Foster care was never meant to span an entire childhood. It was created as a temporary bridge for families in crisis until reunification was possible or permanent homes were found. Even the word 'foster' comes from Old English, meaning to nourish and care for something until it can stand on its own.
But for tens of thousands of children across America, including thousands here in Tennessee, the bridge has become the destination.
The Gap Between Intent and Reality
The Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 was designed to address the problem directly. It directed states to initiate termination of parental rights when a child had spent 15 of the last 22 months in foster care — a deliberate attempt to prevent children from languishing indefinitely in a system meant to be temporary. Nearly three decades later, states consistently fail to meet those timelines.
In 2024, children leaving foster care had spent an average of 710 days, which is just under two years, in care. Thirty percent of those who left foster care that year had spent more than two years in the system, totaling over 64,000 children. Some entered care as toddlers and left as school-age kids. Others entered as middle schoolers and are now aging out as young adults, without a family, a permanent home, or the safety net most of us take for granted.
More than 40% of children who turn 18 while in foster care have been in the system for over three years. In fiscal year 2024, 15,379 young people aged out of foster care completely, turning 18 without ever being adopted or reunited with their families.
In Tennessee alone, 854 young people aged out of foster care in 2024. They turned 18 without ever being adopted or reunited, and left the system without a legal family.
What Happens When the Clock Runs Out
The outcomes for youth who age out of care are among the most sobering in child welfare research. Between 22% and 30% of these young people experience homelessness as they transition to adulthood, which is much higher than the estimated 4% lifetime rate for the general population. Only 8 to 12% earn a college degree, compared to 49% of their peers.
A 2024 Belmont University study found that without proper support, 70 to 80% of Tennessee foster youth who age out of the system face homelessness, addiction, imprisonment, or trafficking by age 21. These are not just predictions. They are outcomes happening right now in our communities.
Why Is This Still Happening?
The reasons are complex. There are not enough foster families, especially those willing and able to take in older children, sibling groups, or children with complex needs. Adoptions from foster care have continued to decline, reaching their lowest level since 1999, with 74% of states showing fewer adoptions completed within 12 to 24 months. Bureaucratic timelines get longer. Court schedules change. And through all of this, children wait.
What rarely gets discussed is what that waiting feels like from the inside. It means more placement changes, more schools, more strangers, and more trash bags packed in the middle of the night. It means learning, again and again, that stability is something that happens to other people.
What We Can Do About It
System-level change takes time. But community-level action does not. At My Bag My Story, we believe that dignity is not something children in foster care should have to wait for while policy catches up. Every bag we give to a child is a signal that someone saw them, that someone showed up, and that they are worth more than a garbage bag. The system was built to be temporary. Until it functions that way for every child, we will keep showing up.
Ready to show up too? Donate or partner with us at mybagmystory.com.