RACHEL'S HOUSE 

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Youth age out of foster care when the state fails to reunify them with their family or place them in a permanent home. All too often, these youth are forced to leave foster care inadequately prepared to navigate all the new responsibilities of adulthood and without a consistent support system. This puts them at a high risk of facing disproportionately adverse outcomes compared to people their age who did not leave the foster care system at 18. For example:

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• 20% of the children who age-out will become instantly homeless;

• Only 1 out of every 2 young people who age-out will have some form of gainful employment by 24;

• 7 out of 10 girls who age out will become pregnant before turning 21;

• There is less than a 3% likelihood for children who have aged-out of care to earn a college degree at any point in their life;

 

For those who successfully defy the odds and enroll in a college or university, the likelihood of completion is slim. That rate becomes even narrower when other factors, such as a lack of adequate housing or access to continued support services, come into play.

 

As a community partner, Destiny Empowerment Enterprises (DEE) Inc. is committed to helping equip, mentor, and empower aging-out foster youth through a state-approved Supervised Independent Living (SIL) Program at our transitional housing facility, Rachel’s House. Operated in conjunction with our sister organization, Women of Influence, Inc., Rachel's House is a transitional housing program designed for young women ages 18-24 aging out of the foster care system. This program assists in making positive changes in the lives of participants through the provision of secure housing, comprehensive case management for social services, basic life skills and life-coaching, counseling, post-secondary education and job-readiness training, and peer mentorship to achieve self-sufficiency.​​​​​