Most child experts (and parents) would agree that even those children who grow up under the best circumstances cannot be expected to be fully productive, self reliant and self-sufficient at the time they reach the age of maturity. Yet this is the expectation for young people in the foster care system.
Most youngsters aging out of foster care:
- Have no housing option
- Have no health insurance (despite that many have untreated physical and mental health needs)
- Are ill-equipped to find – and sustain – gainful employment
- Lack the benefit of parental role models
Most children that come into the foster care system have already faced extremely difficult odds, including abuse, neglect and abandonment. Upon turning 18, many of them are simply sent out on their own with few, if any, resources that can help support their transition into productive adulthood. It therefore comes as no surprise that an estimated 50 percent of such youngsters eventually become homeless, while others become trapped in what has been called the “cradle to prison pipeline”.
Our goal is to provide youngsters aging out of foster care with the knowledge, skills, experience, attitudes, habits, and relationships that will enable them to be productive and connected members of society.