Are you transitioning out of the foster care system to independent adulthood or do you work with transitioning youth?  Read more about what we do to support this very special group of young adults through our Project Transition programs.  Click on the orange links above to learn more...

2007 Celebration of Excellence Graduation Event a Grand Success! On June 13 the 2007 COE honored 338 foster youth who were graduating from high school or a GED program and 11 college graduates!  We awarded $92,500 in scholarships to youth continuing their education through the Excellence in Education Scholarship program.  Congratulations, class of 2007!

Nationally, approximately 20,000 youth a year “age out”, leaving the foster care system and heading out on their own to transition to independent adulthood.  National studies have shown that within a few years of aging out of foster care: 46% of youth did not complete high school; 51% were unemployed; 25% were homeless; 33% received government assistance; and 27% of males and 10% of females were incarcerated. Perhaps most problematic, 42% became parents within 4 years of exiting care, likely to start the cycle all over again with their own children.  

 

State child welfare agencies stop serving youth in foster care at age 21 and there are limited other private agency resources available for them. With no parents, case manager, or other support system in place, they are completely on their own.  As a result, too many of these promising young people enter the general population of homeless shelters, community mental health agencies, and correctional facilities.  We work to change this through collaboration, assistance, research, and education. 

Project Transition is a four-prong program developed in partnership with and in direct response to the needs of youth aging out of the foster care system.

It was specifically designed to identify and fill gaps in services available to youth aging out of foster care and ensure that every young person has the resources a caring parent would provide to help them gain the skills and knowledge needed to successfully transition into independent adulthood.  

To learn more about Project Transition, see the program links at the top of this page or contact Susan Allison, Project Transition Director, at susan@catalystforcare.org or 404-351-1678.