American Voice

The results of a study posted by the New York Times show that life after foster care is a disaster, to word it lightly. Individuals that turn 18 and have aged out of foster care, have shown on an overwhelming scale that they are unable to succeed with the tools, (or lack of tools), that are given to them.

Here are some of the numbers according to the NYT:

• Only half of the youth who age out of foster care are employed by their mid twenties. 
•  Six in ten men have been convicted of a crime.
• Three in four women receive some form of public assistance (many of these women have children of their own.)
• Only six in 100 have completed even a community college degree.

These are extremely disturbing statistics, especially when many of these foster homes were set into place for the improvement of the child's well being. However, there is already work being done to solve this dilemma.

There are programs that are being set up to mentor and assist these young people after they leave foster care. These kids often need a sense of direction and guidance, but have no one to turn to. But these mentor programs that are being set up are already having positive results.


The foster families shown in these pics are just one of thousands of foster families in the country. However, once many of these kids leave foster care they are virtually helpless.

(Please continue reading below...)

The NYT  reports that one gentleman recently aged out of foster care is now doing quite well on his own, because of the mentor ship that was provided. The gentleman is attending a community college and works at a printer cartridge company. This is outstanding compared to the fate that many other foster children before him have met.

Mentoring these kids after leaving foster care is the first of many steps that need to be taken to ensure that our youth succeed. Remember, it not only hurts them if they fail. It hurts us as well. Think about it.