Experienced homelessness.
In the two years before their age-21 survey.
NextChapterBY FOSTER & ADOPTION SUPPORTFOR YOUNG ADULTS AGING OUT OF FOSTER CARE
Leaving care.
Staying
connected.
NextChapter provides a device, wireless service, and technology that makes essential services easier to find and access.
Scroll to discover the storyA STORY OF POSSIBILITY
AI-generated film · Illustrative story
01 / THE FACTS
The risks
are real.
National survey of young people with foster-care experience, at age 21. Preliminary federal FY2020–2024 snapshot.
Experienced incarceration.
In the two years before their age-21 survey.
Referred for substance-use services.
In the two years before their age-21 survey. A referral is not a measure of drug-use prevalence.
02 / SAFETY & OPPORTUNITY
Protection.
Possibility.
Likely victims of sex trafficking.
Among children who ran from social-services care and were reported missing to NCMEC in 2021—not all youth leaving care.
Source: NCMEC · 2021 dataAspired to a college degree or higher.
About 80% of California foster youth surveyed in CalYOUTH. A later analysis found 61.8% had enrolled in college by around age 23.
Source: CalYOUTH · Initial survey (PDF) College enrollment follow-up · 2021Different studies, populations, and timeframes. These figures are not a prediction of any young person’s future.
03 / THE CONNECTION
Local services.
A human
in your corner.
NextChapter connects young adults with services available in their city and pairs them with a real person to help navigate the next step.
A device + wireless. Local services. Human support.
04 / THE NEXT CHAPTER
Leaving care
shouldn’t mean
losing support.
Help young adults stay connected to the people and services that can help them build an independent life.
Help write what comes nextMEET NEXTCHAPTER
A FOSTER & ADOPTION SUPPORT INITIATIVEIndependence.
With support.
NextChapter keeps young adults aging out of foster care connected. We provide a device and wireless service, simplify access to services in their city, and pair them with a human who can help.
Pilot first in Illinois, Texas, Louisiana, and Virginia.
A device. Wireless service.
The tools to stay reachable and access support, wherever the next step takes them.
Services in their city.
Technology that makes finding and accessing essential local services simpler.
A real person to turn to.
A human connection to help young adults navigate services and their next steps.
YOU CAN BE PART OF WHAT’S NEXT
A little support.
A different story.
Help bring NextChapter to more young people. Give, mentor, or explore a partnership with us.
Support NextChapter Explore mentoring & partnershipsBehind the numbers: sources & definitions +
U.S. Children’s Bureau, NYTD national outcomes snapshot, FY2020–2024. The 16%, 10%, and 7% figures are self-reported outcomes at age 21 for homelessness, incarceration, and substance-abuse referral in the previous two years. The preliminary figures are not weighted for nonresponse bias. NYTD follows young people who were in foster care at age 17; it is not a census of everyone who aged out. Incarceration includes detention. A substance-use referral does not establish use, addiction, or a diagnosis. The homelessness figure does not measure homelessness on the first day after care.
NCMEC, Getting Real: Fighting Child Sex Trafficking, 2022. The 19% figure concerns children reported missing to NCMEC in 2021 after running from social-services care who were assessed as likely trafficking victims. It is not a national trafficking rate for all foster youth, and it does not combine abuse and trafficking into one measure.
CalYOUTH initial youth-survey executive summary, 2014. About 80% aspired to a college degree or higher. Chapin Hall’s 2021 follow-up analysis found 61.8% of 719 participants had enrolled in college by around age 23. These are separate measures at different points in the California study; they do not establish the percentage who wanted college but could not attend.
These studies describe different populations and periods, not NextChapter participant outcomes. The AI-generated film illustrates a possible journey; it does not depict a real participant or guarantee housing or other services.
TELL US YOUR STORY
Your experience.
Your voice.
Leaving foster care, supporting someone who is, or ready to help? We’d like to hear from you.
Connect with us on WhatsAppOpens a chat with our team. You choose what to share and when to send it.
HELP KEEP THE CONNECTION
Help write someone’s
Next Chapter
Support devices, wireless service, access to local resources, and human connection for young adults aging out of foster care.
Supporting NextChapter
A Foster & Adoption Support initiative
A Foster & Adoption Support initiative
Donate through FosterSupport.org
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