Lost kids: When foster children reach adulthood | StarTribune.com: "Teens stuck in foster care rarely forget the day they become adults.
For Jibe Young, it was the day he turned 18 and his foster parents said he had to move out -- but that his little brother could stay because the state was still paying for him. Destiny Helfrich shoved her foster mother on the day she was told to leave home -- and was arrested and jailed for two nights. Her next stop was a homeless shelter.
'If she's not getting paid, I guess she doesn't love me anymore,' said Helfrich, now 20. 'That's how I felt.'
Every year, 500 to 600 foster children in Minnesota reach adulthood without any parents -- despite the state's efforts to reunite them with their birth families or place them for adoption. Compared to other states, Minnesota has a high rate of children who, like Helfrich and Young, 'age out' of the system after three years or more.
The problem is gaining attention from state and federal authorities, because the consequences are severe. One-third of the youths who age out of foster care are homeless within four years, according to University of Chicago research, and nearly half of the young men spend time in jail.
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