A recent Huffington Post article articulately addressed, The “Aging Out” Dilemma Plaguing the Foster Care System. Although perhaps missing some of the most important potential solutions, Author Bill Baccaglini does a great job depicting the tremendously difficult situation (and terrible odds) facing foster youth who “age out” of the system without being adopted. He begins:
Imagine that because you’ve been abused or neglected as a child, you’ve spent the first 21 years of your life separated from your biological family, bouncing from one foster home to another and changing schools every few years. At 21-years-old, you have never paid rent, bought your own groceries or managed your own expenses.
With an education that’s spotty at best, and no family or other support systems in place, you’re told that you’re now an adult and responsible for functioning in the world on your own. Would you be able to do it?.....
