In about two months, foster kids graduate along with the other high school students at West Seattle and Chief Sealth. But there can be a big difference. Most of the other students will continue to have a roof over their head as they find a job or college to attend, and will also have a family support system in place to help keep them on track at this difficult transitional age. Not so for “foster alumni,” who “age out of the system” once they turn 18.

And because most foster kids were raised in an unstable, sometimes abusive, home environment, they are, as a group, ill equipped to take on the world in their late teens. Many falter.

“There isn’t a single point like an 18th birthday where foster youth are independent,” said Sean Walsh, with the YMCA of Greater Seattle.

“The Federal Government provides money to states to help former foster youth with some living expenses until age 21,” he added, “but it’s not the same as giving young people the option to actually stay with their foster families beyond age 18. Our state has some programs that let people stay in care, but there are eligibility requirements. Many advocates like Fostering Media Connections are trying to raise awareness about the value of simply extending foster care to age 21.”

The YMCA’s Young Adult Services program offers resources and housing for foster youth and alumni who live in King County. Young adults get support achieving their education and employment goals, finding transitional or permanent housing, and learning skills like budgeting, cooking and saving money. The YMCA works to help people be more self-sufficient.

“Many foster youth at age 18 might not have even completed high school,” said Kathy Brennan, with Partners for Our Children, a UW School of Social Work-based program.

“They may need another year or two of housing. In general, the outcomes of these kids are not where their peers would be and they need a lot more wrap around support. The ‘full meal deal.’”

Partners for Our Children was founded in 2007 to focus resources and expertise on the state’s child welfare system. They collaborate between the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services, the University of Washington School of Social Work and private sector funding.

“Foster youth and alumni who have aged out of the system have many issues similar to issues that others in their age group face, plus not much of a support system once they launch into adulthood,” echoed Jim Theofelis, executive director and founder, Mockingbird Society.

The Mockingbird Society’s mission is to build a world-class foster care system through collaboration, innovation and advocacy. It reforms public policy and legislation and involves youth, alumni and caregivers in advocating for system improvement. It was named for the book, To Kill a Mockingbird.

“We started in 2001, and train foster youth, many from West Seattle, to go down to Olympia to talk to lawmakers,” said Theofelis, who was raised in West Seattle and attended Chief Sealth High School where he coaches soccer.

“We now have health care (for foster youth) to age 21, and housing from age 18 to 21,” he said. “Previously, as soon as a foster child got a high school diploma or GED he or she became ineligible that same day. We once had a whole system of coaching kids not to graduate or pass the test or they’d lose their housing. It was a horrible conundrum.”

Treehouse, another foster care organization in the Seattle area, offers tutoring, college and career planning, “Little Wishes,” summer camp and a free store called “The Wearhouse.” Treehouse provides workshops to help with standardized testing, essay writing, financial aid forms, scholarship applications and other skills to help access higher education, trade schools, and careers.

“We help lots of these kids who might fall through the cracks and are not on track to graduate high school,” said Janis Avery, Treehouse executive director. “If they leave high school and work full time at minimum wage, going to college full time is too much stress for most young adults.”

Check out Daniel Heimpel’s site: www.fosteringmediaconnections.org/
Also: www.onthemovebayarea.org/node/561