WHY WE DO IT
Jacaranda Rising exists to do for some what we wish we could do for all.
Below is the story of a young woman and her struggles after aging out of the foster system.
Below are some of the statistics that the youth we are serving face as they enter adulthood.
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2,581 Transition Age Youth (TAY - 18-24) in Los Angeles County experienced homelessness in 2025. Of those, 1,180 were living unsheltered. Homelessness numbers for Service Provider Area 2, the area in Los Angeles (the San Fernando Valley) served by Jacaranda, are still being calculated for 2025.
In 2025, there were 2,435 young adults, 18-21 years old, in the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services system.
22–30% of youth who age out of the foster care system experience homelessness during the transition to adulthood, compared to a 4% lifetime rate for the general population.
71% of young women who were formerly in foster care were pregnant by the age of 21.
In 2023, more than 15,000 of our nation's youth aging out of foster care left without a permanent, legal connection to family, meaning they were left on their own.
56% of Los Angeles foster youth do not graduate from high school and less than 3% earn a college degree.
51% of foster youth are unemployed and 40% are on public assistance within two to four years of aging out of foster care.
50% of foster youth have significant behavioral or emotional problems. They are four times more likely to commit suicide than Vietnam veterans.
36% of foster youth become homeless within 18 months of aging out of foster care.
1 in 4 foster youth are incarcerated within 2 years of aging out of foster care, and 30% of California prison inmates have spent time in foster care.