Figures show Foster Success’ Health & Well-Being program supported 140 teens and young adults exiting foster care in its first, full program year. The program distributed more than $42,000 during the year to young people to assist with their basic needs and other items that contribute to Health & Well-Being.
Foster Success is the only statewide nonprofit organization supporting teens and young adults transitioning out of Indiana’s foster care system. The Health & Well-Being programs at Foster Success provide holistic resources that strengthen the confidence, knowledge, and abilities of young people so that they can become effective advocates for their own health and navigate complex healthcare systems.
“At Foster Success, we know that the health and well-being of a young person is not simply dependent on the choices they make,” Senior Director of Impact & Programming Angel Crone said. “There are complex conditions, like where they live, work, learn and play, that affect them, too. The Health & Well-Being programs focus on the whole person – physical, mental, financial.”
Those who have been in foster care face numerous mental and physical health problems related to the abuse and neglect that led to them being placed in the system, as well as from their time in care. One study showed that older age and long-term foster care in general may be risk factors for obesity – which can lead to a variety of health issues.
“We encourage the young people we support to take time to care for themselves even though they are often too busy focusing on meeting basic needs to focus on preventive health care,” Crone said. “We provide one-on-one referrals and real connections to community resources to make the path a little easier. We also know that many of the young people transitioning out of foster care are left without the necessary documents they need to navigate adulthood. We help them track down vaccination records, among other documents.”
Foster Success announced its Health & Well-Being program in late 2021 thanks to a $350,000 grant from the Indiana Department of Health.
About Foster Success
Foster Success is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose mission is to hear, support and empower teens and young adults transitioning out of foster care on their journey to self-sufficiency. Foster Success provides financial, educational, and social support to the 24,000 young people with foster care experience throughout the state at the most critical time – when they are about to or have already transitioned out of the foster care system, most often with no family or economic support. More information about Foster Success can be found at FosterSuccess.org.