Facing Life After
Foster Care
With Hope
Foster care is designed to provide a safe and supportive environment for youth, but turning 18 changes everything.
The Need
With Hope
At 18, foster youth “age out” of the system, often without the safety net of a family or support system. As a result, 1 in 5 young adults face immediate homelessness. In Iowa approximately 450 youth age out of foster care each year, stepping into an uncertain and challenging world.
At Anchored Hope, we want to restore hope to youth transitioning out of foster care, by providing support and opportunities.
Across the country, there are 400,000 children in foster care.
In Iowa, there are over 4,500 children in foster care.
An average of 450 Iowa youth age out of foster care each year.
Each year an average of 25,000 youth age out of the system, often without jobs and with minimal guidance.
Youth who age out of foster care face significant challenges:
50% don’t finish high school
70% of girls are pregnant by age 21
97% don’t earn a college degree
50% are unemployed within 2-4 years
25% are instantly homeless
Our Mission
With Hope
At Anchored Hope, we provide a safe transitional living program for young adults who have aged out of foster care. We help them grow within a supportive community, share the hope of the gospel, and offer life skills training to help them become independent, thriving adults.
We break the cycles of neglect, abuse, poverty and homelessness by focusing on 6 key areas:
employment
education
life skills
health/
wellness
community
financial
literacy
Through personalized plans, we support youth ages 18-24, helping them navigate key areas of life with the goal of completing our independent living program within approximately 24 months. We offer guidance and connect youth to essential resources, enabling them to take the next steps toward independence.
