wLast year, Sacramento was accepted and she knew she needed books and school supplies. She didn’t expect to need a toolbox. Or clothes hanger. Or her dormitory room won’t have fans or lights.
Like many first-year students, Green entered a sophomore and planned to become a plastic surgeon, excited about her future adventures. But through California’s foster care system, she doesn’t know anyone who goes to college. Although she is ready for the course, life as a college student is mostly mysterious, except for what she sees online.
That’s where my dormitory got involved. The program, with more than 140 foster youths, hosted an annual event in July to provide each student with sheets, pillows, shower caddy and connections with others in other situations.
Green competed in the summer of 2024, leaving behind several duffel bags filled with what she needed, including many items she didn’t know she needed, such as dishwashing soap.
“I was looking forward to beds and towels,” Green said. “I didn’t expect them to give me products and school supplies from my time. They were donating school merchandise, stepping on stools and tool boxes. They really went beyond that.”
The program began in 2018 when Jill Franklin, program manager for the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services Independent Living Program, met students from the foster care system. The young woman described her arrival at the University of California at Berkeley with only a garbage bag, not knowing that the dormitory was a Spartan business with a table, chair, chair, bed, and mattress, that was it.
“She didn’t have pillows, sheets or towels, and everyone else was with their parents and a bag of stuff,” Franklin said. “At the time, I was editing a college paper, and I realized we never thought about the first day.”
Franklin started with a small Amazon wish list and a few students. She said it is especially important for children to participate in the process as much as possible because they are used to living in their own space.
“You might have a 17-year-old guy on the football team saying, ‘I don’t want Minnie Mouse sheets, but oh well, that’s the truth, they probably won’t be there for a long time, this is not their bedroom,” Franklin said. “It’s very important that they choose their own bedding, their own towels and blankets so that when they walk into that room or someone else walks into that room, it says, ‘This is who I am.'”
In 2022, she met Phyllis ShinbaneHe has retired as Director of Operations, connecting a caring community, a nonprofit based in Calabasas, California. Like many, Shinbane didn’t realize that foster youth can often take them to college, but realized that it was a need she could help fill.
CCC Executive Director Lisa Kodimer and Dec My Dorm co-chair Allison Weiss, who raised more than $40,000 in donations and connected with sponsors and volunteers to help 142 students in 2025.
“It’s just illuminating the game environment,” Shinbane said, hoping to extend the program to other states. “It’s just putting them in their equal room, they don’t have a different place, their past hasn’t defined them, they’re the same as every other college student from a supportive, structured, secure home.”
8% to 11% of foster care earn a bachelor’s degree. Sarah wastedDeputy Director of the Center for Child Policy, Practice and Research at the University of Pennsylvania. Although most people who are engaged in foster care can remain in the system until they are at least 21 years old, many foster parents do not provide funds for dormitories.
“The disconnect around who is responsible for overseeing the transition,” Wasch said. “For foster youth, it is not clear whether this is the responsibility of the foster family, the responsibility of the case manager, the court or the legal guardian.”
While some states have programs for foster care and higher education, efforts are still fragmented and there are many gaps to fill, such as dormitory demand and storage rooms in the summer. Most universities have support systems designed specifically to support students from foster care systems, e.g. Guardian Scholar Plans in California. These focus mainly on financial support for tuition and meals and provide advice on courses rather than on student life.
At one time, legislation was proposed to create a federal center that would coordinate state efforts, but it didn’t pass, Wasch said.
Kelisha WilliamsA foster care student from Kentucky graduated from Harvard last spring and said she hoped there would be programs like my dorm when she was in school. Although Harvard offers a list of essentials for the dorm, she watched many YouTube videos to find out what she needs to fit and try to save money.
She stressed that it wasn’t just about having essentials like shower caddy and soap bars. Nothing can make foster students feel like they don’t belong.
“I know that’s going to be a big obstacle, and I don’t want anyone to know that I don’t like them, or that I shouldn’t be there,” said Williams, 22. “So I just make sure I’ve worked in the summer so I have everything I need, even stuffed objects like posters, know.”
Shinbane said many volunteers are passionate about building dormitory rooms with students, but have legal concerns about privacy. The organization provides additional resources such as free glasses and glasses and provides students with QR codes that link students to food assistance, clothing programs and campus support.
They invite former participants to attend new courses in college so that they can provide advice and support.
“This program is like a vivid, breathing thing,” Shinbane said. “It grows every year and our goal is to provide them with services and resources to help ensure their success.”
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A wellness enthusiast and certified nutrition advisor, Meera covers everything from healthy living tips to medical breakthroughs. Her articles aim to inform and inspire readers to live better every day.
