BRIGHT FUTURES FOR ALL
Empowering Youth to Dream Options Community Services is passionate about being there for our youth who need a hand up A pproximately 700 youth in BC leave government care on their 19th birthday each year, and around 5,000 young with staff, friends and their families. Lack of support, along with isolation and missing a sense of belonging are major contributors to overall The Facts
BC adults (aged 19-24) have previously been in government care. Surrey has the largest youth population in BC, and out of those annual 700 youth, 50 to 70 of them call Surrey their home. When they turn 19, youth in the care system lose access to the majority of professionals who have been available to support them. There is also an abrupt ending to relationships that have been developed over time, such as potential high school relationships that they have developed
health and well-being, so it is not surprising that youth who age out of care are more likely than their peers to become homeless, have poor educational, employment and health outcomes, and claim income assistance benefits. In 2016, the Surrey Poverty Reduction Coalition identified youth who had “aged out” of the government care system as a key demographic to support, noting the increased risk of poverty. While increasing numbers of young people in
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