Adaptation to Early Adulthood by a Sample of Youth Discharged from a Residential Education Placement

Three years of outcome data for foster youth (n = 106) discharged from a one-of-kind residential education service are presented. Findings were that 50% of respondents attended college at some point. Youth reported having 2 or 3 jobs a year with at least one bout of unemployment. Most of the non-college bound youth reported working in low-wage unskilled jobs that did not appear to be career oriented. Almost 75% of former residents had at least one connection to the adult world through school, work, or marriage one year after discharge. This rate had climbed to 96% at the 36-month interview. Respondents were reporting much lower rates of criminal justice involvement, homelessness, and victimization than found in other studies of discharged foster youth.