The need for homes for older youth

Did you know?

• More than 23,000 children will age out of the U.S. foster care system every year? (National Foster Youth Institute)
• In the state of Wisconsin, youth will age out of foster care at 18 years old. Aging out is the process which occurs when youth must leave the foster care system because they were never adopted and are too old to stay in care. (Shared Justice)
• By age 26, only 3-4 percent of youth who aged out of foster care will earn a college degree (Shared Justice)
• One in five of these youth will become homeless after turning 18 (Shared Justice)
• Only half of youth who have aged out of foster care will obtain employment by age 24 (Shared Justice)
• More than 70 percent of female foster youth will become pregnant by age 21 (Shared Justice)
• One in four former foster youth will experience PTSD
• One out of every two kids who age out of the system will develop a substance dependence (National Foster Youth Institute)
• About one in four kids who age out of the system will not graduate from high school or be able to pass their GED (National Foster Youth Institute)
• Despite this, 70 percent of foster kids consistently say that they would like to attend college one day (National Foster Youth Institute)

How can you help?

The majority of children ages 11-18 who are placed in foster care are placed in a group home. A group home typically consists of multiple children within the same age range and of the same gender who are placed together in the same house because a foster family or fit and willing relative could not be identified to care for them. These children have all experienced trauma in some form, and would heal best in a family setting.

If a child ages out of care while placed in a group home, they are not able to remain living in the group home. We are looking for foster parents who are willing to open up their homes to an older child and provide them with a safe, loving and stable environment. Foster parents are able to develop a one-on-one relationship with older youth, and can better teach them life skills such as applying for jobs, college, etc. If more foster parents are able to develop these relationships with older youth, these youth are much more likely to be more successful in their adult lives.

*Statistics provided by:

• National Foster Youth Institute
• Shared Justice

More information

• General foster care
• Frequently asked questions
• Foster care mythbusters
• Fostering older youth mythbusters
• Upcoming foster care meetings
• Foster care application