Honoring Emancipated Youth, a non-profit agency serving transitioning foster youth in San Francisco, has compiled the following :
Homelessness
Within 18 months of emancipation 40-50% of former foster youth become homeless
65% of emancipating foster youth need immediate housing when they exit the system
Employment
50% of emancipated foster youth experience high rates of unemployment within 5 years of emancipation
60% of former foster youth earn incomes at or below $6,000 per year, which is substantially below the federal poverty level of $7,890 for a single individual
Education
70% of teens who emancipate from foster care report wanting to go to college, 10% attend and less than 1% graduate from college
83% of foster children are held back by the third grade
75% of children and youth in foster care are behind grade level
40% of foster youth complete high school compared to 84% of the general population
Mental & Physical Health
33% of all foster care alumni have no form of health insurance
Former foster youth experience Post Traumatic Stress disorder at a rate 2 times the level of U.S. war veterans
Nearly 50% of foster children suffer from chronic health conditions such as asthma, visual and auditory problems, dental decay and malnutrition
50-60% of children in foster care have moderate to severe mental health problems
Foster children are more likely than other children on Medicaid to have mental health or substance abuse conditions
Incarceration
Foster youth with multiple placements are 5-10 times more likely to become involved with the juvenile justice system than youth in the general population
25% of former foster youth will be incarcerated within the first 2 years of emancipation
