Aging Out of Foster Care: Keith’s Story
The Foundation originally shared Keith’s story in July 2024. We caught up with him in February 2025 to hear more about his journey after aging out of foster care.
As part of our Youth Voices series, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption sat down with Keith, a young man who aged out of the foster care system. He was not part of the Wendy’s Wonderful Kids® program and wishes that the program had been available to him and that adoption had been an option. He shared his story in hopes of raising awareness about the urgent need for foster care adoption.
Keith’s childhood was filled with instability and uncertainty. Abandoned by his mother, Keith lived the first three years of his life in foster care before moving in with his biological father. However, due to neglect, Keith was placed back into the system at 14.
Sadly, he spent the next several years moving among different foster homes and aged out of foster care at 21. He appreciates the foster parents and caseworkers who helped him along the way, but he still carries scars from not having a permanent family.
“Because I was moving so much, and going from home to home, I really didn’t think adoption was an option,” said Keith. “You have some days when you’re just like, ‘Wow, I just wish I could call one person to just make this a little easier.’”
Keith has a message for anyone who knows a youth on the verge of aging out of foster care. “Though they’re not your child, they could be your child. Be that person. Please don’t sit around and wait for them to just figure it out.”
An Update to Keith’s Story
Keith made the decision to move back to his home state of New York. He is now employed in social services, where he serves people experiencing homelessness. He says he chose this work because he wanted to better understand his biological mother who struggled with addiction and homelessness. He added that working in homeless shelters has been a healing experience that allows him to turn his trauma into something positive that can help others.
Keith is excited to live in the same building as several of his friends. In the future, he hopes to pursue a master’s degree in social work. But without the support of a permanent family, he knows it won’t always be easy.
Every day, more than 50 young people, like Keith, age out of foster care in the United States without a permanent family. If you have room in your home or in your heart, you can help a child at risk of aging out of foster care before it’s too late. Explore ways to get involved to help.
