Foster youth, long considered one of the most vulnerable populations in Los Angeles County, show higher risks of becoming homeless in their adult years, according to a new study from the Rand Institute.
Rand behavioral scientist Sarah Hunter spoke with KNX News about the study, which looked at 400 young adults in Los Angeles who were experiencing housing instability. She found that over a third of that group had been involved in the foster care system.
“We know historically, being part of the foster care system does set you up for increased risk of experiencing homelessness,” she said. “Now, we know over the past decade, there have been additional programs put in place to support foster youth as they age out of the system, and so this was to take a look at, you know, whether we're seeing changes over time in the unstably housed due to these increased supports.”
Hunter said that while many kids can still rely on their families for help during their transition into adulthood, foster youth lose that support when they turn 18.
“And we know in Los Angeles specifically that housing costs are quite unaffordable,” she said. “So, you know, imagining the reduced support that you have as a youth in the foster care system, it's gonna be even more challenging to be stably housed and successfully transition to adulthood.”
The study found that that even foster kids who were considered to have a "successful" experience in the system ran higher risks of falling into homelessness.
“45% of our sample reported having what the system sort of denotes as a successful exit, which is, they were either reunified with their family, adopted or placed with a legal guardian, and these youth still ended up unstably housed,” Hunter said.
She said there are no easy solutions to the problem, but it’s clear that foster kids need a lot more support, even after turning 18.
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Last week, L.A. County expanded its guaranteed income program to more than 2,000 young people exiting the foster care system. Veronica Pawlowski with the L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services told KNX News’ Karen Adams the program has “proven good outcomes” for young people.
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