STATISTICS

Even in instances where youth are well-supported, traversing the threshold into adulthood can encompass and invoke a multitude of feelings: excitement; liberation; accomplishment; anxiety; doubt; uncertainty; hopelessness; confusion. This is a complex cocktail to digest and navigating this transition can be turbulent. For many youth without a sufficient support system, these feelings can become heightened, making the transition into adulthood even more tumultuous than it would be ordinarily. Many transitional age youth struggle to meet basic needs and are more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors.

Studies have shown that within two to four years of leaving systems-based care at age 18:

Specific to Kent County:

  • 200 youth 18-24 on the streets of Grand Rapids each night. (www.meltrotter.org)

  • Approximately 900 youth age out of foster care each year in Michigan. (www.brigdemi.com)

  • A survey found that 40 percent of former foster care children in Michigan had been homeless between the ages of 19 and 21. (www.brigdemi.com)

  • Less than 50 percent of foster youth have their independent living needs assessed. (www.youthtoday.org)

  • Within four years of aging out, 50 percent of former foster care youth are unemployed. Those who are employed earn less than $7,500 per year and 70 percent rely on government assistance. (www.youthtoday.org)

  • After reaching the age of 18, 20 percent of children who were in foster care will become instantly homeless. (www.nfyi.org)

  • Only one out of every two foster kids who age out of the system will have some form of gainful employment by the age of 24. (www.nfyi.org)

  • Nearly 60 percent of young men who have aged out the foster care system and are legally emancipated had been convicted of a crime. (www.nfyi.org)

On a micro-level, changing patterns for individual youth is the aim of SPSH. On a macro-level, the program is designed with aspirations to shift the patterns these shocking statistics highlight.