow.
Closure of Haven of Hope
The closure of the Short-Term Residential Treatment Programs (STRTP) operated by Haven of Hope in Santa Cruz County has had a major impact on the youth we serve. STRTPs are congregate placements that are designed to be six-month placements for youth with significant mental health or behavioral needs. Haven of Hope had been the only local STRTP, and its closure removes the last therapeutic residential option available within the county.
The closure leaves a major gap in local capacity to support youth who require intensive services. With no in-county STRTP placements available, teens with higher needs must now be placed in distant counties. For many youths this means moving to cities such as Fresno, Santa Barbara, Richmond or Stockton. We are currently aware of six teens we work with who were relocated out of county due to the Haven of Hope closure. When a teenager enters foster care and needs a higher level of support, there is now no local facility equipped to provide it. This dramatically increases the likelihood of out-of-county placement, which separates youth from their schools, friends, supports and familiar community environment.
CASA continues to coordinate with CASA programs statewide to ensure that youth placed in other counties receive consistent advocacy. While this inter-county partnership is valuable, it cannot replace the benefits of keeping youth near the people and resources they know.
A More Urgent Need for Resource Parents for Teens
The shortage of Resource Families willing to foster teenagers was already a major challenge in our community. Now, with the closure of the county’s only STRTP, the need for local homes for teens has become extremely critical.
Teens in care deserve committed adults who can offer stability, belonging, and an opportunity to remain in their own community with family and friends, stay in the same school, and work the same job. Without additional Resource Parents stepping forward, more youth will continue to be placed far from the environment that supports their healing and growth.
What the Community Can Do
Santa Cruz County has long demonstrated a strong commitment to children and families. Meeting the needs of local teens now requires immediate action. You can help by considering becoming a foster parent for a teen. You can get started here.
Grounded in CASA’s values of Opportunity, Compassion, Communidad and Justice, we remain committed to ensuring that every young person has access to safety, care and connection close to home. We are committed to advocating for appropriate local safe homes for all young people needing it.
