On any given day there are nearly 438,000 children and youth in foster care. Nearly 110,000 are waiting to be adopted, waiting year after year for their forever home. For children in foster care, the government invests less than 50% of what it actually costs to raise a child. Close to 30,000 will age out of foster care every year and have to be self-sufficient at age 18, 19, 20 or 21.

It is not surprising then that within four years of aging out:

• 70% will be on government assistance

• 50% will be unemployed

• 50% will experience homelessness

• 25% will not have completed high school

• Less than 12% will every earn their college degree

Resulting in $1 Million economic burden to society for each young person we fail.

https://www.ifoster.org/the-problem/