There are incredible resources available nationally for youth impacted by foster care. The list is extensive, ranging from internships and scholarships to housing resources and job placement programs. The only catch is that there is an age cap, often cutting off at 24-26. On the surface, you may think this is fair and makes sense since oftentimes, the transition period for youth is from late teens to mid-twenties, and then they are supposed to be set up for success and can maneuver life onwards. However, when you’re system-impacted, the length of time it takes you to transition into adulthood and security is more difficult and harder to manage. There is a lack of support and guidance. Oftentimes, youth don’t even find out about the resources available to them until it is “too late,” and they are still left to fend for themselves. At the end of the day, these resources are great, but the age range that nearly all of them abide by is harmful.
How The Age Range Causes Harm
My own experiences are an example of how the age cap on resources causes harm. When I exited foster care, I didn’t have access to my social worker. I didn’t have familial support. I didn’t have a case manager or a team around me. I didn’t even have help from school. I was all on my own, homeless, trying to graduate high school, and working all at once. I didn’t have anyone around me who could connect me to resources. I didn’t even have people around me who knew about resources that were available.
As time went on, I jumped into a domestic violence relationship that ended seven years later. By the time I exited this relationship, I found myself desperate for help. I decided to look up if there was any help available to youth who were affected by foster care, and I did find a good amount. To my dismay, though, every program and organization I reached out to told me I was over the age range of youth that they provide assistance to. It felt like a punch to the gut. If I would have known about these resources sooner, I absolutely would have utilized them. I didn’t have anyone around me to refer me to them either. To youth navigating life after foster care on their own, accessing resources is extremely difficult because by the time they finally do reach out, they are often met with this exact same situation.
For system-impacted youth that have a social worker who is actively working with them, they may have an easier time being connected to resources when it comes time to age out. This isn’t the circumstance that most youth are faced with, though. More often than not, youth are thrown to the wolves right out of foster care and don’t know what to do other than go straight into survival mode. When they finally get the opportunity to reach out and ask for help, receiving the news that now you’re “too old” to be helped is both devastating and feels like a defeat. We want youth to be set up for success, but we are placing rules and regulations around when they can get the help they need to be successful.
Combatting the Age Cap and Becoming More Accessible
The only way to change how youth access the care they need is to take action where it counts. Some solutions can include changing the age range, pushing for resources to be mandatory information given to youth exiting foster care, and even creating more accessible programs. We can’t change the future for youth who have been dealt a bad hand if we continue to deal them bad hands in the long run.
Extend The Age Range for Transition-Age Youth
Extending the age range for what counts as “transition age” is a necessary step in becoming more accessible for system-impacted youth. If the age range is extended to 30, for example, that gives young people more time to be able to seek out resources on their own and utilize them in a way that sets them up for stability. Trauma tends to set a person back a bit on their journey to independence and security, so we shouldn’t be telling young people that they are too old to be cared for.
Create Programs for Adults That Don’t Qualify as “Transition Age”
In addition to extending the age range, having programs that exist for adults who are no longer “transitioning” is critical in providing long-term solutions rather than momentary assistance. Programs that assist with navigating parenthood, housing, the job market, school, and more are all things that average adults tend to already have support with, but those who have experienced foster care may not. Combatting generational trauma and breaking cycles relies heavily on the support and guidance a person has in times of trouble. Adults who have a history of being in foster care need to know they are not only supported in their youth, but that they have a village behind them in it for the long haul.
If you are an organization that has an age cap and has no way of changing that, consider setting up programs for adults that go beyond your age range. At the very least, consider having resources you can refer to those who reach out for help that you are unable to help yourself. Do not simply turn someone away because they aren’t 24 anymore. If we want to change the outcome for youth impacted by foster care, we must reshape how we offer them a helping hand.
