Tennessee Gov. Bill HaslamNASHVILLE, Tenn. - Tennessee is taking steps to make sure former foster children get the help they need.
Gov. Bill Haslam announced this week that the state's Department of Children's Services will offer community-based services to each of the more than 1,000 individuals who turn 18 in state custody each year without being reunited with their birth families or being adopted.
The initiative is part of a public-private partnership with Youth Villages, one of the largest providers of services to troubled children and their families in Tennessee.
Recent statistics show about 26,000 young adults age out of foster care every year in the United States.
National studies have found that, with limited resources and support, these young people are more likely than their peers to end up homeless or incarcerated and less likely to have a job or go to college.