FOSTER CARE STATISTICS
ARE BLEAK
Currently, there are 35,000 children in foster care in Los Angeles county. 86% of these children enter the foster care system due to neglect. 25% of the children who age out of the foster care system will suffer from PTSD, and most will lack the emotional and financial support that they need in order to succeed.
Of the children who age out of the system, only 48% were unemployed, nearly 40% had been homeless, 60% of the young men had been convicted of a crime, and 17% of the young women were pregnant.
FOSTER KIDS CAN FACE TERRIBLE ODDS
Foster children find themselves born into seemingly insurmountable odds, for no fault of their own.
Even though 70% of foster children express the desire to attend college, nearly 25% of foster youth did not receive a high school diploma or GED, with merely 6% who had finished a two-or four-year degree after aging out of the system.
A GRIM FATE AWAITS TOO MANY FOSTER CARE YOUTH
Due to their lack of resources and support, foster youth become easy prey for gangs, drug addiction, violence, and sex trafficking. Studies estimate that between 50-80% of children in sex trafficking in California were part of the child welfare system. 58% of the 72 sexually trafficked girls in LA County’s STARS Court in 2012 were from the foster care system. The most common age for children to enter the sex trade is 11-13 for boys and 12-14 for girls.
At such an early age, these children are lost and easily taken advantage of by others. Moreover, 75% of all women and 33% of all men who age out of the foster care system will receive government benefits to meet their basic needs.
These statistics make evident the obstacles and pressing needs of foster children as they enter a seemingly inhospitable world without adequate nurturing and basic security.
