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Report: More Mental Health Services Needed for S.D. Foster Youth

Report: More Mental Health Services Needed for S.D. Foster Youth
A new report finds San Diego County doesn't provide enough mental health services for foster youth who are aging out of the system. The report comes from the Children's Advocacy Institute at the University of San Diego.

A new report finds San Diego County doesn't provide enough mental health services for foster youth who are aging out of the system. The report comes from the Children's Advocacy Institute at the University of San Diego.

Voter-approved Prop 63 has provided billions of dollars to California counties for new mental health programs. But the CAI report says services for foster children who are aging out of the system have gotten short shrift.

CAI staff attorney Melanie Delgado says San Diego County has the responsibility to care for these kids in our area.

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"And part of that responsibility is to ensure that they're healthy and that they have the proper tools to transition into a healthy adulthood," Delgado says.

Delgado says the county has some mental programs that older foster children can take advantage of. But she says there's not enough capacity to meet their needs.