Aging Out of foster care in Wisconsin

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Aging Out of Foster Care
Information taken from Midwest Evaluation of
Adult Functioning for Former Foster Youth from
Wisconsin Outcomes at Age 19 Mark Courtney and
Amy Dworsky January 2006 Chapin Hall Center for
Children at the University of Chicago Chicago,
Illinois
A partnership of the Wisconsin Department of
Health and Family Services Adoption Resources
of Wisconsin, Inc. PATH-WI, Inc. St.
Aemilian-Lakeside, Inc
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There are over 500,000 children in the U.S.
foster care system. 118,000 of whom are
available for adoption
3
Each year 20,000 kids age out of the foster
care system into adulthood
4
Less than one in five youth are completely self
sufficient when they leave foster care.
5
One fourth of youth are reading at a
third grade level or lower when they age out
of foster care
6
More than one third of those aging out of foster
care had no high school diploma or
general equivalency diploma
7
One year after aging out, only 40 percent of
foster care alumni have current employment
8
Less than 50 of youth who have aged out of the
foster care system have health
insurance
9
More than half, 54 percent, of children
aging out of the foster care system have what
doctors diagnose as mental
health problems.
10
More than 25 percent of foster care alumni
experience post-traumatic stress
disorder. That is 2 times as high as the
percentage of veterans who faced combat.
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Youth who age out foster care in Wisconsin are
12 times more likely to become homeless than
their peers.
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• What Can You Do?
• Consider Becoming Foster Parent
• Become a Mentor For Youth
• Provide Access to Job Opportunities
• Sponsor Scholarships
• Assist with Access to affordable housing
• Advocate for extending T-19 eligibility in
  Wisconsin to 21

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For more information on becoming a foster parent
or helping out foster youth in your community
contact Agency Contact Person Phone E-Mail