LIFE Skills by the Numbers
Nationally, about 40% of youth leaving foster care experience some form of homelessness before they turn 26 and 25% spend time in jail. The longer young adults are homeless, the more likely they are to remain homeless. LIFE Skills Foundation is working against the clock to help young adults change course while they still can.
LIFE Skills provides the missing supports and services transition age youth need as they gain the skills to be self-sufficient. These include housing, mental health care, independent living skills classes and wraparound services such as taking them to the doctor, helping them shop and budget, making sure they get to school, helping them open a bank account, encouraging them to graduate and challenging them to plan and save for the future.
The LIFE Skills Impact:
89% of former residents moved into stable housing after leaving our transitional housing apartments
68% of participants who were focused on school engaged in or completed their education
61% of participants who were focused on work maintained consistent employment
Measuring Progress
In order to track client progress within our programs, LIFE Skills Foundation developed our own scoring rubric to capture the myriad ways in which clients show growth throughout their time with us. We have elected to quantitatively assess the seven areas that research shows are critical for young people to succeed at living independently. These areas are employment, education, housing, finances, health, communication, and support networks.
Each point in the seven areas below represents a major step on the ladder to independence.
Young adults who reach the top of all six ladders are well-prepared for success on their own.
How Your Donation Helps
The systems designed for adults and children often leave transition age youth out in the cold. For those aging out of foster care, turning 18 can mean homelessness and insecurity. LIFE Skills provides a safe and supportive place where youth can get the skills they need to transition to independence. We envision a future where no young people have to struggle to find a place to sleep or enough to eat. The reality is that LIFE Skills must turn away more youth than we serve. With the number of Durham youth in foster care rising rapidly, this situation is only going to get worse. Every donation makes a difference!