Aging Out of Foster Care in Michigan: No Support and No Safety Net (Part 2)

Welcome back, and thanks for joining us again as we continue our discussion on the challenges faced by kids who age out of Michigan’s foster care system. As we explained in the first part of this series, when foster youth turn 18, they’re considered legal adults and are no longer the state’s responsibility.

But aging out of foster care isn’t just a paperwork milestone. It’s a life-altering shift for kids who are often already vulnerable. These young people are suddenly expected to support themselves, make adult decisions, and function independently—without the kind of safety net most of their peers still rely on.

The road to adulthood is already hard. For foster kids, it’s even harder.

Most foster youth carry years of trauma with them by the time they turn 18. Many have endured physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. All have experienced the instability of being removed from their homes and shuffled between foster placements. These kids grow up without consistent caregivers, and that often leads to serious issues with trust and attachment.

Not having a stable adult to rely on makes it even harder to build healthy relationships, pursue education, or hold down a job—especially when the foundation was shaky to begin with.

Mental health struggles make independence even more difficult

For many youth leaving foster care, trauma is not just part of their past—it’s still affecting them every day. Depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other mental health issues are common among former foster kids. Unfortunately, access to mental health care is often limited while they’re in the system, and it usually disappears entirely once they age out.

Trying to navigate adult responsibilities while dealing with untreated mental illness is overwhelming. It affects their ability to keep a job, succeed in school, and maintain friendships or romantic relationships. Without access to support, many of these young adults fall through the cracks.

Michigan needs to do more to support kids aging out

There are approximately 13,000 kids in Michigan’s foster care system at any given time. Roughly 900 of them age out each year. While new children continue to enter the system, those who are aging out are expected to survive with almost no safety net.

They often leave foster care with no family, no permanent connections, and no long-term support. There’s no designated person to help them make decisions, no mentoring structure, no financial assistance unless they’ve qualified for a limited state program—and even those resources are often difficult to access or poorly communicated.

If the state removes a child from their home, it becomes responsible for what happens next

Michele Corey of Michigan’s Children, a Lansing-based nonprofit, put it bluntly in an interview with Bridge Michigan: “We have created this situation for these kids. We have removed them from their families. The state is responsible for their care and we are doing a pretty bad job of it.”

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has acknowledged the problem and says steps are being taken. But in the meantime, hundreds of kids are sent out into the world each year without a plan, and many of them are simply not ready. That’s not just a failure of policy—it’s a crisis that affects our communities, our workforce, and our future families.

Don’t let your family become part of this system

At The Kronzek Firm, we are strong advocates for keeping families together whenever safely possible. While there are cases where removal is necessary, far too many families lose their children to foster care because of miscommunication, temporary hardship, or a system that moves too fast without looking closely enough.

If you’ve been accused of child abuse or neglect, or you’re afraid of losing your children to the foster system, call us today at 866-766-5245. Our experienced defense attorneys have been helping Michigan parents for decades. We know the system, and we know how to fight for your family.