Toronto Star: Ontario should help foster kids until they turn 25

An editorial was published in the Toronto Star earlier this week about extending support for youth in the care of Children's Aid Societies to age 25.  Youth "aging out" of care is an important issue, because, at 18 or 21, many young people are not prepared or able to live independently - in fact, Canadian youth and young adults today are living with their parents longer than ever before.  However, young people in Ontario leave care at 18 or 21, and they are no longer able to receive support from Children's Aid after that point.  The editorial argues that support should be extended, and that there are good financial reasons to do so: "For every $1 the province of Ontario spends supporting its youth by extending supports to age 25, we estimate that governments could save or earn an estimated $1.36 over the working lifetime of that person."

The article is informative and worth a read - it draws on many of the same issues that JFCY referred to in its submissions to the Youth Leaving Care hearings in Ontario earlier this year.