Meet Me Halfway :: Jimmy Wayne :: About
Jimmy Wayne survived a turbulent, abusive childhood. He was shuttled to a series of foster homes. He was a homeless teen, living by his wits on the street until a North Carolina couple named Russell and Beatrice Costner took him in and gave him a family. Before Russell and Bea, Jimmy was homeless and close to hopeless. He remembers the feeling of being without a family, without a home. He began Project Meet Me Halfway to raise awareness of the fact that too many youth — especially those that are aging out of the foster care system — are facing circumstances similar to those he faced.
Meet Me Halfway kicked off January 1, 2010 with Jimmy beginning a walk halfway across America. He left the parking lot of Monroe Harding (a Nashville based foster care group home) early on New Year’s Day, with about 100 supporters walking the first few miles with him. With every step he takes, every mile he logs and every person he meets along the way, Jimmy is raising awareness of homeless children and teens, especially those who age out of the foster care system.
"Aging out" refers to what happens when youth reach a certain age (age 18 in most states) and are no longer eligible for support from the foster care system. Without foster care funding, many youth lose their place to live, health care coverage, connections to supportive adults, and are ill-prepared to support themselves in the adult world. Many youth end up like Jimmy — homeless on the streets.
In 2005, more than 24,000 youth aged out of the foster care system at the age of 18 without connection to a family. Even though the overall number of children in foster care is decreasing, the number of youth who age-out of the system continues to grow each year.
According to the 2000 Census, nearly 4 million people ages of 25-34 live with their parents due to economic realities — jobs are scarce, and housing is expensive. Foster youth who are aging out do not have the option of turning to their families for support. Alone, these young people are confronting the harsh reality of the gap between the wages they earn and the cost of housing. As a result, youth aging out of the foster care system are becoming homeless at disconcerting rates. More than 20% of young adults aging out of the system experience homelessness. As many as 3 in 10 of the nation's homeless adults have a history in foster care.
Statistics demonstrate other poor outcomes for youth that have aged out of the foster care system:
We all must work together to reduce the number of young people aging out of the system and to improve the outcomes of those youth that do age out. All youth should have the skills necessary to transition successfully from foster care.
Jimmy Wayne will end his walk halfway across America in Phoenix, AZ. In addition to being a halfway point, Phoenix is also where another organization Jimmy supports is located—HomeBase Youth Services. This organization also serves the needs of foster children, focusing on those who have aged out of the foster care system and find themselves homeless.
Meet Me Halfway kicked off January 1, 2010 with Jimmy beginning a walk halfway across America. He left the parking lot of Monroe Harding (a Nashville based foster care group home) early on New Year’s Day, with about 100 supporters walking the first few miles with him. With every step he takes, every mile he logs and every person he meets along the way, Jimmy is raising awareness of homeless children and teens, especially those who age out of the foster care system.
"Aging out" refers to what happens when youth reach a certain age (age 18 in most states) and are no longer eligible for support from the foster care system. Without foster care funding, many youth lose their place to live, health care coverage, connections to supportive adults, and are ill-prepared to support themselves in the adult world. Many youth end up like Jimmy — homeless on the streets.
In 2005, more than 24,000 youth aged out of the foster care system at the age of 18 without connection to a family. Even though the overall number of children in foster care is decreasing, the number of youth who age-out of the system continues to grow each year.
According to the 2000 Census, nearly 4 million people ages of 25-34 live with their parents due to economic realities — jobs are scarce, and housing is expensive. Foster youth who are aging out do not have the option of turning to their families for support. Alone, these young people are confronting the harsh reality of the gap between the wages they earn and the cost of housing. As a result, youth aging out of the foster care system are becoming homeless at disconcerting rates. More than 20% of young adults aging out of the system experience homelessness. As many as 3 in 10 of the nation's homeless adults have a history in foster care.
Statistics demonstrate other poor outcomes for youth that have aged out of the foster care system:
- One in four will be incarcerated within the first two years after they leave the system
- Approximately 58 percent had a high school degree at age 19, compared to 87 percent of a national comparison group of non-foster youth
- Of youth who aged out of foster care and are over the age of 25, less than 3 percent earned their college degrees, compared with 28 percent of the general population
We all must work together to reduce the number of young people aging out of the system and to improve the outcomes of those youth that do age out. All youth should have the skills necessary to transition successfully from foster care.
Jimmy Wayne will end his walk halfway across America in Phoenix, AZ. In addition to being a halfway point, Phoenix is also where another organization Jimmy supports is located—HomeBase Youth Services. This organization also serves the needs of foster children, focusing on those who have aged out of the foster care system and find themselves homeless.
