Fostering the Future
KVC Health System is creating a college exclusively
for youth leaving the foster care system. This new
model, which is being implemented in Montgomery,
WV, will be used across the nation and will offer
young adults the skills needed for long-term success.
THOMAS BAILEY
RICK LEE
The new Workforce and Development
and Administration Building, formerly
WVU Tech’s Vining Library.
74
WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE
Think back to when you were 18. You
were ready to conquer the world, right?
It’s likely you and your family had been
preparing for college for years. You’ve
got everything going for you, and you’re
finally free to make a life on your own.
Now consider this alternative scenario:
you’ve been in foster care for six years,
moved from place to place many times.
You have no family support—no family at
all. At 18, you’ve aged out of the system,
and you’re out on your own with nothing
but a clear trash bag containing everything
you own in the world. There’s no money
or health insurance, and something like
college is a distant thought. Right now, all
you can think about is survival: shelter,
food and security.
This second scenario is the reality for
more than 30,000 young adults in the U.S.
every year. Not surprisingly, young adults
facing these kinds of challenges often
cannot overcome them. That’s why many
young adults who age out of the system
face homelessness, joblessness, illness,
incarceration, welfare dependency, early
childbearing, drug addiction, alcoholism
and sexual and physical victimization.
This is a national tragedy that’s been
nearly invisible to most people for decades.
It’s also a very real problem in West
Virginia. According to the Kids Count
Data Center, the Mountain State had
more than 4,956 youth in foster care in
2015. Moreover, the cost paid by taxpay-
ers and communities over the lifetime of
one foster child who has aged out is an
average of $300,000, according to the
Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initia-
tive. Multiply $300,000 by 33,000—the
number of youth who age out annually—
and the total cost is $9 billion per year.
Solving a Social Issue
The good news is that a national model
to address this problem is unfolding in
Montgomery, WV. KVC Health System
is creating a college exclusively for youth
emerging from foster care. This school will
be the first of its kind in the nation and
will serve as the model for others across
the country. It will give young adults the
skills and support to become indepen-
dent, successful adults, and its learning