WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – Finding stable housing can be one of the biggest challenges for young adults leaving foster care. In Sedgwick County, data from 2021 shows that 42% of young adults who had been in foster care were homeless by age 21, according to the National Youth Transition database.
EmberHope in Newton is working to change that. The organization plans to build Hope Estates, 28 apartments specifically for young adults transitioning out of foster care. In the same community, there will also be additional housing for kinship families, such as grandparents raising grandchildren.
Nikaila Sandate, president of EmberHope, said she has seen young adults fall into unstable housing situations, often couch surfing or staying with friends night to night.
“We were watching kids transition from foster care and other settings and kind of falling through the cracks. We wanted to do something about it. We wanted to fill the gap. We wanted to address the issue,” Sandate said…