Integrated Housing Support Services for Out-of-Home Care Leavers

Abstract

There are a total of 30,000 children in out-of-home care, of whom 2,600 leave the system every year upon turning 18. Once out of the material and emotional care of the out-of-home care system, most of these care leavers, unsupported by their own families, get exposed to various risks, including maladaptation, poverty, early marriage, homelessness, crime, and unemployment. To help out-of-home care leavers succeed in transitioning to community life requires getting them prepared while still in care for self-reliance and providing them with adequate post-care support for self-reliance.