Alaska’s foster care system is filled with compassionate people working hard to help vulnerable children. But when systems are stretched beyond capacity, too many young people fall through the cracks, and aging out of foster care becomes a direct pathway to homelessness, instability and isolation.
Though the end of May marked the end of National Foster Care Awareness Month, we must continue to recognize not only the challenges facing youth aging out of foster care but also the critical need to intervene before young people reach a point of crisis.