Fostering Fairness

The University of San Diego in the U.S. will launch a peer-to-peer education campaign to raise awareness of the unfair policies that prevent former foster youth from escaping poverty. Around 20,000 young adults age out of foster care each year in the U.S.; members of this population, which includes an overrepresentation of African American and Latino youth, suffer disproportionately from mental health issues and have little preparation and support to become self-sufficient. The team has identified several unique barriers faced by this youth population, including asset caps while they are in care, the redirection of their money to the state to pay for the cost of care, and lack of family support. They will provide training and resources to help a group of former foster youth share their stories with peers using online platforms.