Fostering Futures: A Community Resource Network for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care in Howard County

Launch of “Fostering Futures; A Community  Resource Network for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care in Howard County”;

When: May 19th at noon

Where: The Circuit Courthouse at 8360 Court Ave., Ellicott City, MD

Contact: Pam Grady, Voices for Children, Howard County’s Court Appointed Special Advocate Program, 410-740-0933

Website: www.fosteringfutureshoco.org

A new exciting initiative for youth, who will be aging out of foster care in Howard County, will be launched in a special announcement at the Howard County Circuit Court on May 19th.   

Fostering Futures, an initiative of Voices for Children ( The Court Appointed Special Advocate Program, CASA) and in partnership with Department of Social Services,  is an network of caring individuals and organizations in Howard County who have come together to support youth who will be “aging out” of foster care.

Through the network and personal contacts resources will be sought to meet the needs of older foster youth, who have no family support. The areas of concentration are employment, housing, transportation, education, health care, financial literacy and personal skill training.

Individuals and organizations will receive a monthly email that will list the needs of youth transitioning into adulthood. Community members will then respond if they can meet the need or be willing to network with their community contacts to do so.

By establishing a supportive network we can ensure that a Howard County youth leaving foster care don’t have to face the challenges of becoming independent alone, says Chris McCabe, former secretary of the Maryland Department of Human Resources and chair of Fostering Futures Board of advisors.

No other CASA in the state is offering this outreach service and this effort can be seen as a model for other jurisdictions.