Abstract
Transitional-aged youth emancipating from the foster care system are susceptible to experiencing adverse outcomes including low academic success, unemployment, homelessness, loss of permanent connections, inability to receive health care insurance, incarceration, substance abuse, and early parenthood. Federal funded programs have provided Independent Living Services (ILS) to these vulnerable youth. The investigator evaluated the effectiveness of ILS to support young adults in reaching independence at age twenty-one. This study utilized secondary data on 917 foster youth from the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect (NDACAN). The results suggest that continuous receipt of educational preparedness services and financial assistance can alleviate foster youth from the negative outcomes associated with aging out of care. This study emphasized a need for comprehensive reform in federal and state policies aimed at confronting issues affecting youth between the ages of eighteen to twenty-one.