What happens when a child in foster care reaches 18 and “ages out” of the system?
“Far too often, kids lose where they live when they age out,” Suzanne Guinn says. “My good friend spent his whole childhood in foster care, got bounced around a lot, and on his 18th birthday became homeless. He didn’t understand that was coming. Sometimes it’s a surprise to the children.”
Guinn says 25% of foster care kids experience homelessness after aging out.
“It’s hard enough to be 18,” she says. “The decisions you have to make and things you have to do to become adult are challenging enough, but especially if don’t have parents to support you. It’s overwhelming. AcademySTAY does all of that.”
Guinn is a media expert donating time to get the word out about AcademySTAY, a new nonprofit that helps aged-out foster youth 18 to 24 transition to independence. The young people pursue college, trade school, apprenticeships or employment with furnished apartments, life-skills classes and peer support.
Most important, the program offers foster youth a place to belong.
In October, the organization celebrated the grand opening of its first facility in Noralto (north of Del Paso Boulevard) that will house 58 young people. The site has an outdoor courtyard, community garden and student center for education, training and mental health support.
Guinn says the apartments are “cool and decorated really well” after renovations on the preexisting apartment building. The site was purchased last summer with help from donors who include academy Board Chair Jason France.
“I thought it would take years to raise the funds, but Jason immediately responded, ‘Let’s make it happen,’” AcademySTAY founder Jenny Davidson says. “He has been my co-founder and my greatest supporter in turning this dream into reality.”
Davidson’s inspiration is her son, Jordan, who died in 2005 as a newborn due to a genetic condition.
“It was a turning point in my life,” Davidson says. “A friend said to me, ‘Everyone will see that Jordan changed your life, but it’s up to you what that change is.’ That moment sparked a profound shift in me. The very next day, I enrolled in my first college class with the goal of creating a better world for children who get to stay.
“For nearly two decades since my son’s passing, I worked with families impacted by crime, but as 2023 approached—the year my son would have turned 18—I felt called to serve young people in his age group. This desire to return to my roots in child advocacy (with child protective services) led me to foster youth.”
Guinn, who was adopted and has “a lot of empathy” for foster youth, was attracted to the mission. She told Davidson when the academy was ready to launch, she would help spread the word to potential donors, agencies and school administrators.
Volunteers handled much of the work in getting AcademySTAY running. Key areas still need help, including life-skills facilitators, garden support, mentors, drivers to transport students, event support and ambassadors to spread the word.
“Our volunteers are the heart of AcademySTAY and we’re always excited to welcome new faces into our community,” Davidson says.
For information, visit academystay.org.
Jessica Laskey can be reached at jessrlaskey@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
