Testimonials
Young women that are aging out of the system really need
the help of our community in order to make the dream of a
successful life a reality. Young adults like me need a place
to go to call home. We have no life skills and need someone
to be a mentor. Casa Valentina is our hope for the future.
Alberte, 18 and recently
aged out of Foster Care
Lack of housing is by far the most difficult and most
frequent obstacle that faces mentors and foster youth in our
program. We have found that a secure and stable home environment
really gives the youth the foundation they need to finish
school and go to college. Especially for young women, desperate
circumstances force many of them to live with boyfriends or
in unsafe places, and as a result, about 30% of our young
foster girls become young mothers. For these reasons and more,
Casa Valentina is one of the most important projects for the
foster care population in our community.
Virginia Emmons, CEO
Educate Tomorrow
The energy, commitment and activism that Casa Valentina
has inspired in this community are a testament to the positive
social change that is possible when we join together and work
toward a shared goal. The young women from our foster care
system who are touched by Casa Valentina's efforts will gain
access to the tools they need to succeed in life, and they
will be connected to an incredible women-led movement to transform
the way our child welfare system works. These resources and
experiences will no doubt shape their futures as women –
and as leaders and activists in this world.
Patricia Ireland, Labor Lawyer and
National President of NOW
1991-2001
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 Aging
Out: The Facts
Nationally, more than 20,000 youth age out of foster care each
year when they turn 18 and are no longer eligible for state funded
housing and support. At this age, most foster children lack knowledge
of the basic life-skills, and many are still in high school. The
state stipends available to these youth are insufficient and unreliable,
and the soaring cost of housing in South Florida makes it nearly
impossible to find an affordable place to live that is safe and
near public transportation. In fact, research shows that housing
is the greatest need and biggest obstacle for youth struggling to
transition from foster care to independent living. One third of
Florida’s foster children are likely to become homeless within
three years of aging out. 1
The obstacles foster children face trying to transition from foster
care to independent living are insurmountable, and the statistics
speak for themselves: more than 50% of youth who age out have not
graduated from high school; only 38% are employed 12-18 months after
leaving the foster care system; one forth report encounters with
the juvenile justice system; and over 60% of the young women leaving
foster care will have a baby within four years. 2
In reality, a foster child’s 18th birthday often triggers
a descent into a life of poor health and education, unemployment,
substance abuse, criminal behavior, and in many cases homelessness.
Young women in this situation are particularly vulnerable to prostitution,
incarceration, pregnancy, violence, sexual abuse or worse. Nearly
100 girls age out of foster care in Miami-Dade County each year.
1 Annual Report on Homeless Conditions in Florida, Fiscal
Year 2002-2003
2 Wertheimer, R., Youth Who “Age Out” of
Foster Care: Troubled Lives, Troubling Prospects (Washington, D.C.:
Child Trends, 2002)
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