Vera Institute of Justice

Overview

Children who “age out” of foster care—who reach adulthood without returning to their birth families or being adopted—often approach the transition to independence with few skills and a limited support network. Many end up homeless, unemployed, or incarcerated. This report summarizes an implementation study of the Academy, a New York City program for older youth transitioning out of the foster care system that launched in 2007. The report describes the Academy’s innovative program model for improving clients’ post-foster-care outcomes and the challenges of implementation with two program providers. Given the increase in the proportion of older youth in foster care, the report also provides recommendations for program expansion.