This essay is written by Amnoni Myers, MA, a former foster youth who was turned out of her foster home when she turned 18. “Too many youth emancipate from foster care without the social capital invested in their teenage peers,” writes Myers. Myers conducted a study to examine how several grantmakers in California support foster youth in building social capital and to gain a greater understanding of what models, policies, and programs these foundations use to help support foster youth transitioning from care. "The trend that I noticed during my study among these young people was that philanthropic entities were major contributors to social supports, such as education, job training and mentoring. But grant makers were not as active when it came to transitional elements, especially the one most critical for post-care stability: transitional and affordable housing."
The article includes a link to her thesis which explains in more detail the importance of social support to youth transitioning from foster care and highlights her recommendations for grantmakers in order to ensure the successful transition of foster youth.