Editorial: Give foster children a good start

Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2003 | 8:56 a.m.

St. Jude's Ranch for Children in Boulder City is leading foster care out of the dark ages and we hope the state of Nevada is watching and learning. The Santa Francesca Independent Living Center is being constructed on St. Jude's campus and is planned for a December opening. Its 6,400 square feet will have room for 14 children who, at age 18, have "aged out" of the foster-care system.

Each year in Nevada an average of 125 children emerge from foster care. Many have reconciled with their families or have other relatives who will help ease them into adulthood. Many others have no such support. Suddenly, after years of secure and structured living, they must manage the complexities of life on their own. Children this age are vulnerable and can easily make wrong choices depending upon who is around to influence them.

The independent living center at St. Jude's will allow former foster children to have a job or go to school and for two or three years continue to live in a secure, affordable environment. By age 20 or 21, having progressed at school or on the job, and with more knowledge and with a little money saved, they will be able to glide more easily into the next stage of their lives.

It wasn't very many years ago in Nevada when aged-out foster children, clutching a trash bag containing their belongings, were driven to a homeless shelter. Other than parting words, such as "Good luck," they received nothing else. Today, there are at least some temporary shelters for youths and some day sanctuaries. But St. Jude's is illuminating the proper path. There should be a few more independent living centers and state funds should be appropriated to help build and maintain them. A child's 18th birthday should inspire hope and promise rather than the dread of swim or sink.