The Importance Of Foster Care In The United States

Carol Smith, a reporter for InvestigateWest, states, “The largest driver of the young adult homeless population is the foster care system” (Smith). The United States Foster Care System is imperfect in many ways from how it is organized to how it is executed. The largest problem, however, is foster youths who age out of foster care without any guidance or support. Once an adolescent in the US Foster Care System turns 18, the state is no longer required to provide support for the adolescent, subjecting them to unemployment and later homelessness (Smith). State governments should offer a plan of support for emerging adults in foster care in each individual state so they will have a better chance of succeeding. Emerging foster youths need a plan
For example, a study conducted by the Pew Charitable Trusts of foster youths who age of foster care showed that fifty percent didn’t have a high school degree, and less than three percent went on to graduate college (Smith). Andrew Setterholm, writer for the Post Bulletin, talks about how the placement of children into foster homes causes trauma in the child’s life, resulting in mental health effects (Setterholm), and Sarah Geenan states students who are placed in multiple foster homes end up transferring to multiple schools (Geenan and Powers). Without direct adult support caused by this unstable environment, achieving higher grades is difficult and many youths end up not living up to their potential in school- resulting in many foster youths having a delay in gaining or never gaining at all necessary social skills and are thus blocked from receiving a higher education and a better chance of having a secure job. (Smith). James Koppel, Minnesota state commissioner for child and family services, states that “We cannot let our foster care system fail the very children that we have chosen to take out of homes due to maltreatment. We cannot fail those children in our foster care system”
Evidently, the state ending support when a foster youth is eighteen is ineffective, as shown by the fact that one in five former foster youths will be homeless within two years. A better option is to extend welfare to after they leave foster care, at least six months, so the emerging adult can establish a foundation (a job and a place to live). If the adolescent finds a job and dwelling deemed suitable by the State before the period of welfare is over, the support could be terminated. Moreover, The Mockingbird Society of Seattle had success in lobbying for a federal legislation in Washington to extend support until twenty-one for foster youths (Smith). There are few states (such as Washington) that offer a financed program similar to this. It can be any support, from a few months to a few years, as long as it is in a realistic range for each state. In this way, foster youths have a better chance of achieving their true potential and stay off of the streets. To conclude, the federal legislation needs to provide support for foster youths aging out of foster care to avoid unemployment and homelessness. Foster youths grow up in an unstable environment with inadequate education, so they have a less likely chance of succeeding in life. State governments can choose the plan they would provide, so adolescents will