Building Cottages, Providing Homes

Aging out of the foster care system is an issue that affects thousands of young people every year. It is a process by which young people who have been in the foster care system for an extended period of time are no longer eligible for state-funded support and services when they turn 18 or 21 depending on their state. This leaves them without the necessary resources and support to transition into adulthood, leading to a greater risk of homelessness, poverty, and unemployment.

California Foster Youth Homelessness Statistics*

1. In California, close to 31% of transition-age foster youth experience homelessness. 
2. The average time former California foster youth were without homes between 2012 and 2017 was 117 days.
3. Young men in California who were in foster care are 82% more likely to become homeless. 
4. Neglected California youth are almost two times more likely to be without housing compared to their peers.
5. LGBTQ+ youth in California who were in the child welfare system have a 1.74x likelihood of being without housing compared to their heterosexual peers. 
6. Foster youth in congregate care (i.e., group homes) prior to turning 18 are 1.95 times more likely to experience homelessness. 
7. Former foster youth are over 4x more likely to be experiencing homelessness in 2021 as compared to current foster youth. 
8. Among current and former foster youth who are themselves parents, 15% are homeless or couch surfing. 
9. Current and former foster youth with children are over 28% more likely than their peers without kids to have experienced homelessness and around 58% more likely to have experienced housing instability in the past year. 
10. Black youth are over 3x more likely than non-Black youth to be currently experiencing homelessness, and they are 75% more likely than non-Black youth to have experienced homelessness in the past 12 months. 
11. 22% of foster youth in the state had experienced homelessness as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, while 68% said the pandemic impacted their housing situation. 

In Vista, CA, we are seeing solutions. Taking the step to combat homelessness within the foster care system, Dickinson Cameron partnered with Casas De Luz – a non profit home building organization that has build communities for people in need in both the U.S. and Mexico. Together, DCC and Casas De Luz built two cottages over one weekend which is first in what will be a 30 cottage village. The village will cater specifically to the LGBTQ+ foster care recipient community.

For more information, visit our Cottages page.

*Sources