Fostering Independence:
Giving Former Foster Youth a Fighting Chance.

The transition to adulthood is a difficult time for any young adult. Learning to live on one's own for the first time introduces a new set of challenges that even the most well-off and well-educated young people find daunting. And for young adults who have spent time in the foster care system, learning to live independently is even harder.

 

Each year, nearly 100 young adults in Marion County are emancipated from foster care. They face the challenges of new adulthood the search for post-secondary education, employment, housing, and economic self-sufficiency without a family to offer love and support.

Studies prove that the transition is difficult: More than 40% of all foster youth end up homeless. Many more struggle with unemployment, poverty and substance abuse problems.

It doesn't have to be this way. With Fostering Independence, MRNC helps ensure that emancipated young adults have the support they need to succeed in adulthood. Fostering Independence provides them with a wide range of valuable support services, including independent housing (roommate-tyle apartments), financial education, employment services, job training, and much more.

Fostering Independence is a voluntary program. Those who enroll are expected to fully participate in all program components. By doing so, they vastly increase their chances of becoming gainfully employed, self-sufficient, and independent adults.

For more information on how to take advantage of Fostering Independence, call 639-6106.

 

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Support for the Fostering Independence program is generously provided by: Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust, the City of Indianapolis, The REALTOR Foundation, Kiwanis of Downtown Indianapolis, and other anonymous donors.