The Sad State of Children Who Age-out of Foster Care in Florida
By Ray Ross
In the past I’ve written about the number of children moved into this country by illegals who ended up missing and likely sold into sexual slavery. On March 22nd in the church hall there will be a showing of Sound of Freedom which was a box office hit and focused on child sex trafficking in Latin America. It’s a true story based on the real-life experience of DHS agent Tim Ballard. So mark your calendars and bring friends.
Are you aware of the plight of foster care children here in Florida who are ageing out of the foster care system? As you know, the foster care system plays a critical role in the lives of vulnerable children who cannot remain with their birth families. In Florida, thousands of children depend on foster care services annually, yet a troubling number have serious risks when they age out of the system.
As of 2023, there were approximately 23,000 children in the Florida foster care system. From 2020 until now the average number of children ageing out of foster care in Florida was about 1800 children per year who were either not adopted or were not reunited with their birth families. About 25% of those children according to HUD end up homeless and on the streets. These kids are stuck. They are vulnerable. They’re often desperate and many have been traumatized. They are easy targets for pimps who are experts at grooming their targets – food, money, a room to sleep in, alcohol, drugs etc. Among foster children exploited into prostitution or human trafficking about 70% to 80% are girls. They’re the most vulnerable and, for the pimp, the most profitable. In 2022 Florida TaxWatch estimated revenue from sex trafficking in Florida accounted for $9B and that estimate was considered very conservative.
President Trump on November 13th issued an Executive Order entitled, “Fostering the Future for American Children and Families” which includes numerous steps the government will take to help children in the foster care system as well as help transition children ageing out of the system with housing, training, education and employment opportunities. It recognizes that the federal government can’t do it alone and calls on faith-based organizations to help. That’s where we come in.
I urge you to click here to read the Executive Order, get educated on the issue, and let’s think about what role the Knights can play to address this issue. I intend to follow with future articles.