AUSTIN, Texas — Local leaders and nonprofits are hoping to bring more attention to foster care during National Foster Care Awareness Month.
On Thursday, Austin Councilmember Ryan Alter read a proclamation to raise awareness about foster care and reinforce the city's support of children in the system.
According to a press release, there are more than 370,000 children in foster care nationwide and more than 30,000 enter the Texas foster care system each year. In Austin alone, there about 1,000 children in foster care and nearly 100 young adults age out of the system each year.
The theme of this year's National Foster Care Awareness Month is "Engaging Youth. Building Supports. Strengthening Opportunities," with a focus on raising awareness about the needs of youths transitioning out of the system into adulthood.
That's something Cortney Jones' organization, Change 1, is always focused on. Jones herself was raised by Child Protective Services for 10 years and aged out of foster care into homelessness. As a result of her own experiences, she founded Change 1 to bring attention to the challenges faced by kids aging out of the system and to inform the community on how they can help.
"[Kids] are shuffled through the foster care system, from foster home to foster home and sometimes even shelters. And every time a kid moves a foster home, they fall back six months academically," Jones said in an interview with KVUE Midday. "So when kids are aging out of the foster care system, the statistics show that 50% actually graduate high school and only 3% get a college education."
Jones said Change 1 helps young adults transitioning out of the foster care system by helping them obtain employment and move into their dorms. The group also helps through life coaching and making sure youths get nutritional meals.
Jones said she was in foster care from the time she was eight until she was 18, when she aged out. She said she graduated on a Wednesday and by Saturday, she was homeless. Now she works to prevent that outcome for others.
"Through Change 1 and through organizations like mine, and other individuals', we were able to advocate for extended care and return to care," Jones said. "And so, I'm happy that kids don't have to age out of the foster care system, homeless. So we do try to make sure that kids don't have to go through what I went through."
At KVUE, we also do our part to shine a spotlight on children in the Texas foster care system. Every week on KVUE Daybreak and KVUE Midday, we feature a different child in foster care as part of our Forever Families series. The goal is always to help these children find loving, permanent homes.
Learn more about the children we've recently featured at KVUE.com/ForeverFamilies.