COUNTY SEEKS TO AID FOSTER TEENS LEAVING CARE.

Byline: Kermit Pattison Daily News Staff Writer

It's a tragedy social workers have seen again and again.

A confused youth turns 18, gets bumped from the foster home system and suddenly faces the daunting task of finding a job and apartment. Unable to find work, pay rent or stop the erosion of self-esteem, the young adult quickly succumbs to drugs and winds up homeless.

Now officials hope to string up a safety net to prevent foster care teen-agers in Ventura County from slipping through the cracks as they leave the nest to become independent.

In the first project of its kind in Ventura County, a coalition of government and nonprofit agencies has proposed a transition center for kids leaving foster homes. The demonstration project would house about 12 youths under one roof with services like job training, counseling, mentoring and peer support groups.

``Many of the youngsters we work with are totally unprepared to be on their own,'' said Jerry Blesener, deputy director of the Ventura County Public Social Services Agency. ``This is to help them be better prepared.''

Under state and federal law, children are released from the foster care system at age 18 or 19. Although the county enrolls the teens in a program to teach them to be self-sufficient after leaving foster care, some lack the education, financial means, discipline and maturity to make it on their own and spiral into unemployment, conflicts with others, drugs or homelessness.

``We're trying to provide the same thing most youngsters have: A support system that helps them through this difficult transition,'' said Blesener. ``If they aren't quite ready, there's something there for them. If they try and don't make it, there's something for them to fall back on until they gather the strength to do it.''

Social workers say the group home will help make the transition easier by grouping the teens into a one-stop center where they can seek counseling around the clock and rely on a support network of peers and adults. The close-knit center would help the students continue their education, find jobs and apartments and eventually become independent.

``It's a very critical time for these kids,'' said Richard Shaw, who is managing the project for the Public Social Services Agency. ``A lot of them are faced with a lot of difficulty at this time when they're thrown into independence and don't know how to handle it.''

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors will consider the proposal Tuesday. Officials say the proposal will not deplete the county's already strained budget because they can run the program with existing revenues.

Social workers and volunteers plan to form a nonprofit corporation to run the program. The county plans to construct a 12-person home somewhere in west Ventura County and eventually follow it with a second one somewhere in the east county.

The cities of Ventura and Port Hueneme already have committed funds to the proposal and the county also hopes to win funds from Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and Oxnard, officials said.