The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released the report Housing for Youth Aging Out of Care in May 2014. This report details the housing challenges that youth who age out of the foster care system face. According to the report, several regional studies have shown that between 11 and 37 percent of these [...]
The Minnesota State Capitol Building. Source: Star Tribune The House Education Policy Omnibus Bill (H.F.2397) and the Senate Education Bill (S.F.1889) continue to make early education and K-12 education a priority in the second year of the legislative biennium. There are various proposed changes that have the potential to make an impact on youth and [...]
This blog post was written by Joan Riebel, LICSW, Executive Director of Family Alternatives in Minnesota. Family Alternatives is a licensed foster care and adoption agency. Andrea Brubaker's blog post on San Pasqual Academy caused me to share our experiences as well. For any child, being removed from her family is a traumatic experience, regardless [...]
Regina Calcaterra spent time in foster care, and in 1980, emanicipated herself at the age of 14. In her book, "Etched in Sand," Calcaterra describes her chlidhood of abuse and neglect and advocates for adoption, not aging out of foster care. In an interview with Caroline Linton for Women in the World, Calcaterra shares, Now [...]
The Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative has created an infographic aimed at educating the public on the costs of "doing nothing" to prevent youth from aging out of foster care. In an op-ed in the Huffington Post, Executive Director Gary Stangler wrote, "for every young person who ages out of foster care, taxpayers and communities [...]
This guest post was written by Amanda Talan. In a recent article in Children and Youth Services Review, Tonia Scott asserts that young people who emancipate from or age out of the foster care system need increased federal and state assistance. Scott assesses four federal policies aimed at lessening the hardships faced by these young [...]
[Photo by Catherine Green for LA Weekly] The LA Weekly published a story last Thursday about the story of one young man struggling to find his way after aging out of the system, and a family that has informally offered resources and support. This story deftly describes the many ways in which young adults aging [...]
According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation report on reducing juvenile incarceration, well over 60,000 young people are confined to correctional facilities or other residential programs for juvenile delinquency. Juvenile delinquency is broadly defined and encompasses a range of offenses from serious and violent to petty and minor. Conditions within such facilities and even within [...]
