Children in
Foster Care

About 425,000 youth are currently living in the U.S. foster care system. Many have experienced painful trauma such as abuse, neglect, food scarcity or homelessness. Too often these children are pushed to the margins and forgotten or, even worse, reduced to a statistical category. In reality however, each one is a uniquely valuable person with an inherent dignity that is worthy of care. Each one is a real kid in real crisis who needs real love. Specifically, each child needs a safe, supported foster family willing to provide loving care until reunification with their birth family can occur. Since reunification is not always possible, many children need someone willing to permanently adopt them into their family. When reunification or adoption does not happen, youth "age out" of the system at the age of 18 or 21 with little to no relational support system in their lives.