Ontario changing child-welfare system to stop teens from aging out of care unprepared Angelina King
Unlike many teenagers, Abdoulaye Diakhaby was petrified to turn 18. He had spent the previous four years in the child-welfare system living first in a foster home, then a group home. But at 18, he was forced to be on his own.
Diakhaby, who is now 21, says he didn t feel ready; he was still perfecting his English, he didn t know how to cook and needed help with homework. I was thinking, How am I going to be able to do my groceries? How to cook? How to go to school? How to pay my rent? How to get a job? he told CBC Toronto.
During the pandemic, Canadians have been asked to stay home to stay safe, yet thousands of youth are facing homelessness. Each year in Ontario, 800-1,000 youth age out of the child welfare system.
For most of these young people, turning 18 coincides with an abrupt withdrawal of their social supports as they simultaneously have to secure affordable housing, manage finances and finish high school.
In the early months of the pandemic, the Ontario Children’s Advancement Coalition (OCAC) and allied partners lobbied the Ontario government to stop the practice requiring youth to leave their care placements when they turn 18. In June 2020, the Ontario government placed a moratorium on this policy until March 31, 2021. Yet the pandemic continues and the clock is running out.