Our Impact
NLV’s Wellness, Resilience and Character Development Program Outcomes
Data Collection Notes: Data for fiscal year 23/24 was collected from residents living at New Life Village for at least 90 days, excluding children under the age of five. All outcomes reflect a combination of agree and strongly agree responses.
Preventative Onsite Programming
Our program aims to prevent the numerous, negative outcomes associated with the foster care system such as:
Education: Former foster children have a lower level of education than peers their age and are more likely to repeat grades
- Only 50% graduate high school and only 3% graduate from a 4-year college (National Foster Youth Institute)
Homelessness: Disproportionate number of the homeless have spent time in foster care
- Nationally, 50% of the homeless population spent time in foster care
- According to Foster Focus, within 18 months of emancipation 40-50% of foster youth become homeless
Teen Pregnancy: Youth who have spent time in foster care are more likely to experience early pregnancy. According to the Center for Health Systems Research:
- 49% of the young women became pregnant by age 21
- 33% of young men reported getting someone pregnant by age 21
Incarceration: More foster children end up in prison than in college
- Former males foster children have an arrest rate between 25-35%
- 25% of foster alumni will become involved with the criminal justice system within two years of leaving care
Mental Health: Psychiatric referral and use were higher for foster children than adoptees or persons in the general population
- Up to 80% of children in foster care have significant mental health issues
- According to a U.S. Government Accountability Office, foster youth are up to four times as likely to be prescribed antipsychotic drugs as other minors
Unemployment
- 47-69% of former foster youth age 16-24 are unemployed (Annie E. Casey Foundation)
- 71% of former foster youth who do have jobs report an annual income of less than $25,000
A Social Return on Investment
Each child who finds a forever family and lives at New Life Village saves human services approximately $439,000 annually in foster care payments. The 100+ youth currently living at New Life Village saved a potential $30 million in lifetime costs to the system. Social costs are taxpayer-funded costs such as public assistance, incarceration, and other costs absorbed by the community.
Social isolation increases Medicare costs by an estimated $6.7 billion per year; New Life Village’s program of reducing social isolation in elders works to lift some of this financial burden on the system.
