Foster Teens Cut Off from College Entry Programs

So the question was asked by Marlena Krueger, "It's wonderful that the majority of foster kids want to attend college. Are there any existing programs to help them achieve this? The short answer is "yes", but that doesn't touch on the dismal reality for thousands of foster teens.


There are many programs to help teens in general and some to help foster teenagers specifically. Just in Time for Foster Youth is a San Diego non-profit that helps foster teens to get into and pay for college. There are many other programs such as Reality Changers, again in San Diego. They have an outstanding track record for working with student so they win scholarships to top level colleges such as Dartmouth and Harvard. And I would be remiss not to include PIQE and the Eva Longoria Foundation.

However, there are structural problems with many programs that can and do essentially exclude foster youth. Reality Changers has students come to their facility after school to do homework and then to get training so they can successfully go for scholarships. This is no slight against the program. As a past guest and speaker, I can say that the organization has the highest level of quality.


Having said that, though, someone has to deliver the student to the facility for an ongoing commitment. Most foster kids are not in a home situation where the foster parent will be this active. Many foster children are just happy to have some stability in their lives such as not changing homes for the year. So, yes, Reality Changers works (and very well), but foster children would not be ideal candidates.

A similarly focused program exists with PIQE, another outstanding non-profit dedicated to helping high school students get into college. The PIQE method is focused on parents getting trained so they can help their children successfully go through the entrance and finance process. Again, many foster teenagers are not greeted by an adult who asks them how their day was at school or helps the child with their homework. It can happen, but it's unrealistic to believe that the majority of foster parents are spending quality time helping their foster child get into college. Foster child education statistics show that this is clearly not happening at a alarming level that should be considered an educational crisis.
 
And finally let's talk about a new and active organization, the Eva Longoria Foundation. It's dedicated to helping Latina teenagers get into college. Again this is no slight to Eva or her foundation. She should be applauded for taking her fame and wealth and using it to help Latinas. But when I spoke with the foundation, they explained that they presently do not have anything in place to specifically help Latina foster teenagers. Could some get into the program? It's possible, but if there are foster teens in the program, they are either choosing not to identify themselves as being in foster care (completely understandable but that's another post) or there are not enough to have caught the attention of the foundation.

So the answer to the question is a huge "yes." There are programs that could help foster teens to continue their education and go onto college. Programs like Just In Time for Foster Youth are successful. Sadly, though, there are real obstacles preventing foster children from taking advantage of more than a handful of programs. Until more foster parents step up who have a deep care for their foster kids including helping them to stay in school, we will continue to see sickening educational statistics for foster kids.


One proven way to help all foster teenagers to stay in school is to support a service that locates their family members. Foster youth who are placed with relatives generally do better in school, graduate, enter college and earn their four-year degree at more than double the rate of children placed in foster homes. Our organization is launching a crowdfunding campaign Nov. 10 to raise funds for our foster children caseload for 2015. We invite you to be part of the solution.

The solution is not complex, but getting there will take more than just the failing educational and foster care systems.

Regards,


  Richard

Richard Villasana
Find Families In Mexico
760-690-3995

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Foster Care - California Foster Teens Poised to Get Transitional Housing Relief

Foster care statistics reveal that "when foster children turn 18 and leave the state's foster care system, they do so with little more than a bag of clothes. Only 3 percent go on to college."


This reality for thousands of foster kids is nothing short of a crisis. State and local governments and foster care agencies across the country are working to find solutions. An uneducated work force is both bad for individuals as well as a financial hardship on the economy and taxpayers. Fortunately, California Senate Bill 1252 is set to bring much needed support to thousands of teens who have left the foster care system.


Senate Bill 1252 will fund an extra year of transitional living for foster teens who have aged out of the system. How critical is housing for these kids? One of the key reasons that foster kids don't continue their formal education at a college or university is that they lack a safe place to live. Most of these teens simply don't have an income source to afford rent or weren't able to secure a scholarship.





The creative minds behind California Senate Bill 1252 are two college students. Yes, once again it's our youth and not government bureaucrats who have served up a solution to help former foster children.

One of the co-founders of the organization, Foster Youth Investment Coalition, that is spearheading the effort to put this bill on the governor's desk is Sade Burrell, former foster child and presently a graduate student at the University of Southern California. Concerning the challenges of getting a college education, Burrell explains:

"Being able to study in a library or at home, having those late nights, I didn't really have a home setting to go to. That was a huge hurdle for me, so that's why I'm involved with this."

Lauro Cons, a graduate student at the University of San Diego is the other co-founder. The idea originated with a research project Cons did as an undergrad. He noted:

"We conducted extensive cross sectional research on 'foster youth' and 'housing support,'" Cons said in an email. "And found that the lack of housing assistance for foster youth, after aging out of the system, has a direct negative impact on their ability to continue with their education."

The bill is sitting on the desk of Governor Jerry Brown. Although he had a busy few days signing many other bills, as of Sept. 28, 2014, this one is still awaiting his signature. We hope he signs this bill into law because it's clear that former foster youth do and will continue to struggle to continue their education.
 
Not signing this bill would be another painful punch to foster kids who need and deserve our help. As a society we must do right by these children.


Regards,


  Richard

Richard Villasana
Find Families In Mexico
760-690-3995

PS. Share your thoughts and ideas below and share this post with others.

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Foster Kids - Aging Out Foster Youth Get Transitional Housing in Florida

You've probably read about the terrible foster kid statistics: 25% will end up in prison, 50% will drop out of any formal education, and 25% will become homeless. All of these outcomes are very common for foster children who have aged out of the foster care system. Fortunately, these children have a political ally who is helping Florida's foster youth with practical solutions.


Enter Florida State Sen. Nancy Detert. Just shy of her 70th birthday, State Sen. Nancy Detert is hitting her stride as she tackles many challenges that face the foster children in her district and state.

Starting in 2013, she pushed through a bill that extended the age at which foster teens age out of the foster care system from 18 to 21. Many experts feel that the additional three years will allow foster kids a chance to plan better for their futures once they are forced out of the system.

Florida State Senator Nancy Detert

This week the state senator along with other community leaders attended a ceremony for the opening of a transitional housing facility for aged out foster youth. Experts agree that one of the biggest challenges for these kids is securing a place to live.

Up to 25% of former foster children become homeless within the first 24 months of being on their own. About half of former foster kids will stop their education because they have no safe place to live and study.


Rich Stroud, executive director of a nonprofit called Everyday Blessings explained:

"For decades, children would turn 18 and be forced to leave foster care with no safety net and little community support."

Marlena Krueger of Body Beautiful Spa and Rose Perkins of Radiant and Youthful had lamented the millions that seem to be wasted by the foster care system recycling old programs that show little success. These professional along with others feel that the system needs a serious restructuring along with new ideas.

A new housing facility for former foster kids isn't a new concept. Fortunately, State Sen. Detert understands that helping former foster youth requires a multi-prong approach. Not only will the new facility offer transitional living to these kids, but within the facility, they will have access to vocational counselors, tutoring and mentoring.


Only time will tell if this program, named Springboard, is successful. However, the former foster youth who are going to live in this new facility will most likely be much better prepared for independent living than those children who age out with only their clothes in a garbage bag and little else.


It's definitely time to try something new because the old programs continue to fail our nation's foster children.

Regards,


  Richard

Richard Villasana
Find Families In Mexico
760-690-3995

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Foster Youth - Prevention is Key to Helping Foster Children

In some ways it's easy to talk about the plight of foster children. Pull up foster child education statistics and photos, and you'll get some people's attention. Once awareness has been achieved, many caring adults will engage in thoughtful and thought provoking conversations. Some will ask why the status quo exists while others will propose ways to help foster youth have a better life once they age out of the foster care system.


Here is the recent foster care statistic that generated so much commentary.

Robert Callesen of The Car Lot commented:

"Thanks for the info, but what solutions are available?"

Nick Huntington, owner of Sweet Cakes Café, followed with:

"What is the solution. . .? Seems like this is an epidemic not only for Foster Children but for many children of varied backgrounds."

Barbara Loraine, Founder of Be Irresistible offered:

"Prevention is key... once kids have aged out, "working hard" isn't enough. They each need to be given training, a break and support along the way. What happens that they "can't keep a job more than one year?"

To understand the disastrous results that occur to foster youth once they age out, you first have to know what happens to these children while in foster care and leading up to the day these foster teens are forced out of the system.

As we wrote in our recent blog, "Foster Children - Not Finding a Foster Child's Relatives May Open a New Door," about half of the 400,000 U.S. foster children in the system this year will be returned to their parents or legal guardians. Thousands more will get adopted. Some foster teens will run away, and 24,000 foster youth will age out. Let's focus on those foster kids who will remain in the foster care system and will age out within the next few years.

We agree with the many comments we received including those of Terri Levine, marketing consultant, and Carly Fanguy of 57 Degrees that there needs to be a solid support system to help foster teens transition from being in the system to being on their own.


The largest federal program to help these children is Chafee. We highlighted this foster youth program recently. Foster children are taken through training to prepare them for being on their own. However, from the foster kid statistics, such as the one above, clearly this program has only limited success.

Educational programs have been established to help provide funding and scholarships for foster teens who want to go to college such as Just in Time. This San Diego-based organization is dedicated to helping these children get into universities. Actor and activist, Eva Longoria, has created a foundation that helps Latina get into college. It's unclear if this successful organization has a specific focus on helping Hispanic foster children who number close to 84,000 kids.

There are many community-based programs popping up around the country to help these children. In our blog, "Foster Children - Foster Kids Receive Support from Organizations," we highlighted the success of Epicenter that is helping California foster kids better transition into society once they age out. The organization was established ten years ago and has spread out into other communities in Northern California.


Ana Hawk of Instant Barter LLC had commented, "Prevention is the best cure. However, reality demands that new programs be put in place." Clearly you can see that new non-government programs have been created to help foster teens with their transition to independence.


Unfortunately, the majority of the preparation given to foster youth approaching age out appears to be coming from foster care agencies. Until more successful programs come on line and at a national level, it's probable that former foster kids will continue to suffer a dismal life.

As I wrote at the beginning, many people including Misty Morgan of Rental Matchmaker and Suzy Marmis Owen of Suzy Q Help wonder how they and others can help these children. Just as Barbara and Ana said, the best solution is prevention.

It's so important to repeat that foster children who are able to stay with a relative perform better at school. This higher level of performance means that these kids generally feel better about themselves. Their scholastic success helps them integrate with their peers. With family support, these foster teens graduate and more often go on to college or get vocational training. Armed with a solid educational background and family support, these kids can go on to live successful, productive lives.


One of the best and proven ways to help these children is for them to be placed with family. For this to happen, family members first have to be located and notified which is exactly what our organization does. Want to help foster children before they age out? Support our foster children efforts through a variety of ways.

If you decide to help another organization, more power to you. No matter which organization you support, you can make a lasting impact on the life of one or many foster youth. You don't have to wait for new programs and a reboot of existing government programs. All it takes to change the outcome for foster children from negative to positive is for you and those you know to step up and take action.

As Liz Harris of Liz Harris Realty said, "Let's lend a helping hand." What more needs to be said?

Regards,


  Richard

Richard Villasana
Find Families In Mexico
760-690-3995

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Foster Children - Foster Kids Receive Support from Organizations

Sometimes it's hard for people to hear about foster children. There's always a scandal or story about foster youth and abuse. John Baker, a great supporter of our work, asked, "Is there any positive news about foster kids?" Yes, John, there are happy things happening for these children. Here's what happened just this week.





Epicenter meeting room in Salinas, California

A new foster youth program was launched in Salinas, California called Epicenter. The concept is to have former foster children work with those foster teens who have just aged out and to teach these teens how to survive and, hopefully, thrive on their own. Over the last 10 years, other communities have adopted this model.

Emma Ramirez, an Epicenter founder explains:

“By creating the center not only are we going to provide the financial aid information, the education information, the housing information, but this will also be the perfect place to start shaping the 16-year-olds, and helping them think about" where their passion lies.

Foster care statistics from the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption reveal that half of those foster youth who age out of the system will not have a job by age 24. However, community programs such as Epicenter are becoming an important part of the solution.

Thanks to a $1 million gift by Jan and Esther Stearns, Cal State San Marcos has earmarked this donation for a "program that helps former foster youths succeed in college."

"The program provides assistance in admissions, financial aid, counseling and housing for students who once were in the foster care system. School officials said few foster youth end up in college after they age out of the system because of a lack of support."

Cal State San Marcos reports that an amazing 90% of former foster teens enrolled in the university graduate with a 4-year degree compared to the national foster children average of less than 2%. 

Finally, here's a story about helping foster youth have a better self-image. Very often foster teens who age out of the foster care system do so with their few worldly possessions in a garbage bag. This reality is common knowledge to people involved with these kids.

During the first season of the criminal show, Bones, the main character, Dr. Brennan, talks with a foster child. She shares how everyone at school knows the student is from a foster home because their clothes smell of plastic.

Fortunately, there are organizations like Luggage 4 Love that are collecting luggage to give to local foster youth. And these kids won't be getting old, hand-me-down luggage but rather new luggage thanks to Stacy Conner, an Easter Seal employee and the creator of this program. Conner shared that:

"We wanted to give them [foster kids] some dignity and allow them to transfer in actual luggage. Continuing to do this mission for the children is just very rewarding so easy for people to donate and to help change a child's perception."

The non-profit organization is having a collection drive until Nov. 1 when 85 foster children will get their new luggage. You can learn more about this organization on Facebook.

It's important to educate people on the challenges facing foster children. These kids are ripped from their parents and families, placed in a government facility and possibly placed with adults who have no motivation to love and care for children, only greed and a cold heart.

Yet, we also have to be assured that there is good being done for these children. Dedicated social workers strive to move these children out of the system and into forever homes. Organizations such as Find Families In Mexico, Luggage 4 Love and Epicenter are all working to improve the lives of foster youth. It's a group efforts, and I personally invite you to become a part of this movement.

Now didn't this just make your day, John?

Regards,


  Richard

Richard Villasana
Find Families In Mexico
760-690-3995

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Foster Children - Foster Kid Statistics Reveal Failure of Aging Out Preparations

Recently we shared foster care statistics about the fate of teens who age out of the system. Everyone is shocked when they hear that 90% of foster children who age out of the system become homeless or addicted to drugs, don't continue their education, or end up in prison all within just a two year period.


Here are some of the comments we have received about these stats.

"It's hideous to think of those kids becoming homeless." Dianna Whitley

"These stats are really disturbing." Steven H. Poulos

"The reality of these facts is very sad." Rose Perkins

As you may expect, people then start to talk about possible solutions to help foster teens once they age out. Some, such as Marlene Krueger, will ask about improving access to independent living support. Other talk about training tied to a jobs program. One solution that is picking up greater acceptance is raising the age at which foster teens are forced out of the foster care system from 18 to 21. Almost half of the states have adopted this new age limit.

As noteworthy as these ideas are, these combined solutions have failed to help more than 10% of the thousands of foster youth who age out yearly. Hundreds, if not thousands, of organizations are putting out their best effort to help foster children once they age out. Yet this year alone, 24,000 teens will age out with only 2,400 avoiding the horrific future described above. By most standards, these results mean that post-age out efforts are a failure.


Boyd Johnson said it best, "Prevention is always better than looking for the cure." Probably the most far-reaching federal program is Chafee Grant. This program offers assistance to help current and former foster care youths achieve self-sufficiency. The program:

"identifies children who are likely to remain in foster care until 18 years of age and to help these children make the transition to self-sufficiency by providing services such as assistance in obtaining a high school diploma, career exploration... job placement and retention, training in daily living skills, training in budgeting and financial management skills... "

Yet again, based on the foster care statistics above, it's clear that Chafee has a very limited impact on those children who age out. And as Brenda Cook reminds us, "An 18 year old is still a child regardless of what the calendar says."

So is there a time-tested, viable solution that will reduce the number of foster teens who leave the system or that gives these kids the best support possible? Fortunately, there is such a solution.

Finding a foster child's family members is the single most beneficial action for the youth with the exception of reunification with their birth parents. As we have said before, there are several studies, all reaching the same conclusion: placing a foster kid with a relative generally leads to more happiness, better health, physically, mentally and emotionally, compared to those children who are in either foster placement or sent to a group home.


Children in relative placement do better at school. They graduate at a higher level than their foster peers. A higher percentage of these kids with family support attend college, graduate and have a higher rate of both getting a job and succeeding at it.

For full disclosure, yes, our organization, Find Families In Mexico, provides this relative location service to foster care agencies throughout the U.S. We do this because of the overwhelming evidence that has proven time and again that a foster child does much better with relatives than with strangers. And our services are pro bono (free) to government agencies.

We understand that there is no one perfect solution. Even with relative placement, bad things can and do happen to children. Yet until another process comes along that shows such positive results, we urge everyone who asks the question, "How can we help these children?" to either volunteer their time and talent or give a financial contribution. It's that simple.

Take a step toward helping a foster child. It'll do your heart good.

Regards,


  Richard

Richard Villasana
Find Families In Mexico
760-690-3995

PS. Share your thoughts and ideas below and share this post with others.

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Foster Children - Extending Foster Care in Ohio for Children Until 21

 

 

Ohio is poised to become the next state to raise the age limit when foster children are forced out of foster care from 18 to 21. There are many reasons why this change will benefit foster kids although there are existing downsides as well.


Several studies have highlighted the disastrous outcomes that 90% of foster kids experience who age out at 18: homelessness, incarceration, and higher pregnancy rates to name a few.

It's pretty easy to imagine why millions of foster youth have these results. Millions of young professionals flocked back to their parents' homes during the last economic disaster. Some are still there. At least they had a home to go to whereas for foster children, it's sink or swim on their 18th birthday.




Tim Rylance, a former foster teen who aged out recently, said that he had a challenging time making the adjustment. During an interview with Fox19, he shares that:

"I've gone through a lot being emancipated. You know, homelessness, drugs, hanging out with the wrong crowd, being in trouble, having to get things expunged off my record. Things get crazy when you're just kind of booted out the door."

Deisera Sharp, another former foster child, said, "Being 18 and aging out of foster care is one of the scariest situations to ever be in."


Fortunately for millions of foster youth, the federal government in 2010 modified The Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act to extend federally funded (Title IV-E ) payments to states that were willing to set up services to support foster teens until age 21.

Twenty-four states including California, Indiana and Tennessee have already initiated laws that provide extended services for their foster children.


There are studies supporting this age change, the most prominent being The Midwest Study that researched outcomes for foster kids in three states. If this wasn't enough, two more studies were done on the results of The Midwest Study confirming that increasing the age that foster teens exit the system benefits the children, businesses and taxpayers.

We all know that no changes come without challenges. Already organizations are pointing out that simply raising the age limit to 21 for foster children will only have a band-aid effect unless these changes come with better training and support programs for foster youth. These kids need to be prepared to be on their own.

One of the best ways to help foster youth is to find their family members before these children age out no matter the age.


Resolving the issues that foster children face requires more than one solution. Finding families members is one solution. Raising the age that foster teens are forced out of the system to 21 is another. Both solutions provide solid support to these children so that they can go on to live happier, healthier, more productive lives once they leave foster care.

As a society, we owe them at least a fighting chance to have the type of lives the rest of us enjoy.

Do it for the children,


  Richard

Richard Villasana
Find Families In Mexico
760-690-3995

PS. You can help more foster kids. Share your thoughts and ideas below and share this post with others.

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Foster Children - Dismal Foster Kid Statistics

Based on the statistics above, clearly foster youth need more help than they are presently receiving.


It's estimated that 24,000 foster teens will age out of foster care in 2014. What the statistics above don't show is the incredible cost both in services for children while in foster care and the billions of dollars that will be spent to help them once they age out.

One way to help foster children is to support efforts to find their family members. This will help ensure that these kids don't become another statistic leading lives of desperation and homelessness.


We can do better. Foster youth deserve better.

Do it for the children,


  Richard

Richard Villasana
Find Families In Mexico
760-690-3995

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Foster Child - Left in Foster Care, Finally Reunited with Mother

When you mention foster children, people's thoughts may go to a small child who is alone in a government institution. Although this is often the case, there is another group of foster youth who are often overlooked, that of children who have aged out of foster care. These adults often carry a lot of hurt and as they got older, they become desperate to find and reunite with their family.

Help a foster child by supporting our

Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign,

 Forever Homes for Foster Children. Details below.

One such foster child was Debra. She had been living with her mother, brother and sister until Debra's world fell apart at age 15. That's when her mother decided to go back to Mexico. The most painful part for Debra was not the idea of having to leave her friends and schoolmates. No, the most painful part was that her mother took Debra's younger siblings and abandoned Debra who was placed taken into the foster care system. She aged out at age 18 and was completely alone.

Debra became engaged with and then married a soldier in the army. By age 22, she had started a serious search to find her mother. Despite having a lot of information on the whereabouts of her mother, Debra had been unable to find her.

That's when her loving husband contacted our organization which was not easy task since, at the time, he was stationed in Iraq. He told us about his wife's situation and asked us for help.


One of the many challenges that face foster care agencies is that they lack resources that could allow them find family members of foster children while they are still in the system. Once foster teens age out, their ability is find relatives on their own is very limited especially when those family members live outside the U.S.

The great news is that within a couple of weeks, Debra and her husband received our report with detailed contact information. Debra was able to pick up the phone, call and speak with her mother after being separated from her for seven years. Debra's husband wrote,

"Thanks to your information, my wife was able to talk with her mother after being apart for seven years. Thank you and God bless. A family has been reunited."

This is a result that hundreds of thousands of foster children want. Unfortunately, not enough is invested to help ensure that these children are reconnected with their families either before or after they age out of foster care. Hopefully individuals and companies will be moved to take action to support these efforts that forever change the lives of present and former foster youth for the better.

Do it for the children,


  Richard

Richard Villasana
Find Families In Mexico
760-690-3995

PS. You can help a foster child right now by going to www.FosterKidsForeverHomes.org and getting one of many special perks to help you professionally. Then be sure to Like and tweet about us so more people will know about our campaign and, most importantly, will help us raise funds so we can take on more foster children cases that will have happy endings just like the one above.

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Foster Kids - Finding Family Key to Happiness

 

One of the best, proven ways to help foster kids is by finding their adult family members.

Several studies reveal that these children are happier and healthier. They do much better in school and have a higher rate of graduating high school than foster teens who are placed with non-family members.

By achieving a higher educational level, these children do better getting and keeping a job. Many foster youth who age out without any family support struggle to get or maintain a job often leading to homelessness.

Although there is no one solution, finding family members and reconnecting these foster children with their relatives is a proven strategy that can change a foster kid's life and give them the family support and nurturing they need to grow into healthy adults.

Do it for the children,


  Richard

Richard Villasana
Find Families In Mexico
760-690-3995

PS. Share your thoughts and ideas below and share this post with others.

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Foster Kids: Sex Trafficking Victims Revisited

Yesterday we wrote about the connection between foster children in general and those who run away and sex trafficking victims. Some wrote to express shock over the statistics while others felt that immediate action should be taken to resolve this crisis. 

"I'm glad you're sharing about this important topic. Nobody likes to admit this is happening, but we need to recognize that it is."
Judy Graybill

As Judy wrote, it is important to talk about sex trafficking since several studies and reports from law enforcement highlight that a high percentage of child and teenage sex trafficking victims are or were foster children. At the same time, our Facebook and blog post also generated some strong reactions because of the image we used. Some felt that having an image of a girl* in a provocative outfit was exploitive. We subsequently changed the image, but we wonder whether that was a mistake.

Perhaps the issue for those who were repulsed by the image was that they simply don't like knowing and seeing evidence that in the U.S. thousands of foster child end up being sold into prostitution. Maybe in trying to be sensitive or "PC," we actually became part of the problem - downplaying the severity of a crisis that is permanently maiming thousands of foster youth each year.


If you saw the image, did you feel it was exploitive? If so, how would you showcase this child abuse?

Did you feel that the image was offensive? Some wrote that they were not offended, but at the same time, they were also uncomfortable sharing the post with others for fear that people might just see the image and overlook the message.

Do you think we should have removed the image?

It may be easy for people to criticize a photo, but the harsh truth is that in the largest economy in the world, thousands of foster kids are being prostituted out while their foster parents continue to collect a monthly stipend and foster care agencies overlook those instances of runaway foster youth and fail to report them to the police.

How obscene does the situation have to get before action is taken to help these very vulnerable children!

"It doesn't matter how they are dressed or what they look like, they are still children and should be protected." Rick Allen, Packaging Specialists Inc. SW

Until yesterday, did you know sex trafficking was such a huge crisis? It also happens to be a $32 billion industry internationally and only second to the illegal drug industry.

Did you know that the average starting age for prostitution is now 13 years old according to Rachel Lloyd, executive director of Girls Educational and Mentoring Services (gems) in Harlem, New York?

Did you know how strong the connection is between foster teens and sex trafficking victims? The FBI just close a national case called Operation Cross Country, the bureau's eight such operation, where they arrested 281 pimps and saved 170 children, many who were foster children and most who were never reported missing by "parents, guardians and the entire child welfare system designed to protect them."

Again many commented that they would like a way to help these foster kids today rather than waiting for politicians and government agencies to put in solutions that may minimize instances of foster teens ending up as sex trafficking victims. In many cases, those foster kids who run away do so from a group home or shelter or from an abusive foster family environment.

One proven solution is to support efforts to reconnect children in foster care with their family members.


Studies show these children are generally happier and healthier plus as they grow older, they will have that family support that is so desperately missing for most children who end up as sex trafficking victims.
 
Foster youth need our support. As a society we have an obligation to protect these children. To do anything less, which includes avoiding sensitive and uncomfortable topics such as foster kids as sex trafficking victims, is to turn our backs on these children. As Edmund Burke wrote, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men [and women] to do nothing." We can certainly do more than nothing.

Do it for the children,


  Richard

Richard Villasana
Find Families In Mexico
760-690-3995

PS. Share your thoughts and ideas below and share this post with others.

Get a PDF copy of this blog on foster children and sex trafficking.

*Note: If you felt offended by the original photo, the image we used is of a professional model and not an actual sex trafficking victim.

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