Removing Barriers
& Creating Opportunity

The average person spends the largest percentage of their income on housing and the greatest amount of their time at home

The average foster youth

  • Experiences 7 relocations in the foster care system
  • Receives minimal care below the national standard
  • Ages-out without financial nor typical support from family
  • 20% of youth will become unhoused the minute they exit foster care
  • 50% become homeless within 18 months of emancipation
  • Without family to assist with furniture & household items, aged-out foster youth are unable to set up a home to achieve optimal wellbeing & productivity in the workplace.

The average American young adult aged 18 to 24 lives in their parents’ home

  • 58% of young adults live with their parents
  • 59% of parents financially support their children until age 29
  • 60% of this financial support goes towards furniture, homewares, and other housing costs.
  • Only 24% of young adults are financially independent by age 22 
  • Only 47% of young adults are financially independent by age 29

Youth that have aged out of the foster care system have far greater obstacles to overcome compared to their peers.

25% of youth who have aged-out of the foster system won't graduate from high school or pass their GED

Researchers have found that children who’ve been in foster care, compared to their peers, are:

  • Seven times more likely to experience depression
  • Six times more likely to exhibit behavioral problems
  • Five times more likely to feel anxiety
  • Three times more likely to have attention deficit disorder, hearing impairments, and vision issues
  • Two times more likely to suffer from learning disabilities, developmental delays, asthma, obesity, and speech problems
Youth achieves Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Removing Barriers of Entry

ASOH removes the financial, physical, psychological, and health barriers that prevent a young person from having a home. ASOH advances economic empowerment for youth aging out of foster by providing a functioning home and the necessary tools, resources, and opportunities that empower them to gain optimal outcomes in education, work, and health.

Economical

Barrier:
The financial means to purchase over 250 items required for a fully functioning home.

Gains:
The minimum cost of $15k that would otherwise be spent on furnishing a home is utilized on covering food, health, education, childcare, transportation, rent, and utilities.

Community

Barrier: It takes a family and a community to help young people set up their first home.

Gains:

  1. In less than 90 minutes a home is created by a community of loving volunteers, demonstrating and embodying the essence of community.
  2. For those who have never had community gain an understanding of the importance of being a part of a community.
  3. Recipients pay-it-forward, becoming empowered as team members and learning how much they have to offer community.

Health

Barrier:
After a lifetime of housing instability, the capacity to manifest a home is especially difficult for those who have never had home.

Gains:

  1. The scientific community unanimously agrees that a shelter that is fully equipped to function as a home is essential for an individual to maintain their tenancy as well as essential in maintaining good physical and mental health, and the ability to maintain employment and educational development.
  2. The ASOH process makes the recipient feel heard, understood, valued, and connected to greater humanity. It improves self-confidence, self-worth, self-esteem and overall wellbeing. The entire process produces greater outcomes in health, stability, hope, and the resolve to achieve career, educational, and health goals.

A Portal to the Broader Community:

The ASOH Resource Network

  • Without access to their community, aging-out youth often do not know where to turn for basic needs to cover survival let alone advancing educational, career, and health goals.
  • After a lifetime of minimal care, aging-out youth must navigate adulthood without parental guidance whilst being encumbered by trauma and mental health challenges.
  • Youth aging out of foster care require more than their peers in terms of supportive services, yet unlike their peers are without the built-in support of a community to guide them in finding and accessing all that they need.
  • NGO and government support services do not cover all of the basic necessities that a former foster youth needs.
  • Typical digital guides are hard to navigate and reflect outdated information.
  • ASOH analyzes the greatest needs of each youth and provides a customized resource guide tailor-made to meet the unique needs of the individual, making recommendations in supportive services and businesses who offer free resources to advance their education, career, mental health, and overall well-being.
  • The digital ASOH Resource Network affords free access for all support services and is updated weekly to meet the moment and reflect the most up-to-date contact information and offerings.
  • The Resource Network’s cutting-edge services often originate from those who have participated as a volunteer in a Home Creation and then go on to extend their business or services to ASOH youth for free.
  • ASOH welcomes recipients into a network of resilient peers, successful adults, potential employers & referral services.
  • A twice-monthly newsletter, monthly webinars, and a dedicated Instagram account extend a full spectrum supportive network for youth aging out of foster care.

Get Involved

A Sense of Home strives to prevent homelessness by creating first-ever homes and a community for youth aging out of foster care.

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Removing Barriers & Creating Opportunities - A Sense of Home