Abstract:
Twenty thousand
youth
age out of
foster care
each year
in the United States
.
i
During their
stay in foster care, t
hese children are provided with supportive services through foster
families, residential living facilities and coverage of ba
sic needs through monetary support
allocated by Federal funding.
W
hen youth age out of
foster care
at age 18 they are then
expected to support themselves. At this time, youth must make a transition to indepe
ndent
living
. Without
foster care services, they
face
obstacles in their transition to employment,
furt
her education, and independent
living.
ii
Obstacles
may
include
“
limited education
al
attainment, homelessness, unemployment, mental health
challenges
, poverty, dependence on
public
assistance, and a lack
of positive role models.
”
iii
Although post
-
foster care
services are
available to youth
to help transition them to independent living some “youth who transition
out of
foster care
fall through the cracks.
”
iv
It is
imperative
to increase access to
services for
youth in an effort to prevent some of the
challenges
that
youth who aged out may face post
foster care
.
