Young adults age 18 aging out of foster care are especially vulnerable to homelessness. The rate of homelessness among this population vary because of factors such as the age of youth included in the studies, homelessness among youth with foster care histories: Voices of Youth Count and the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) information are as follows.

Voices of Youth Count is a HUD-funded study of youth homelessness from 2015 through 2017. Based on national survey findings, the study estimated that some 4.2 million youth experienced homelessness at some point during each 12-month period, including approximately 700,000 youth ages 13 to 17 and 3.5 million young people ages 18 to 25. Among the surveyed youth who were experiencing homelessness, 29% had spent some time in foster care as children—and these youth had some different outcomes from their peers who were also experiencing homelessness but had not been in foster care. For example, the youth with foster care history were more likely to have spent some time in detention, jail, or prison; received government assistance; and been unsheltered on the night before the count. These youth were also more likely to identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ). In-depth interviews of a small number of youth in Voices of Youth Count with foster care experience indicated that they became homeless after emancipating, and in some cases after being reunified with their families or adopted. Those who emancipated described lacking a plan for transitioning out of care and immediately becoming homeless. Others had plans in place but they reported they did not follow through because of drug use or other behaviors that derailed the plans. Further, “several young people described feeling unprepared to live independently. Their basic needs had been taken care of while they were in foster care, and they felt they were always being told what to do. Once they were on their own, they were unable to keep themselves stably housed.” Those youth who had been reunified attributed their homelessness to the issues with their families, such as drug abuse, that had originally led to their stay in foster care. Others felt that their family situations were unsafe. Among those who had been adopted, about one-third described abuse and neglect by their adopted family or other family members as leading to their homelessness. Others described contentious relationships with adoptive parents that contributed to them leaving their homes and becoming unstably housed. National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) Other research on homelessness among foster youth is based on semi-annual child welfare data reported by state child welfare agencies to HHS through the NYTD. A 2020 study examined the factors that contributed to homelessness among youth who were age 21 and had recently been in foster care, drawing on data reported by states to NYTD and other child welfare data.