Teens Aging Out
Thu, 04/02/2009 - 23:12
20,000 kids age out of the foster care system every year. At 18, they find themselves suddenly without the support they had from the state and often without a home. I wrote a short blog post about this problem. It is a enormous point of failure.
Tonight we donated a futon couch to a young lady who is aging out. I'm interested in some of the other kinds of things folks have done or have considered doing to support kids who find themselves out in the cold.
Comments
Casey Family Programs! http://www.casey.org
http://www.caseyfamilyservices.org
http://www.jimcaseyyouth.org
My foster daughter turns 18 this July (2009). EEK!!!!! Anyway, the Casey people are very active in letting her know that there are tons of resources available for her. It is completely voluntary for the "child" to participate, but they have great people and lots of money to help them with.
Also don't forget to look into Independent Living services for teens that will be aging out. Our local group actually take her around to help her get a job, learn how to cook, open a bank account, budget (ha ha) and where to go for help.
Aside from those, the H&W people provided a "Transition Meeting" for my girl. She got to invite all the people she felt were a support system for her. At the meeting we all talked about her strengths and challenges, her goals and how to get there. Included were serious discussions about her future housing situation(s) and her goals to graduate high school or get a GED.
If you don't have these services available for your aging out teen, ask for them or call one of the organizations to get help.
Many foster kids who age out lack the resources to thrive after no longer being "in the system". Many never do finish high school and a tiny percentage end up going to College.