Our Collective Experience

There are currently about 500,000 in the foster care system in the U.S. and 88,000 in Canada.

Many former foster children:

Have problems with stability because we were moved so many times, usually from town to town and sometimes from state to state

As adults change vocations on average every six months and change types of vocations far more often than the general population

Work at low-paying minimum-wage jobs

Don't get high-school diplomas but obtain G.E.D. certificates five to ten years later

Report cases of sexual abuse, usually by relatives and friends of the foster parents

Report cases of physical and emotional abuse

Suffer from low self-esteem and confidence, especially between the ages of eighteen and twenty-eight

Have stress disorders that appear around twenty-eight years of age

Often have poor social interactions; friendships, even long-term ones, are

usually on and off due to instability, moving around a lot, changing

vocations and psychological stress

Have difficulty bonding with other people

Have emotional turmoil with personal relationships

Question their parenting abilities

Have trouble managing their finances and budgeting their money

Haven't had solid role models and therefore lack a good understanding of social roles and social expectations

Struggle with guilt and shame because we feel as if we must be bad people in order for our parents and foster parents to have seemingly rejected us

Suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (P.T.S.D.) and feel frozen in the past, afraid to move forward and strive for a better life

Have problems with depression, largely because of our unresolved grieving issues

Are homeless (currently at least 25% of the homeless population are former foster children)

Are at least 30% more prone to alcohol and substance abuse than the general population

Are inmates in our prison systems (at least two out of three according to conservative estimates)

Are 50% more likely to have a history of domestic violence than the overall population

As heads of households have already lost at least one child to foster care

Are four times more likely to be sexually abused than children in the general population

If you are a former foster child you could benefit from F.A.C.T.