Aging Out of Foster Care Information taken from: Midwest Evaluation of Adult Functioning for Former...
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Transcript of Aging Out of Foster Care Information taken from: Midwest Evaluation of Adult Functioning for Former...
Aging Out of Foster Care
Information taken from:Midwest Evaluation of Adult Functioning for Former Foster Youth from Wisconsin Outcomes at Age 19
Mark Courtney and Amy DworskyJanuary 2006
Chapin Hall Center for Children at the University of ChicagoChicago, Illinois
A partnership of the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services; Adoption Resources of Wisconsin, Inc.
PATH-WI, Inc.St. Aemilian-Lakeside, Inc
There are over 500,000 children in the U.S. foster care
system.118,000 of whom are available
for adoption
Each year 20,000 kidsage out
of the foster care system into adulthood
Less than one in five youth are completely self
sufficient when they leave foster care.
One fourth of youth are reading at a third grade level
or lower when they age out of foster care
More than one third of those aging out of foster care had
no high school diploma or general equivalency
diploma
One year after aging out, only 40 percent
of foster care alumni have current employment
Less than 50% of youth who have aged out of the foster care system
have health insurance
More than half, 54 percent, of children aging out of the foster care
system have what doctors diagnose as
mental health problems.
More than 25 percent of foster care alumni experience post-traumatic stress disorder.
That is 2 times as high as the percentage of veterans
who faced combat.
Youth who age out foster care in Wisconsin are 12 times
more likely to become homeless than their
peers.
What Can You Do?
• Consider Becoming Foster Parent• Become a Mentor For Youth• Provide Access to Job Opportunities• Sponsor Scholarships• Assist with Access to affordable housing• Advocate for extending T-19 eligibility in
Wisconsin to 21
For more information on becoming a foster parent or helping out foster youth in your
community contact:
AgencyContact Person
PhoneE-Mail