The statistic below show that there is a big problem in the system when it comes to foster care, but the biggest problem is when the youth age out at the prime age of 18, basically setting them up for a life of poverty and failure. They don’t have the skills to re-enter into the world on their own and most of them get involved in drugs, alcohol, prostitution and theft, which leads to them entering the judicial system where we know they won’t get the help they truly need. It’s just another system that will fail them. In California alone, over 4,200 children age out of foster care each year and 65% become homeless. We should feel ashamed when we do nothing about the adults that were put in a position to be just another statistic in a negative way.
JTE has a program that will help lower the percentage of youth that age out and fail. Please review the Services we offer and become part of The Solution by clicking How can I help?
JTE has a program that will help lower the percentage of youth that age out and fail. Please review the Services we offer and become part of The Solution by clicking How can I help?
Facts about Aging Out
From www.childrensrights.org (a national watchdog organization advocating on behalf of abused and neglected children in the U.S.)
When children cannot return home to their families, child welfare systems must move quickly to find them alternative homes. As time goes by, the prospects for foster youth to land in safe, loving, permanent homes continues to grow dimmer. Many will simply “age out” of the system when they turn 18, without a family and without the skills to make it on their own.
In 2012, more than 23,000 young people — whom states failed to reunite with their families or place in permanent homes — aged out of foster care, simply because they were too old to remain.
In 2012, more than 23,000 young people — whom states failed to reunite with their families or place in permanent homes — aged out of foster care, simply because they were too old to remain.
As highlighted in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Housing for Youth Aging out of Foster Care,
the transition to adulthood for young people aging out of foster care is much more abrupt.
the transition to adulthood for young people aging out of foster care is much more abrupt.
At age 18, or 21 in some states, foster children become ineligible for most state-funded assistance. They are expected to become independent adults overnight.
Often carrying painful memories from their childhood, teenagers aging out of foster care face numerous adversities. As a group, they fare more poorly than their peers in areas such as education and employment. Research also indicates a high rate of homelessness and housing instability among this population.
While finding safe and affordable housing can be a challenge for anyone, the following barriers make this task even more difficult for those aging out of foster care:
Often carrying painful memories from their childhood, teenagers aging out of foster care face numerous adversities. As a group, they fare more poorly than their peers in areas such as education and employment. Research also indicates a high rate of homelessness and housing instability among this population.
While finding safe and affordable housing can be a challenge for anyone, the following barriers make this task even more difficult for those aging out of foster care:
- inadequate income and assets
- no family safety net
- lack of relationships with supportive adults (In fact, feeling close to at least one adult family member reduced the odds of homelessness by age 19 by more than half!)
- early parenthood
- juvenile or criminal records lack of preparation for independent living