WHY FOSTER YOUTH?

By the time foster youth turn 20, just two years after aging out of foster care…

A circular chart with 59% in the center, colored in blue and orange, indicating that 59% do not finish high school.
A circular infographic shows 51% of people are unemployed, with a color-coded ring surrounding the percentage.
A circular graphic with a blue and orange ring, showing that 50% of the group are homeless.
A circular graphic with a partially orange and blue border. Inside, it shows the text '25%' in large font and below that, 'Become New Parents' in smaller font, with the entire message indicating 25% become new parents.
A circular infographic showing that 20% become incarcerated, with a blue and orange ring around the text.

These are our community’s children, and they deserve better. Through no fault of their own, they have endured hardships most of us can only imagine.

Today, there are 365,000 children in the U.S. foster care system. 40,000 are in California, and 4,000 are in the Bay Area. The child welfare system was not designed to serve this many children.

The struggle began long before they aged out.

For a typical Unity Care client, life began in an unstable family home marked by poverty, substance abuse, and/or mental illness. Despite loving their children deeply, most of these children’s parents could not overcome their challenges.

The average foster youth spends 3 to 4 years in foster care. Those who enter the system as tweens or teens typically stay in the system until they age out at 18.

Foster home

Moving as many as 3-4 foster homes each year

Social worker

Overwhelmed social workers with caseloads of 1:200

Line drawing of a school building with a clock on the front and a flag on top

Moving schools 1-2 times each year in foster care

Loss of sibling relationships due to foster care

Separation from their siblings

Black and white line drawing of a human brain.

PTSD rates 2X higher than those of veterans

Long term, these struggles impact their productivity and life outcomes.

A young boy writing in a notebook at a table in a well-lit indoor space with large windows, with another child nearby.
Close-up of French fries with a green plastic fork, with a dollop of mayonnaise in the background.
Group of young men standing and talking near parked cars in a city parking lot, with tall buildings in the background.

Falling 3-4 academic grade levels behind their peers.

Unhealthy eating and overall poor physical health.

Engaging in high-risk behaviors such as crime and substance use.

A person sitting on the floor with their knees drawn up and arms wrapped around their head and knees, wearing a gray hoodie and jeans, against a plain wall.
A woman with long brown hair looks out a window on a rainy day, with trees visible outside.
A man walking down an urban street carrying two large boxes, with cars parked along the street and buildings in the background.

High rates of PTSD, anxiety and depression.

Staying in intimate relationships where violence is a factor.

Trouble staying employed and feeling hopeful about the future.

It only gets worse when they turn 18.

Remember the excitement of turning 18?

Becoming a legal adult is undoubtedly a cause for celebration, as we gain the right to vote, attend college, and even live independently. However, these positives are enhanced by the fact that most of us can rely on our parents for guidance and a safety net as we transition into adulthood.

Young people from foster care don’t have these parental connections.

Turning 18 means finding housing before your last foster home placement ends, securing a job to maintain that housing and pay for groceries, utility payments, and daily living expenses. Too often, pursuing educational goals that lead to career pathways must be put on the back burner just to survive one more day.

A young woman with dark hair wearing a white jacket with a furry collar, looking at the camera inside a building with a blurred background of windows and lights.
“Coming from foster care, where you have to jump through so many hoops to survive, you start to wonder if anyone cares about you.”