Turning 18 is an exciting time for youth; a milestone into adulthood often met with celebration. However, for youth in the foster care system it is the opposite. When foster youth turn 18 they are aged out of the system, or “emancipated”, from the foster care system. Often, this “emancipation” is anything but freeing and their statistics are heartbreaking:

      By age 26 age only 3-4% earn a college degree.

      1 in 5 will become homeless.

      Only half obtain employment by age 24.

      Over 70% of female foster youth will become pregnant by 21. 

      1 in 4 foster youth experience PTSD. 

This two week study was created for a Social Housing studio that proposed a graduated housing model for aged out foster youth that would provide the necessary supports for them to combat these seemingly insurmountable hurdles. If the building blocks of society are the home, then we were asked to approach how we understand this at the smallest increment; the unit. The project consisted of tailored housing units that become increasingly more private and independent as foster youth graduate upwards. The units took into consideration access to nature for healing, private vs. community healing, light and sound triggers for trauma victims, as well as built-in continuing education and counseling services. The proposed model housed 30 youth for a year+ program that would equip them with the proper foundation on which they could truly embrace life as an independent adult.