Approximately 20% of foster youth become homeless when they age out of care at eighteen years old.

(The National Foster Youth Institute)

50% of the overall homeless population have spent time in foster care.

(The National Foster Youth Institute)

Approximately 29% to 64% of former foster youth enroll in college or postsecondary programs, but only about 8%-12% complete a degree by their mid-20’s.

(Okpych, N. J., “Secondary and Postsecondary Education Outcomes of Students with Experience in Foster Care: Systematic Review of the Literature From 2000-2023.” Sage Journals, 2023. journals.sagepub.com)

Low-income and housing unstable children face higher barriers, with one study finding only 31% of children below the poverty line participate in sports.

(Black, L.I., Terlizzi, E.P., Vahratian, A., “Organized Sports Participation Among Children Aged 6-17 Years: United States.” National Center for Health Statistics, 2020. www.cdc.gov)

In a study of former foster youth that reported participating in extracurricular activities in high school, 80% finished high school or completed some college at the time of of their emancipation.

(Merdinger, J.M., Hines, A.M., Osterling, K.L., Wyatt, P., “Pathways to College for Former Foster Youth: Understanding Factors That Contribute to Educational Success.” JSTOR, 2005. www.jstor.org.)

In Texas over 50,000 children were confirmed to be victims of child abuse or neglect requiring involvement of child protective services in the 2025 fiscal year.

(DFPS Data Book)

Approximately 90% of foster children arrive at their new homes with their belongings in trash bags.