WHY WE DO IT
Jacaranda Housing exists to do for some what we wish we could do for all.
Below is the story of a young woman and her struggles after aging out of the foster system.
Below are some of the statistics that the youth we are serving face as they enter adulthood.
3,718 Transition Age Youth (TAY - 18-24) experienced homelessness in 2023. Of those, 2,125 were living unsheltered.
In 2023, there were 2,561 young adults, 18-21 years old, in the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services system.
Youth that remain in care into adulthood were found to have higher educational attainment and improved employment outcomes compared to youth that exited care before or at 18.
A number of studies have found that former foster youth experience homelessness at higher rates than the general population.
In 2021, more than 19,000 of our nation's youth aging out of foster care left without a permanent, legal connection to family, meaning they were left on their own.
56% of Los Angeles foster youth do not graduate from high school and less than 3% earn a college degree.
51% of foster youth are unemployed and 40% are on public assistance within two to four years of aging out of foster care.
50% of foster youth have significant behavioral or emotional problems. They are four times more likely to commit suicide than Vietnam veterans.
36% of foster youth become homeless within 18 months of aging out of foster care.
1 in 4 foster youth are incarcerated within 2 years of aging out of foster care, and 30% of California prison inmates have spent time in foster care.