For a Former Foster Kid, “Poverty Porn” Is Personal
“Foster youth aging out of the system experience very real negative outcomes, and many leave poverty just to experience it immediately in a different form. After turning 18, 1 in 5 former foster youth experience homelessness, one-quarter experience PTSD, and only half will obtain employment by 24. At the age of 26, the average income of a former foster youth is $13,989, less than half of what the general population makes at that age. These statistics only do so much to explain what it really looks like to turn 18 while you’re still in high school and couch-surf until college to avoid homelessness. They don’t show the abusive relationships these young adults stay in to cling on to some form of stability. And, they definitely don’t bore you with the mountains of paperwork youth transitioning out of the system must navigate and collect to prove they are who they are and that they deserve food, housing, and human kindness.”