What Do We Know About Transition Age Youth?
- An estimated 29,500 youth were emancipated from foster care in FY 2008 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2009).
- Approximately 100,000 youth are released from secure and residential facilities each year (Altschuler, Strangler, Berkley & Burton, 2009).
- Approximately 53,000-103,000 of the homeless population on a single day are between the ages of 18 and 24. (Burt, Aaron, & Lee, 2001).
- Approximately 1.2 million youth drop out of high school each year, more than half of whom come from minority groups (Editorial Projects in Education Research Center, 2008).
- An estimated 2.8 to 5 million young people aged 16 to 24 are neither in school nor employed (National League of Cities, 2005).
- More than 25% of high-school dropouts are on welfare, compared to only 10% of those with a high-school degree (U.S. Department of Education).
- Reliance on social services is common among youth aging out of foster care and youth released from secure and residential facilities (Altschuler, Strangler, Berkley & Burton, 2009).
- Young adults with disabilities are three times more likely to live in poverty as adults than their peers without disabilities (National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability, n.d.).
- In 2007, 17% of all serious violent crime involved a youth offender. In half of these crimes, more than one offender was involved in the incident (U.S. Department of Justice, 2010).
- Youth transitioning from out-of-home placements, such as foster care, experience high rates of involvement in the criminal justice system (Altschuler, Strangler, Berkley & Burton, 2009).
- Sixteen percent of all high-school dropouts aged 18 to 24 (and 30% of all black dropouts in this age group) are incarcerated or on parole (National League of Cities, 2005).
- The adjudication rate of youth with disabilities is four times higher than for youth without disabilities (Gagnon & Richards, 2008).
Altschuler, D., Strangler, G., Berkley, K., & Burton, L. (2009). Supporting youth in transition to adulthood: Lessons learned from child welfare & juvenile justice. Washington, DC.:The Center for Juvenile Justice Reform. Retrieved from http://cjjr.georgetown.edu/pdfs/TransitionPaperFinal.pdf (PDF, 58 Pages)
Burt, M., Aron, L. Y., & Lee, E. (2001). Helping America’s homeless: Emergency shelter or affordable housing? Washington, D.C.: The Urban Institute.
Editorial Projects in Education Research Center (2008). Diplomas count 2008: School to college: Can state P-16 councils ease the transition? Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2008/06/05/index.html
Gagnon, J.C., & Richards, C. (2008). Making the right turn: A guide about improving transtion outcomes of youth involved in the juvenile corrections system. Washington, DC: National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth, Institute for Educational Leadership.
National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth. (n.d.) Benefits planning for youths with disabilities Retrieved from http://www.ncwd-youth.info/quick-reference-guide/benefits-planning
National League of Cities. (2005). Reengaging disconnected youth: Action kit for municipal leaders. Retrieved from http://www.nlc.org/ASSETS/CE428587A160496AA8CB66188E6E72DE/IYEF_Action_Kit_DY_Youth.pdf (PDF, 14 Pages)
U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved from Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families. (2009). The AFCARS Report: Preliminary FY 2008 Estimates as of October 2009. Retrieved from Retrieved from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/afcars/tar/report16.htm
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2010). Criminal victimization in the United States, 2007 statistical tables. Retrieved from http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/cvus07.pdf (PDF, 133 Pages)
To learn more, check out our youth topic page on Transition Age Youth.
