WASHINGTON - For every 100 young people aging out of foster care, according to the Department of Children, Youth and Families, 17 of them will end up living on the streets within a year and one in 4 young adults are arrested within a year of aging out. How do we change these statistics and get more of these young people to become contributing members of society? Some lawmakers think the solution may be time and money.
We recently met a young man who agrees with that. Curtis Anderson is 23 years old, he was about 13 when the state removed him from the care of his parents. He said "My family was very neglectful, very abusive."
Anderson spent the next 8 years of his life in foster care. His time there was nothing but upheaval.. and turmoil. "I averaged 9 to 19 placements per year, while in care. I couldn't even tell you most of my foster parents' names." He said.
So, when he turned 18, Anderson had the option to go out on his own or stay in the system, in a program Washington implemented in 2013 called Extended Foster Care. He said "When you turn 18, you got all this freedom but then you also realize you have very little to no support or social safety net.. it's mixed feelings."
While Anderson decided to continue in care, he couldn't stay with his then-foster mom. She didn't want anyone in her home older than 18. With no one to take him, Anderson lived on his own. A social worker would check in briefly once a month - and the state gave him a stipend to help pay his rent.
Anderson said "Either you do it or you basically become homeless, you know, there's no real in between there."
Young people who go that route have to follow a number of guidelines, including being enrolled in classes and/or having a job where they work at least 80 hours a month. If they decline extended foster care at any point, they can't be re-enrolled.
Keep in mind.. this program ends at age 21 but most students graduate college at 22 to 24 years old.
So, What happens to young people aging out of extended foster care at 21, but the help runs out?
"We know that young people clearly need support and that support really should be throughout their young adulthood when we think about when their brains fully develop and that's at age." said Washington State Senator Claire Wilson. The democrat from Auburn is sponsoring Senate Bill 5230, which would create Post Extended Foster Care to offer support for those young adults until their 26th birthday. It would allow those young adults to change their minds and re-enter the program if they want.
It would cost a lot of money, 33 million dollars a year. That would come from the state's general fund. and senator Wilson believes, it's worth every penny. She says the return on investment would be staggering. "Washington Institute for Public Policy report found that for every one dollar invested in these youth, we get $3.95 in return."
Anderson adds, "Basically, when you're investing in this bill, you're investing in less incarceration, you're investing in less homelessness, you're investing in to greater opportunity for these youth, which the state, frankly promised they would help with, but ya know, if there's no social safety support net from the state, then it really needs to, this sort of bill needs to be implemented."
He wants other young people in the system to have what he didn't... support through age 25. He is 23 now and has been on his own, working, going to school. He is an anomaly; he did running start in high school, allowing him to graduate college early. This spring he will graduate from Eastern Washington University with a master's degree in social work. He hopes to have a family, work toward his PhD and advocate for young people in homelessness and those in foster care.
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Robyn Nance anchors Good Morning Northwest Monday through Friday along with Derek Deis and Mark Peterson. Robyn has been in Spokane since 1996, a month before ice storm hit. After that “warm” welcome, she and her husband felt initiated to the area, and now consider the Inland Northwest home. Robyn grew up in Bonne Terre, MO, a small town south of St. Louis. She got her start at the CBS affiliate in Hannibal, MO / Quincy, IL, then spent 6 years at another Spokane station. In 2003, she took advantage of a great opportunity at 4 News Now. Children are a big part of Robyn’s life. She not only has a degree in Broadcasting, she holds a B.S. in Education. Since the early 90’s, Robyn has served on several boards of directors overseeing organizations serving children. Each week on 4 News Now at 6, you can see Robyn’s Wednesday’s Child stories, featuring children in foster care who need adoptive homes. Her interaction with many of those amazing young people spurred her (along with friend and foster parent recruiter Linda Rogers) to start up Teen & Kid Closet. It’s a specialty shop where children and youth in foster care, poverty or homelessness in Eastern WA and North ID can come and shop for free. To learn more, go to teenkidcloset.org. Robyn has three children (all born here in Spokane), and a stepdaughter, who’s married with children and living in IL. She is also a foster mom. Family is Robyn’s passion, and her favorite thing in the world is spending time with her crew. You can contact Robyn at robyn@kxly.com
