It was the summer of 2004, cat calls, car horns and heavy tension filled the air. It was like clockwork, the winter months brought about a little peace on the streets, but the hotter the summer, the more violent the concrete jungle seemed. It’s amazing how even at a tender age I understood the dynamics of the streets, maybe because my home was no different. As the sunlight gleamed into the dimly lit room I found myself basking in the rays in an attempt to escape to the flawless home I so longed for. These walls held stories, but none of Merry Christmas’s, Happy Birthdays, or joyful Thanksgivings. No, they held pain, suffering, and screams from warrantless beatings, and illusions of paranoia. I sat and watched as my mother filled her veins with fire, causing her to attempt to tie me to the radiator to be scorched by heat and steam emerging from the radiator valve. Slaps across the face, and lashes from what seemed to be her favorite, an all black, thick leather spiked tool of torture could easily be seen as normal. The story on this day would be my departure. As I sat at our small wooden table that appeared to rock with the slightest shift of the wind, the smell of grits filled the one bedroom, mildew stained apartment. “Here eat this” she said as she threw the plastic bowl onto the table with an attitude implying that it was such a burden. I began to eat, but bit by bit something wasn’t right. The unpleasant feeling of nausea and my stomach rolling like raging waters signaled I was about to vomit, but before I could excuse myself, “HRRL” my bowl filled with the regurgitated contents of my stomach. As if I had done something wrong she commenced to hitting me and screaming as she forced my face into the bowl, “Eat it, eat it” I screamed as I lifted my head to grasp for air, my mouth covered in my own vomit. Like the thunderous sound of God himself returning, I hear “BOOM, BOOM, BOOM”, “Jane open the door”! It was my next door neighbor, coming to save me once again, but this time I would not return only to become a ward of the state. The New York Foundling would be my new home, at least for now. Over a period of roughly 6 months, I would enter and depart 5 unstable foster homes;
Growing up with a mentally ill, schizophrenic mother, I have experienced homelessness. Time to time spent under bypasses, abandoned buildings and eating food from trash bins. My mother often left me to fend for myself at a young age when emotions are beginning to bloom. Growing up like that I did not receive the correct education. The loss of hope feeling came when I moved into my first foster home thinking to myself these aren't my parents. Going to my very first school, not having proper vocabulary nor not really knowing how to speak without stuttering, first thing I did was run, run away from the school and ran away from foster family to only be walking the same streets my mom wondered at night, (not soliciting like her). As I grew older my options were limited. I chose not to be like my mentally Ill, jobless, drug addicted mother. I will be
Stott, Tonia. "Placement Instability And Risky Behaviors Of Youth Aging Out Of Foster Care." Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal 29.1 (2012): 61-83. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Jan. 2014.
a bowl of soup from the other end of the table. I quickly took this opportunity
(Chipungu & Goodley, 2004) Chipungu and Goodley also stated that these issues shown by children in foster care come from their experiences prior to being placed in foster care, as well as from their actual foster care experience. Children are forced to deal with the separation from their parents and siblings, and must now adjust to a new life. In a 3 month time period of being in the foster care system, children have been shown to have symptoms of depression, aggression and withdrawal, as well as sleeping problems, and failure to thrive. (Chipungu & Goodley, 2004) Due to children’s experiences prior to entering the foster care system, many of them have development issues, including mental development. According to Bass, Shields, and Behrman “children in foster care have more physical and mental health problems than children growing up in other settings.” (2004) Dubois-Comtois et al. stated that the number of foster care placements, as well as the type of placement, a child has had also contributed to the child’s behavior and emotional problems.
From the Orphan trains to the Children’s Bureau, foster care has been well researched topic in the United States. With hundreds of children entering the foster care system,The Orphan trains gave children the opportunity to be chosen by a family and to be accepted into another home nonetheless is difficult. Being placed into the Foster Care system is done so with the intention that in the future, permanent placement can be established for the foster child; however, many cases have proved that the transition from home to home has left adolescents ill prepared for the adequate challenges into adulthood. for example in the article "Balancing permanency and stability for youth in foster care" by Tonia Stott and Nora Gustavsson, an experiment was conducted to see if the multiple placements may have an effect on the success of the youths once they have aged out of the
Foster care is the planned care for children who cannot live with their birth parents for a period of time (Emerson & Lovitt, 2003). Children in foster care may live with unrelated foster parents, a relative, in a group home, or in residential care. Children who are removed from their home and placed in foster care are often removed due to issues concerning abuse, neglect, parent-child conflict, or physical and/or behavioral problems (Trout, Hagaman, Casey, Reid, & Esptein, 2007). According to the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS, 2015), on September 30, 2014, approximately 415,000 children were in foster care in the United States; approximately 64% of these children were school-aged.
Before she opened the door, she asked, “Who is it?” But no one answered. A few seconds later there was another knock. Janine flung open the door, “What the...”
Moving into adulthood comes with its challenges for any teen. Of the 300,000 youth in foster care, the 25,000 currently facing transition experience even more challenges. Most youth leaving the foster care system do not receive enough support to succeed while living independently. Youth that have been placed in the foster care system are more likely to be imprisoned, unemployed, and uneducated. Together, those three things often lead to homelessness. These kids are thrown into a system that they do not understand, leaving them unprepared for the challenges that adult life includes. The issue is whether or not the foster care system provides a sufficient transitional living program for youths that are beginning to age out of the system (Courtney).
It was a day like every other, just another day at work. Or at least at the time that’s what I thought. Soon however, this day would go down is one of the worst days of my life. Devastation, sadness, pain, betrayal, anger swam through my veins and filled my entire body this day.
Healthy living conditions are provided for them such as food, a form of financial stability in order to obtain what they need such as clothing. Some youth may have the support of a family member when they exit the foster care system however those who don’t have the financial and emotional support can face challenging times when they begin to live on their own. Youth in foster homes are provided a place to live however at time it may not be stable because they may be assigned to a different foster parents depending on their situation. Having to experience moving around may cause depressing and giving youth a challenging time developing as adults and gaining the experience they need to be completely
As of now, foster parents receive minimal benefits for housing foster children. To be exact, foster parents in Michigan can receive anywhere between $17.24 and $20.59 as a basic rate, and then depending upon the child’s needs and age, they can receive additional funds, but cannot receive any more than $80 per day in any case. One approach that would boost stipends for foster parents and make fostering a more viable option would be to offer paid childcare. The parents could choose a state certified daycare option and would be reimbursed for the monthly or weekly fees. This would make it more manageable for parents to work or go to school so that they could make money to support that child if adopted. Also, there should be a voucher in place for families when they first receive their foster child, so that it can be assured that the children get everything they need to start their new life. This may include clothes, school supplies, a mattress among other items that they may not already aquire. There are many willing families that would love to house children in their homes, but they are not financially able to do so. With more than minimal benefits, more people will be willing to foster, which will lead to more adoptions. Fourteen percent of children in foster care will be adopted (Payne, Cathy 1), and we can help that number rise by giving greater
a chilly little breeze bites at my cheeks. I take a deep breath and the sweet
It was a bright sunny day, the sky was a soft shade of blue and there
I brush my eyes awake, feeling the cold seeping in from my window. It’s 9 AM and it’s winter in Minnesota. Feeling sleepy, I stand up and go outside. I love the winter air. It always refreshes my mind and there’s just a cold bite to it that I enjoy. Coming back inside, I boot up my computer, hoping to enjoy it a little before heading out. The winter days swim together, phasing throughout my mind, and I fall asleep again, or I have woken up.
back to the room and was scolded by my mom. My mom held on to my arm