The day I age out of foster care A three-part series profiling the journeys of Mykell and Corey as they “age out” of Washington State’s extended foster-care system.

September 30, 2016

Every year, over 600 Washington State youth “age out” of the foster-care system. They leave the protections of the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) and the families and homes they have been living in — regardless of their readiness to negotiate the transition. One in five will become homeless after age 18.

A few are able to remain in extended care until age 21. After Congress passed the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, states have been able to use foster-care funds to provide extended foster-care services to youth ages 18 to 21 who engaged in certain qualifying activities. Washington State established extended foster care services in 2011.

The Day I Age Out is a three-part webisode series that follows Corey and Mykell, both fast-approaching their 21st birthdays, as they prepare to age out of Washington State’s Extended Foster-Care program. The series, produced by Bryan Tucker for KCTS 9, tells real-time narratives rarely heard outside the child welfare field.

For most of their lives, Corey and Mykell have both had the support of many social workers, often from several representing agencies — but those benefits all disappear once they turn 21. Follow the difficulties Corey and Mykell face in employment, securing housing with Section 8 vouchers, and weighing the options of continuing education. Are they ready for full-on independence? Has a near-lifetime in foster care prepared them for what is to come once they are on their own?