Make a Difference

Every year about 4,000 youth age out of care in California. 65% leave foster care at age 18 with no place to call home. Unfortunately, nearly 20% of them will end up homeless. With a number of unstable transitions in foster children’s lives, trauma from mental and physical abuse and neglect can create additional barriers that make the transition out of foster homes a very difficult process. Myrtisheart Inc. is a 501(C) 3 organization and if these students are not given an opportunity to improve their housing stabilization and life skills they are more likely to:

• By the time former foster youth turn 24, they are less likely than their peers to be employed, and they earn less money overall.

• Compared to their peers, former foster youth are more likely to end up in prison.

• One in five former foster youth nationwide are homeless at 18.

• Seventy percent of female former foster youth are pregnant before their 21st birthday.

• Under 3 percent of all former foster youth go on to obtain a college degree eventually.