“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”
Kushandwizdom
Meet Tim
Tim had nowhere to turn when he first arrived at our homeless youth program. He was staying at a local adult shelter and desperate to find a safe place before his discharge date.
From the time Tim was just a baby until he became too old and “aged out” of the system, he moved in and out of foster care homes and residential placements. Additional challenges Tim had to surmount were his mental health issues and a learning disability. Tim lacked the social skills needed to earn the trust of potential landlords and found himself bouncing from place to place.
A counselor at our homeless youth program helped Tim apply for the program. After turning in his application he called the counselor every day hoping that housing had been found. Then one day, he received the good news and moved into his own place.
Tim is now in a stable home and healing from his past a little bit at a time through counseling. Our staff is helping him learn the life skills he needs to succeed in his new life. One of his most treasured possessions is a bike our organization provided so that getting to work and school on time is no longer a struggle.
Source: Tim’s Second Story
Aged Out and Alone at 18
Meet Sarayah Lane
For the thousands of kids who are in foster care, turning 18 isn’t something they look forward to. Instead, it’s something that can cause panic and alarm. Sarayah Lane shares her story about growing up in a trailer with her uncle and grandfather. Her special birthday that most kids look forward to meant one thing: an end to the foster-care reimbursement checks that allowed Lane’s relatives to help support her. Without those checks, it meant no more housing. Lane said, “It was just common knowledge – when you turn 18, you’re done. After the checks stopped coming, we all went our separate ways. For me, that was couch surfing – keeping all my stuff in my backpack and staying wherever I could.”
Lane spent three long years, from 18 to 21, trying and failing to find a foothold. She worked as a day laborer, tried selling drugs, and then returned to couch surfing. When she turned 21, she was admitted to a community college with a GED and a scholarship, but soon dropped out. She was overwhelmed by the pressures of living on her own as an adult, when she was still, for the most part, a kid.
Now, knowing the overwhelming statistics about homelessness and youth, Lane will be watching. At 24, she has returned to school and is pursuing a degree in communications. She says that she wants to be “a voice for the voiceless”, and also says, “I know when you’re 18, you’re an adult, but learning how to take care of yourself and prepare for college, that stuff takes time. And I do think it’s pretty interesting that all this stuff happened to me between those ages, 18 to 21.”
Source: Aged Out and Alone at 18
Dear America
Meet Keyma Flight
At just 17-years old, she wrote a winning submission in a Youth Voices contest. For this contest, youth were asked to submit writing or artwork to tell how they would improve interactions between the police and youth.
She talks about how this generation is “more earthquake than children”, and how “with all the identities being thrown at us, it’s hard not to be ‘unruly’. She talks about how youth today are made of “glass girls who are supposed to be fragile and resistant” and “paper-boat boys who race against Noah’s Ark”.
She also talks about bullying and the system that should not be made to scare youth or keep them in line. She talks about activism and oppression, depression and anxiety. Her story is one of many that tell a story about the youth today and how they fall in line with the system.
Source: Her Essay entitled “Dear America”
Meet Our Kids
Meet Tony and Shaina
Covenant House has a section for meeting the brave kids who walk through the shelter doors and become an inspiration. They encourage people to get to know these courageous young people and show them that their lives matter.
You can watch Tony’s story, or read about how Shaiana grew up in the Bronx with an alcoholic mother until she was forced out of her home with nowhere left to go. You can read about how Matthew came to the Covenant house at 17 after being pushed out of a highly dysfunctional home and his progress and aspirations. There are so many of these stories and so many more that have never been written.
Source: Tony’s Story
Source: Shaina’s Story
Source: Matthew’s Story
Blessings in Disguise
Meet Priscilla Olguin
Blessings in Disguise is a finalist essay for the “justice system impact” category of a writing contest that gave former foster youth the chance to write about their experiences. Priscilla Olguin writes about her experiences with the criminal justice and correctional system and how it has impacted her past, her present, and her future.
She says “I would not be who I am or where I am without this. I have been put to the test and have become more eager to get the most out of this life, because we only have one, and this taught me the importance of working to make it a better one.”
Source: Priscilla Olguin’s “Blessings in Disguise Essay”
33 Days that Changed Everything
Meet Katherine Gordon
She writes about her experience in the foster care system from age 11 until 33 days before her 18th birthday, where she was reunified with her family. She talks about how she lost her Medicaid, her ETV scholarship, and how she did not “age out” of the system and therefore was denied promised benefits.
Source: 33 Days that Changed Everything
Transitioning Out
Meet Ricky
He writes about his experiences transitioning out of the foster care system at the age of 19. He talks about how his freedom “turned to loneliness, and sometimes, even fear”. He talks about how he had no support system to lean on for trying to figure out what he wanted for himself. He says “things such as healthcare, insurance, and taxes are things you don’t think about until you need them, or they are all of the sudden brought to your attention”.
He feels he owes a lot of his success in life to his “Transition Support Team” that he had as he was “exiting foster care”. There were classes and workshops that he attended which focused on building basic life skills.
Source: Transitioning Out
My Voice, Our Story
Read stories about those who are aging out of foster care:
Experience Living in an Independent Living Program by Thalia Garcia
Life After Foster Care: What Happens after 18
Aging Out- Janice’s Case, Aging Out – Yoshie’s Case
FosterClub
Meet Lucina and Marcus
Rreal stories from real people just like you. Learn about Lucina’s childhood and her struggles with identifying as a Queer, Black Muslim girl in the state of Minnesota’s foster care system. Read about Marcus and how he was raised in the system in California and his experiences. There are many more like them and they all have a story to tell.
Source: FosterClub
Source: Lucina’s Story
Source: Marcus’ Story
More Voices
The Cost of Doing Nothing Affects Us All
10 Ways to Stop 23,000 Children from Aging Out of Foster Care
Voices From Those in the Foster Care System
Are you a former foster youth and aged out? Share your story with us!
We are accepting story submissions!An editor and proofreader will be available for help as needed. There is no charge or pay for submissions, just a chance to share your story with the world. Email us: InfoFFForg@Gmail.Com