Guiding teens into adulthood to find success beyond foster care.
Ohana has launched its Extended Foster Care program in direct partnership with the Arizona Department of Child Safety as a part of our mission to provide supportive services to the most vulnerable. This program serves teens in foster care starting at 17 1/2 years old and continues to provide them support until they are 21 years old. Ohana’s success coaches work directly with the foster teens to walk alongside them as they journey into young adulthood and beyond.
Participating in Extended Foster Care means that Ohana young adults will have continuous assistance and support while pursuing higher education and/or employment. Our success coaches work with the young adults to document their goals and to help provide the services and supports necessary to achieve those goals.
The Extended Foster Care Program will help these young adults reach their full potential and positively impact the world around them as they age out of the foster care system.
Participating in Extended Foster Care means that Ohana young adults will have continuous assistance and support while pursuing higher education and/or employment. Our success coaches work with the young adults to document their goals and to help provide the services and supports necessary to achieve those goals.
The Extended Foster Care Program will help these young adults reach their full potential and positively impact the world around them as they age out of the foster care system.
“Aging out” is essentially when a youth does not get placed with a foster family, kin or adoptive family by the time they are 18. They now have the choice to stay under the state's custody in a more independent structure, or try things on their own. Most of the time, these services consist of a continued group home setting with the state giving a subsidy each month. These solutions have not been effective, and we firmly believe our new approach will be the change that is needed.
The research shows...
14,000
youth are in the Arizona foster care system
1,000
of those youth will age out of foster care this year
25%
of aged-out foster kids will become instantly homeless
Only 50%
of aged-out foster kids will be employed at age 24
$7,500
is the average annual salary of those with a job at age 24
30%
of aged-out foster youth will be arrested
Only 3%
of aged-out youth will gain a college degree, compared to over 33% of their non-foster care peers
7 out of 10
girls who age out of foster care will become pregnant by age 21
