18 and on her own-Life after foster care -via Central Florida News 13

Release date: 1/12/2011

By Jacqueline Fell, Reporter
Central Florida News 13
http://bit.ly/gaQsMo
Last Updated: Wednesday, January 12, 2011 1:32 PM
ORLANDO --
Jaleeca Dawkins is determined not to become a statistic.

She turned 18 in December, during her senior year of high school.

At first, she celebrated, but reality soon set in -- Jaleeca was on her own.

"The day I turned 18, I got my first rent notice," she said.

Jaleeca was in foster care for nearly five years. After living in an abusive home, then group and foster homes, shelters, and finally transitional housing at 18, she said she finally has a support system helping her grow up.

"You pay rent, you get your own room, you have cable and stuff like that," she told me. "You have a curfew. It's a big help for kids that are about to move out into their own apartment, so when they move, they'll know what to expect."

Read the entire story

View Jaleeca's entire interview
Listen to CHS' perspective on extending the age of foster care - why it's important
Learn more about the Fostering Connections and Increasing Adoptions Act and pending legislation

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