Homeless Ex-Foster Children Research Paper

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1. Despite turning 18, many foster children are not prepared for adulthood. These children lack role models and familial support. Some adverse outcomes include early parenthood, economic hardship, and involvement with the criminal justice system. Despite the number of government programs available, there are still many homeless youths. Many factors that lead to homelessness include poor education, lack of skills, mistrust of those willing to help, mental health problems, social vulnerability. Once homeless it is difficult to keep a job. This creates a toxic cycle since a job is needed to pay for housing. It is also difficult for these youths to find a well-paying job. Without the proper education, these youth lack desirable employment skills. They are forced to apply for minimum wage jobs. If a child is moved around during their youth is it easy for them to fall behind in school. It is also possible that many of these youth have learning disabilities. Typically, parents intervene and seek the appropriate resources to help youth overcome such disabilities. Once a child falls behind in school,…show more content…
About 20,000 adolescents age out of foster care each year in the United States. Many of these adolescents have difficultly transitioning into adulthood. Young adults aging out of foster care are a heterogeneous group as their experience with the foster system can vary greatly. As such certain individuals are more at risk for homelessness than others. Research has been somewhat inconsistent in its estimation of homeless ex-foster youth. The estimated percentage of emancipated youth who have experienced at least one night of homelessness has ranged from 11-36%. Studies with a larger sample size have estimated about 20% that have experienced homelessness. Barriers to government services include a juvenile and criminal record, lack of system integration, and lack of availability due to funding. As a result, it is increasingly difficult for emancipated youth to become

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