We believe that all young people are entitled to a secure and stable family. However, some parents struggle to provide their children with a safe environment – Massachusetts alone serves more than 10,000 children and young adults in foster care annually.

These youth represent one of the country’s most severely disconnected and at-risk populations. Many of them have experienced severe trauma and neglect and, as a result, are highly vulnerable to homelessness, unemployment, under-education, and poverty as adults.

The Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth: Outcomes, a study of how foster youth fare as they transition to adulthood, revealed that by age 26,

• Nearly 40% of foster youth will be homeless or couch surf.
• 20% of foster youth will not have a high school diploma or GED.
• Less than 5% of foster youth will graduate from a 4-year college.
• Over 70% of female and 50% of male foster youth will be parents, compared to 41% and 28% of their peers.
• Nearly 43% of female and 74% of male foster youth will have been incarcerated, compared to 6% and 23% of their peers.
• More than half of foster youth will be unemployed, compared to only 2 in 10 of their peers.

Foster youth have the same hopes, dreams, and goals as other young people, and they, too, deserve the chance to have a bright future. We find, train, and support loving families to help these children overcome their often-challenging pasts and develop into healthy and successful adults.