Article of Inspiration

Contact: Jennifer Gregory, Casa Valentina
305-740-6415 / jgregory@casavalentina.org

MAY IS NATIONAL FOSTER CARE MONTH
Casa Valentina Providing Affordable Housing and Support Services
To Young Women in Miami-Dade County Aging Out of Foster Care

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



MIAMI (May 4, 2006) – Nationally, more than 20,000 youth age out of foster care each year
when they turn 18 and are no longer eligible for state funded housing and support. The
obstacles they face trying to transition from foster care to independent living are
insurmountable, and the statistics speak for themselves. More than 50% of youth who age out
have not graduated from high school; only 38% are employed 12-18 months after leaving the
foster care system; one forth report encounters with the juvenile justice system; and over 60% of
the young women leaving foster care will have a baby within four years.1

In reality, a foster child’s 18th birthday often triggers a descent into a life of poor health and
education, unemployment, substance abuse, criminal behavior, and in many cases
homelessness. In fact, research shows that housing is the greatest need and biggest obstacle for
youth struggling to transition from foster care to independent living. One third of Florida’s foster
children are likely to become homeless within three years of aging out,2 and according to
recent research from the University of South Florida, two-thirds of the homeless population in
Miami-Dade County are ages 18-23.

May is National Foster Care Month and a great opportunity to bring attention to the dire
situation facing these youth and to support the caring organizations in our community working
on behalf of the more than 800 who age out in Florida each year. Casa Valentina is a new non-
profit organization addressing the immense and unique challenges faced by young women in
Miami-Dade County who age out of foster care without the life experience, financial stability
and support they need to survive on their own. Facing life alone on the streets of Miami, young
women in this situation are vulnerable to prostitution, pregnancy, violence, sexual abuse or
worse. Nearly 100 girls age out of foster care in Miami-Dade County each year.

“Affordable housing is at the heart of each and every problem these girls have,” said Sharon
Langer, chair of the Casa Valentina Executive Committee. “At Casa Valentina, we want to give
former foster girls a safe and stable home environment. With that in place, they can focus their
energy on education and employment and on learning the life-skills they need to achieve
independence.”

Through public education, fundraising and special events, Casa Valentina is working to establish
a first-of-its-kind residential program that will provide former foster girls with supportive housing to
help them transition from foster care to independent living. They are currently researching
prospective housing sites for development in 2006, and their goal is to provide about a dozen
girls with a place to live and the support services that are vital to their success by the end of this
year.

There are many different ways to support Casa Valentina during National Foster Care Month
and beyond. Visit www.casavalentina.org to learn more about how to make a contribution,
host an awareness-raising gathering or become a volunteer.

# # #

Casa Valentina’s mission is to provide young women in Miami-Dade County who age out of
foster care with safe, affordable housing and the support services they need to become
successful, independent adults. Visit Casa Valentina online at www.casavalentina.org.

1
Wertheimer, R., Youth Who “Age Out” of Foster Care: Troubled Lives, Troubling Prospects (Washington,
D.C.: Child Trends, 2002)
2
Annual Report on Homeless Conditions in Florida, Fiscal Year 2002-2003