Did You Know?

The Need Is Real

Behind every statistic is a young person with a story, a future, and potential.

For many young people, turning 18 means more independence with support from family.

For a young person transitioning from foster care, it can mean navigating housing, employment, education, healthcare, and everyday responsibilities, often without the same support system.

These statistics show why real-world preparation, opportunities, and community support matter.

View Our Sources

These are more than numbers. They are God’s children with real dreams and brighter futures.

In Arizona

7,466
children in out-of-home care in Arizona (May 2025)
Source: Arizona Department of Child Safety (2025)

Housing & Homelessness

29%
of young people experienced homelessness after leaving foster care by age 23 or 24.
Source: Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago (2010)
39%
experienced homelessness and/or couch surfing.
Source: Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago (2010)
Of the young people who experienced homelessness within 30 months of leaving foster care, nearly two-thirds did so within the first 12 months.
Source: Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago (2010)

Multiple Placements

40%
of Arizona youth ages 14 and older in foster care had four or more placements during their most recent time in care (2021). Nationally it was 41%.
Source: Annie E. Casey Foundation (2023)
Nationally, about 35% of children in foster care each year from 2015 to 2022 had three or more placements. In 2024 it was 40%.
Source: KIDS COUNT Data Center, Annie E. Casey Foundation

Education

67%
of former foster youth had earned a high school diploma or GED by age 21, compared to 92% of their peers.
Source: Child Welfare Information Gateway (2018)
Frequent school changes and placement instability can make it more difficult to stay on track with education.
Source: Child Welfare Information Gateway (2018)

Justice-System Involvement

23%
of Arizona 17-year-olds in foster care said they had been confined in a jail or detention facility (surveyed 2022 to 2023).
Source: Arizona Department of Child Safety (NYTD Cohort 5)

Risk of Early Death

A 2026 California cohort study found elevated mortality rates among youth who had experienced foster care:
259
deaths per 100,000 person-years during the first 120 days after leaving foster care.
Source: McNellan et al. (2026)

Limited Transition Support

Only 29% of young people in Arizona foster care received a transition service, such as help preparing for work, school or housing, at any point between ages 14 and 21, compared with 47% nationally (2013 to 2021).
Source: Annie E. Casey Foundation (2023)

But There Is Also Great Potential

These statistics highlight the challenges many young people face, but they do not define who they are. Young people who have experienced foster care are resilient, creative, capable, and full of potential.

With the right opportunities, support, and real-world experiences, God’s children can build strong, independent, and meaningful lives.

The statistics show the need. Our young people remind us there is possibility.

Get Involved

View Our Sources

All statistics are from reputable and trusted sources.

Arizona Department of Child Safety. Monthly Operational Outcomes Report, SFY 2025 (July 2025 edition), Operational Data: Out-of-Home Foster Care Population (0–17 years old), May 2025. View the source: Arizona Department of Child Safety (2025)
Dworsky, A., & Courtney, M. E. (2010). Assessing the Impact of Extending Care beyond Age 18 on Homelessness: Emerging Findings from the Midwest Study. Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. (Youth from Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois, followed to age 23 or 24.) View the source: Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago (2010)
The Annie E. Casey Foundation. (2023). Fostering Youth Transitions 2023: Arizona. State profile (placement stability, page 2; transition services, page 5). View the source: Annie E. Casey Foundation (2023)
The Annie E. Casey Foundation, KIDS COUNT Data Center. Children in foster care with more than two placements (United States). Child Trends analysis of AFCARS data. View the source: KIDS COUNT Data Center, Annie E. Casey Foundation
Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2018). Helping Youth Transition to Adulthood: Guidance for Foster Parents. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau. (Diploma/GED figures cite Denby, Gomez, & Reeves, 2017.) View the source: Child Welfare Information Gateway (2018)
Arizona Department of Child Safety. National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) Cohort 5 Baseline Survey, Report Summary (17-year-olds in foster care, surveyed 2022 to 2023), page 8. View the source: Arizona Department of Child Safety (NYTD Cohort 5)
McNellan, C. R., Prindle, J., Eastman, A. L., & Putnam-Hornstein, E. (2026). Mortality in a California cohort of adolescents and young adults exiting foster care. American Journal of Epidemiology, 195(3), 783–790. Published online March 10, 2025. View the source: McNellan et al. (2026)