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Adolescents Leaving Foster Care Face Enormous Challenges

Updated June 1st, 2006

  • Minnesota law requires that all youth age 16 and older in foster care have an independent living plan. 1 A recent study found that only 38 percent had the required plan. 2

  • 53 percent of all homeless youth in Minnesota had lived in foster homes. Youth-serving agencies report that in most cases, youth end up being discharged to homes, have a period of stability, and then end up homeless when stress, conflict, abuse, or neglect become too great for them. 3

  • There is a large over-representation of African American (18 percent) and American Indian (29 percent) youth in foster care compared to the general population (5 percent and 1.6 percent respectively). 4

  • There are 500 to 600 youth unaccompanied and homeless on any given night in Minnesota. 5

  • Approximately 2,000 youth age out of foster care each year in Minnesota, many of them without the life skills they’ll need to become successful adults. 6

  • In 2005, out of nearly 9,000 youth in placement, cases were closed on 261 youth who were runaways from placement and 189 youth listed as “missing data.” 7

  • Nearly 1 out of every 2 homeless youth has been physically or sexually mistreated. 8

  1. MS 260C.212(1)(8) [back]
  2. Report & Recommendations on Adolescent Transition, Minnesota Interagency Committee on Adolescent Transition, May 2005 [back]
  3. Homeless in Minnesota, Wilder Research Center, 2004 [back]
  4. ibid [back]
  5. ibid [back]
  6. MYAA Campaign, Minnesota Youth Service Association, 2005 [back]
  7. Minnesota’s Child Welfare Report for 2004 — Report to the 2005 Minnesota Legislature [back]
  8. Homeless in Minnesota, Wilder Research Center, 2004 [back]