Sobering Statistic
Each year, approximately 26,000 young people age out of foster care in the United States.
In America, too many youth are aging out of foster care and falling into homelessness. This brief analyzes what we’re getting wrong, and how we can fix our patchwork system of supports. Even more, it offers fresh ideas on how we can keep this vulnerable demographic off the streets and striding toward adulthood on solid, stable ground.
The bad news? Too many former foster care youth are winding up homeless. The good news? Conditions are ripe for change. States are utilizing the Fostering Connections Act, which provides federal matching funds to extend foster care eligibility to age 21. Equally important: Experts are rethinking child welfare and housing systems, which can open critical windows of opportunity for joint action and learning.