Description
Highlights the often‑overlooked long‑term impacts of foster care on adults who experienced the system as children. The author underscores the persistent challenges many former foster youths face in adulthood—including housing instability, limited supportive relationships, unresolved trauma, and barriers to accessing benefits due to bureaucratic complexity. This article calls for sustained, developmentally appropriate supports beyond age‑based cutoffs, including trauma‑informed mental health care, stable housing pathways, and mentors who engage without stigma. Ultimately, it urges a shift in narrative: former foster youth should be recognized not only for surviving the system but as whole people capable of thriving when provided with consistent, intentional support. This article includes five reflection questions at the end.
