Metro Vancouver’s 2017 Homeless Count asked homeless people whether they had been in ministry care in their childhood. It is the first time this question has been asked and the results are astounding.
One-fifth of all of the homeless people said they had either previously been in ministry care or were in care when the survey was held. Of the people surveyed who were younger than 19, nearly one-quarter said they were currently in care, while one-fifth said they had previously been in care. Fully 38 per cent of the people aged 19 to 24 said they had been in ministry care.
In British Columbia, foster children and other young people in government “age out” when they are 19 and their supports are cut off.
As the Vancouver Sun found in its 2014 series, From Care to Where, when children in care are cut off at 19, they face high rates of homelessness, unemployment, poverty, substance abuse and incarceration.
The B.C. government has pledged to create a “comprehensive program” of supports for children aging out of foster care. To date, it has created a program to ensure all young people who have been in the care of the government for more than two years will be able to attend one of B.C.’s 25 public colleges and universities tuition-free.
tracy.sherlock@gmail.com
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