For National Foster Care Month, one Tennessean shares what helped him survive and what helps others thrive.
Op-ed originally appeared in the The Tennessean here—subscribe to read more.
By Eric Davis, Executive Director of I Am Next, part of the 3LS Family of Companies
Editor’s note: As part of National Foster Care Month, this column examines what happens when young people age out of Tennessee’s foster care system—and what support can change their outcomes.
When people hear the phrase “aging out” of foster care, it can sound clinical, almost routine. But for many young people, aging out is not a transition. It is a cliff.
I know because I lived it.
I entered care as a child and aged out of the system at 18 years old. Like so many young people across Tennessee, I was expected to figure out housing, transportation, employment, finances, education and healing – often without the consistent support systems many of our peers rely on well into adulthood.
People often praise foster youth for being resilient. And many are. But resilience should not be confused with being forced to survive without support. That is not resilience. That is survival.
What happens when people age out of foster care
Every year, more than 850 young adults age out of Tennessee’s foster care system. In a study by Belmont University’s Innovation Labs and Every Child Tennessee, researchers found that without proper support, 70–80% of those youth aging out face homelessness, addiction, imprisonment or trafficking by age 21. Over 8,000 foster youth currently reside in Tennessee, many carrying the weight of instability, disrupted relationships and trauma long before they ever reach adulthood.
The report also identified something former foster youth already know firsthand: One stable adult relationship can dramatically change the trajectory of a young person’s life. That finding is not abstract to me. It is personal. And it is reflected every day in the work we do at I Am Next. Opinion: The honor our fallen heroes deserve
At I Am Next, we support young adults transitioning out of foster care by focusing on three critical areas needed for them to move from surviving to thriving: stable housing, reliable transportation and consistent support systems. Because what I have learned, both through lived experience and through my work today, is that outcomes begin to change when young people finally have stability.
Why stable housing is the foundation for everything else
Housing is often the first piece.
For many young adults leaving foster care, stable housing is the first opportunity they have ever had to truly exhale. It creates the foundation needed to maintain employment, focus on school, build healthy relationships, regulate emotions and simply feel safe. Without housing stability, everything else becomes harder. And yet, too many young people continue to cycle through couches, shelters, unsafe living situations or homelessness while trying to navigate adulthood alone.
At I Am Next, we have seen what changes when a young person has a place to come home to. We have watched young adults begin to find their footing, gain confidence, return to school, secure employment and start planning for futures they once believed were out of reach.
But housing alone is not enough.
Why transportation is opportunity
Transportation is one of the most overlooked barriers facing foster youth. Mobility is opportunity, and we underestimate what it means to a young person trying to rebuild stability.
This was the catalyst for creating the NextStop Driving School at I Am Next. A young person can have a job interview, a doctor’s appointment, a therapy session or a college class lined up. But without reliable transportation or a driver’s license, those opportunities can disappear quickly. For many of our young people, earning a driver’s license is about far more than driving. It represents freedom, confidence, dignity and access. It means being able to get to work consistently, respond to emergencies, take younger siblings to school or simply experience the independence many young adults take for granted.
The power of relationship
Then there is the piece that matters just as much as housing and transportation: relationships.
Many young people aging out of foster care are navigating adulthood without a dependable support system. No one to call during a crisis. No one to celebrate milestones with. No one to help them make sense of adulthood when mistakes happen. The reality is this: Most young adults rely on support systems well beyond age 18. Foster youth should not be expected to do it alone when they are still transitioning into adulthood.
At I Am Next, we believe young people deserve more than programs. They deserve community. They deserve environments that are trauma-informed, empowering and rooted in hope rather than punishment. They deserve people who see their potential beyond their circumstances and who are willing to stay consistent even when things get hard.
Stability and support change outcomes, not judgment
I have seen firsthand what happens when young adults are given stability and support instead of judgment. I have watched young people secure jobs, reconnect with family, obtain permanent housing, pursue education and begin believing in themselves again.
These young people are not problems to be fixed. They are future leaders, parents, entrepreneurs, artists, students and community members who deserve the same opportunities to thrive as anyone else.
May is Foster Care Awareness Month, and it’s not just about recognizing challenges. It’s about asking ourselves what responsibility we share as a community. We’re the Volunteer State. If we truly want better outcomes for young people transitioning out of foster care, we must move beyond temporary solutions and invest in long-term stability, connection and opportunity.
What Tennessee owes young people after foster care
The question is not whether these young people have potential. They do. The question is how we, as a state and communities across Tennessee, continue to build and consistently invest in systems and communities that allow them to thrive after surviving so much.
Foster youth do not need pity. They need opportunity, stability and people willing to stay. I know because someone stayed for me.
At I Am Next, we are working to make sure more young people hear the words every child deserves to hear: “You are not alone. We’re still here.”
Eric Davis is the Executive Director of I Am Next, a Middle Tennessee nonprofit providing housing, transportation and community support to young adults aging out of the foster care system. To learn more about I Am Next or to get involved, visit iamnext.org.