FACTS AND ISSUES
When kids age out of the foster care system, they often face numerous challenges and have poorer outcomes compared to their peers who have stable family support. Below are some outcomes for youth who age out of foster care.
Higher Rates of Homelessness:
Higher Rates of Homelessness: A significant proportion of youth who age out of foster care experience homelessness. Studies have found that approximately
31% to 46% of youth experiencing homelessness have a history in foster care.
Lower Educational Attainment:
Lower Educational Attainment: Compared to their peers, young adults who have aged out of foster care are less likely to graduate from high school or pursue higher education. Only
50% of children in foster care will finish high school.
Mental Health Issues
80% of children in foster care have significant mental health issues, compared to approximately 18-22% of the general population
School Stability
65% of children in foster care experience seven or more school changes between elementary and high school.
Educational Outcomes
59% of foster care youth drop out of high school and less than
5%
graduate from a 4-year college.
Youth Homelessness
75%
of Bay Area homeless youth were once in the foster care and juvenile justice systems.
Foster Care & Incarceration
25%
of foster youth will be in prison within two years of leaving the foster care system.
Racial Disparity
Children of African Ancestry are disproportionately overrepresented at
2X-3X their general population.
The Stark Reality
25% will attempt suicide and that’s just for those who are still in the system. For the 23,000 young adults who age out each year,
81% of young men will become incarcerated.
Early
Motherhood
71%
of young women will be pregnant before their twenty-first birthday, with half of their children destined to be placed in the foster care system themselves.