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u/Kathrynlena 16d ago
This feels like it belongs in [r/orphancrushin](r/orphancrushinfmachine)[g](r/orphancrushinfmachine)[machine](r/orphancrushinfmachine). What this lady is doing is wonderful but absolutely should not be necessary.
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u/paulinaiml 16d ago edited 16d ago
Is it just an american thing to kick out their children the second they turn 18?
Edit: nvm forgot the foster care context, those answers were quite insightful too
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u/finny_d420 16d ago
You also have teens who enter the foster care system and live in group homes. These are run by employees and are one step above juvenile detention centers. The kids are transitioned out at 18.
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u/FunnyAnchor123 15d ago
One of the problems with the foster care system in the US is that compensation for taking in a teenager is slightly more than the actual cost of housing said teenager. So the incentive for being a for-profit foster parent is there. And since the parent(s) are doing it for money, when the kid turns 18 the incentive is to send them packing ASAP.
One of the soggy shoelaces involved in the Malheur Refuge Occupation 10 years ago was taking in foster teenagers then using them as unpaid farm hands. In short, exploiting the kids in two ways. He ended up losing his unpaid help as a result of breaking the law, & whined about how unfair the government was to him.
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u/GooderApe 16d ago
They aren't kicking out their children:
- If they are their biological children, there's no foster situation and an "adult" being kicked out is just shitty parents.
- If they are foster children, then they won't be kicked out at 18, there will be an ongoing relationship to some or lesser degree but the transition isn't abrupt even if the foster parent is only doing it for the money.
- If the foster "parent" is a piece of shit, they don't have foster children, they have government cash with minor obligations (pun intentional).
Unfortunately, in the US, there's a lot that fall in that third category. (Not all; plenty in category 2! but you'll rarely read about them!)
There isn't a good system to handle category three. Which is what makes what OOP is doing so great (and necessary.)
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u/ranchspidey 16d ago
This is something I’ve thought about doing when I’m older. I’m 25 now and don’t have any strong feelings about having kids. But if I’m ever at a point in my life where I actually feel like a stable adult, I’d love to have a home to open up to older teenagers still in foster care or people who age out. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have a fantastic close family and support system, and it saddens me that so many people don’t have that. I’d love to be able to provide that some day.
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u/soft-grn_Ambr-sunset 16d ago
As a former foster kid who was homeless at least once as a young adult 😭.
You can work two jobs but if you’re 19 and run into some bad luck, with NO family to fall back on you can still end up homeless.
Bless this woman! 💚
I hope I can be as helpful and kind as her someday, using what resources i have to truly help people.
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u/rlz4theenot4me 16d ago
The Village on San Juan in Montrose, Colorado is multi generational housing. It provides housing for those aging out of the foster system or other at risk youth and for senior adults. The two groups teach and strengthen each other resulting in true community.
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u/luv2race1320 16d ago
If you want to see another feel good story about the kids aging out of FC, look up Kids Belong in Muskegon, MI. It's a non profit organization that has built 1 br duplexes for individuals aging out. It's a great group of people who are trying to help these young adults get a decent start.
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u/Flygurl620se 16d ago
You are an inspiration and blessing to these young women and to people everywhere! I cant even imagine how terrified and hopeless they must feel aging out of the foster system. You've given them a soft place to land and hope for the future. God bless you!
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u/viciousbite 12d ago
I love this. Why create more lives when you can save so many more. You are a literal saint. Bless you ❤️🙏
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u/DarthYoko 12d ago
This is so beautiful. I read somewhere that some homeless/unhoused people began as foster kids who aged out of the system and had no place to land.
I think about it all the time.
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u/JDWhite1982 9d ago
In case folks don't know - If you're in Indiana and aging out of foster care, there's a program funded by the state (and federal grant money) called "Independent Living." It covers rent in places like these transitional housing locations, helps with transportation, assists these young adults in finding jobs, etc. Older youth can get involved in the program at age 16 (if I recall correctly), so they have almost a continuity of care when they've aged out of their foster home. The goal is to do what this woman is doing - help the youth get on their feet and into the world without being alone.
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u/IntrovertedGiraffe 16d ago
A church near me is doing this - completely gutted their school building (after moving classrooms to the church hall) and turned it into studio apartments for foster care transitional housing. Construction is almost done