According to the
National Association of Counties
the Midwest Studies show findings that indicate that only 72 percent
of youth who aged out of care worked for pay in the previous year, and only 47 percent were employed at the time
of the survey. Additionally, of those who did work for pay, 84 percent made less than $9.00 an hour. These
employment outcomes show that youth may struggle to survive financially. In fact, of those surveyed, 40 percent
reported not having enough money to buy clothes, 20 percent did not have enough money to pay rent, and 22 percent
had their phone service disconnected, and 15 percent of participants reported being hungry because they could not
afford to buy food.
HEALTHCARE:
For young people leaving foster care, lack of health care poses a substantial challenge. Researchers have
been studying and reporting on the prevalence of health and mental health problems plaguing children in
foster care for several decades. According to a recent study, approximately twenty-five percent of foster
care alumni or adults who had experienced foster care later experienced post-traumatic stress. The general
population by comparison experiences post traumatic stress at a rate of 4 percent. Most youth in foster care
receive healthcare through Medicaid and are at risk of losing this coverage once they age out of care.
The Midwest study indicates that only half of the young adults reported having medical insurance, and only
39 percent had dental insurance. Approximately one-fifth of the young adults reported that they had not received
medical care in the past year. Not having insurance was the main reason cited for not receiving care. It is
abundantly clear that access to adequate health, mental health and other support services is a critical factor
as young people transition to adulthood.
EDUCATION:
Although all children are entitled to education services under federal, state, and local laws, the specific
educational needs of children and youth in care often go unmet. Research suggests that foster youth approach
the transition to adulthood with significant Educational deficits. According to research, young adults who age
out of foster care are “more than twice as likely not to have a high school diploma or a GED as their
peers.” Conversely, only “30 percent of the young adults in the Midwest Study had completed any college compared
with 53 percent of 21- year olds nationally.” In fact, the youth interviewed in the Midwest Study were “14 times
less likely to complete college than the general population.” Clearly there are some discrepancies in the
educational achievement of youth in care when compared to youth not in care. Whether these discrepancies are
due to a lack of ability, due to a non-supportive home life, or minimal residential stability, there is one thing
apparent: youth in care tend to fare worse educationally than the general population of youth that reside with their
families.
HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS:
Housing is one of the most immediate needs for youth who age out of the foster care system. Former foster youth
are often prematurely confronted with the harsh reality of the gap between the wages they earn and the cost
of housing. As a result, young people aging out of the foster care system are becoming homeless at disconcerting
rates. Most of the young adults who age out had been living in fairly stable living arrangements prior to their
discharge from care. Nevertheless, one-third had lived in at least three different places; of those at least 40
percent had lived in four or more places since their discharge. More than 18 percent of those who aged out of
care have been homeless at least twice, and more than half of these young adults had been homeless more than once.
In fact, “three in ten of the nation’s homeless adults report foster care history. In some counties, as many as six
in ten are homeless adults who once experienced life in foster care.
CRIME AND INCARERATION:
Previous studies
have found a substantial proportion of youth who exit foster
or group care experience negative outcomes such as poor mental health or incarceration. Yet, little is known about
the increase or decrease in the likelihood of negative outcomes like serious youthful offending according to different
pathways in and out of foster care. The present study adds significantly to the outcomes of children served in the
foster care system by conducting a prospective examination of adolescent incarceration for serious felony and
violent offenses as a post-discharge outcome for children in out-of-home placement. Results indicate that
children first placed between the ages of 12 and 15, children with multiple placements and multiple spells
in care, and children who have placement experiences supervised by probation following their child welfare
involvement had a higher risk of incarceration for a serious or violent offense during adolescence. The risk for
different ethnic groups changed according to the type of foster care experience, as well as the gender
of the child.
