Instructions on Applying for an Unsupervised Apartment

1. Youth must submit a written plan to their social worker no later than 60 days prior to wishing to move in an unsupervised apartment.
2. Youth must include in the written plan the following things:
1. A financial plan for paying for the apartment, utilities, groceries, transportation, and household goods.
2. Youth must provide verification of enrollment in a post-secondary educational program.
3. Youth must provide a plan in regards to their continuing education.
4. Youth must provide a plan for transportation to work, school, IL classes, Court hearings, meetings with DSS worker, and appointments.
5. Youth must provide a plan in regards to continuing the services that they are currently receiving (counseling, substance abuse counseling, psychiatric, etc.)
6. Youth must have employment and maintained that employment for a minimum of 60 days prior to submitting their written plan for an unsupervised apartment.
7. Youth must provide pay stubs for the past 60 days and continue to supply the agency with these pay stubs.
8. Youth must provide a list of rules they agree to abide by while living in the unsupervised apartment.
9. Youth must provide a list of consequences that they agree to abide by if they break a rule listed in the agreement.
10. Youth must show what they have been actively working on as far as IL skills are concerned. A list of what the youth should be working on was provided in their test results from the Daniel Memorial Assessment.
11. The youth must also address the issues and behaviors that brought them into care as well as those that have been present while the youth has been in foster care and explain what changes the youth has made that makes them appropriate for an unsupervised apartment at this time.
12. The youth must address whether or not they are going to have a roommate and that roommate must also have a job and a financial plan to pay for their half of the apartment as well as have completed background checks prior to the submission of this plan.
3. The youth’s social worker will review their plan and send it back to the youth for revisions.
4. The youth’s social worker will then review the final draft of the plan with the supervisor and may send the plan back to the youth for further revisions at that time.
5. The final plan will be shared with the director and a meeting will be conducted if the director is considering the unsupervised apartment request. This meeting will consist of the youth, the social worker, the director, and anyone else that the director wishes to invite.
6. If the youth is on probation then the plan must also be approved by the probation officer.
7. The director has the final approval on whether or not a youth may obtain an unsupervised apartment.