The foster care system is designed to help children that don’t have a safe, loving place to call home or parents that can care for them. Each year, more than 250,000 children will enter the U.S. foster care system, and sadly, many will remain there for the duration of their childhood.
For some children in foster care, their stories have a happy ending: either they are safely reunited with their family or they are given the opportunity for a brighter future through permanent adoption. However, an overwhelming number of children within the foster care system never have the chance to create a better life or find a loving family of their own.
More than 23,000 children “age out” of the foster care system each year in the United States. For these children, aging out is often a devastating blow to an already traumatic childhood. The Arizona Friends of Foster Children Foundation aims to not only educate the public about what “aging out” means for youth in foster care but also to offer a variety of ways to help these youth have a better chance at a happy, healthy future.
What Does “Aging Out” Mean?
For so many children, their first placement in foster care is only the beginning of years within the system. As difficult as it can be to experience life as a child in foster care, an entirely new set of challenges is presented once a teenager reaches the age of 18.
At 18, a child in foster care is instantly considered an “adult.” They may sign a ‘voluntary’ agreement to stay in foster care and receive ongoing support from the state until they’re 21, or they are free to walk away. Sadly, most youth make the choice to walk away and begin their lives on their own: finding jobs, locating a place to live, supporting themselves, and securing a means of transportation.
According to statistics, aging out often has an incredibly detrimental effect on both the child’s immediate life and their long-term future:
- Upon reaching age 18, about 20% of children who were in the foster care system will be instantly homeless.
- About 1 out of every 2 children that age out of foster care will be able to find employment by the time they are 24 years old.
- About 70% of girls who age out of foster care will be pregnant before they reach the age of 21.
- Children that age out of foster care have a less than 3% chance of earning a college degree in their lifetime.
For most Arizonians, these numbers are both shocking and heartbreaking. The tragedy of aging out is something that many people have never heard of or considered. And not only does aging out have an impact on hundreds of Arizona children each year, but it also creates a ripple effect of crime, homelessness, and more that weighs heavily on our state.
Once you realize the magnitude of the crisis facing Arizona children in foster care, it’s impossible not to feel driven to help.
How to Help Arizona Children Aging Out of Foster Care
Ultimately, the goal of foster care is to provide children with a safe path to escape neglect and abuse. Ideally, every child in foster care would have the opportunity for either safe reunification or a permanent home with a loving family – but as we know, that’s not always the case. When the point of aging out” has been reached, for most youth there is no longer support available, and these children must try to survive the world on their own.
But it doesn’t have to be that way – and there are steps you can take to help catalyze change. The Arizona Friends of Foster Care Foundation is dedicated to enriching the lives of children in foster care, which includes helping them strive for a future as a happy, healthy adult. Our mission is to facilitate services that not only prepare teens that are approaching the point of aging out but also help them build the skills and relationships that will pave the way to successful adulthood.
Many of our programmatic efforts support children currently in the foster care system, but we have also created multiple programs that help children and teens before they age out.
Keys to Success
The Keys to Success program facilitates a range of career development services for teens and young adults that are aging out (or have aged out) of foster care. Ultimately, the goal is to enable the participants to build confidence in their future potential and create a plan for securing living-wage employment.
When a youth is enrolled in the Keys to Success program, a team works closely with them to:
- Establish their short- and long-term career goals
- Prepare for and find employment
- Complete education and/or training that supports their career plans
- Build the skills needed for independent living
- Connect with partnering organizations that can continue to provide additional resources and services
More than 90% of participants are employed within a year after enrolling in the program, and about 88% will enroll in post-secondary education or career training. You can help the Keys to Success program with your foster care tax credit donation, or by becoming an employer or community resource for one of our participants.
The Bobby Edd Penson Fund
Post-secondary education is a dream for a large number of Arizona children in foster care, but it sadly remains out of reach for far too many. After aging out, many young men and women who were in foster care are derailed by emergency expenses and unexpected life events. Something as seemingly simple as an increase in living expenses or vehicle repairs can be all it takes to change the course of a youth’s life for the worse.
But with the AFFCF Penson Fund, these young adults don’t have to give up on their goal of completing their education. Financial assistance is available to aid youth that are or were in foster care, giving them the opportunity to overcome an emergency expense without having to leave their college or vocational program.
Your financial contribution to AFFCF help to support the continuation of this program, but you can also refer a youth for application if you believe they are a candidate for aid.
Post-Secondary Scholarship Program
For high school students that are aging out of the foster care system (or young adults that aged out at 18), the AFFCF Post-Secondary Scholarship Program serves as a bridge to post-secondary education. The program funds tuition and fees for youth to attend community college or university, focusing on supporting the academic goals of children and young adults that have aged out of foster care.
Financial contributions from supporters of AFFCF are invaluable in the facilitation of this life-changing program, and every donation truly helps.
Make a Difference in the Lives of Arizona Children in Foster Care
If you feel compelled to help the hundreds of Arizona teens aging out of foster care every year, there are many ways to make a difference through the Arizona Friends of Foster Care Children Foundation in Phoenix.
Learn more about how to donate to Arizona children in foster care, including details about the Arizona foster care tax credit.
Featured Image: Shutterstock / Mantinov