Foster care advocates call on
NYC to fully fund Fair Futures
BY JASON COHEN
More than 4,000 youth are in the
New York City foster care system, and
as many as 700 age out each year without
any adult to turn to for guidance.
In New York, only 21% of these
young people have a high school degree
or equivalency when they age
out of foster care at 21 years-old, 1
in 5 enter a homeless shelter within
three years of aging out and only 3%
will obtain a college degree.
Fair Futures, which is a coalition
of child welfare agencies, nonprofi ts,
foundations, advocates and young
adults, helps ensure these foster kids
stay on the right track. In 2019, the
Fair Futures model was launched
citywide at all 26 foster care agencies,
and since then, hired more than 450
staff and provided support to nearly
3,000 young people in foster care ages
11 to 21 through Fair Futures coaches,
tutors and specialists.
Though the program, nearly 99%
of young people actively engaged with
their coach by the end of the fi rst year,
and 85% of young people coached in
the second year achieved an average
Bronx resident and foster youth Deborah Kabore (left) with her mentor Amelia Ramirez. Photo courtesy Amelia Ramirez
of three academic, career and/or independent
living goals/outcomes. All
of this progress was achieved during
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, F 20 FEBRUARY 18-24, 2022 BTR
the COVID-19 pandemic.
Knowing the impact it has had
on foster youth, the coalition held
a virtual rally on Jan. 25 to call on
the city to allocate $35 million in the
2023 budget and extend funding for
the program until 2026. The subsidy
would help Fair Futures expand its
reach and help young adults up to the
age of 26.
“Mayor (Eric) Adams has supported
the Fair Futures model since
its inception, and believes it is an important
upstream approach to helping
people aging out of foster care,”
said Jonah Allon, a spokesman for
the mayor. “He also mentioned the
program when he recently unveiled
his ‘Blueprint to End Gun Violence’
as an example of a strategy to prevent
the crisis of gun violence long-term.
The administration will continue to
engage with Fair Futures and other
stakeholders on how to best support
the success of the program going forward.”
An example highlighting the value
of the Fair Futures program is the
relationship between Bronx resident
Deborah Kabore, a foster youth, and
Amelia Ramirez, a coach at Sheltering
Arms, a nonprofi t that helps
foster kids. Ramirez told the Bronx
Times that the goal of the nonprofi t is
to guide young adults and assist them
with whatever they need.
Each coach has a maximum of
15 youths they can be assigned to.
Ramirez said since every child comes
from a different background, some
are more open to help, while others
take a while to adjust.
“There’s really no limit to how we
can help our kids,” she said.
Kabore, 20, and Ramirez met two
years ago, and Ramirez has helped
her get a state ID, connected her with
tutors and supported her through
emotional challenges and depression
onset by the pandemic. During the
past few years, she has seen Kabore
grow as a person and blossom into a
strong young woman.
“I see myself having a lifelong relationship
with her,” Ramirez said.
Kabore, of Gun Hill, was struggling
with depression and didn’t envision
herself graduating high school,
let alone attending college. But then
Ramirez entered her life, and everything
changed. Kabore currently attends
Lehman College for nursing,
has a part-time job and an internship
with the foster care agency Sheltering
Arms.
Ramirez helped her with college
applications, picking her class schedule,
visited her during the pandemic,
did her make up on her birthday, assisted
her with fi nding an internship
and most importantly, made Kabore
feel good about herself.
“Amelia is like my coach who is
there to guide me,” Kabore said. “If
she wasn’t there I wouldn’t be in college.”
Kabore is about to move into the
dorms and is in the process of getting
her learner’s permit. She credits
her success in life to her relationship
with Ramirez.
“If I didn’t have the program,
I don’t think I would have a lot of
things in my life,” Kabore said. “It
helped me get my life together. I
think Fair Futures is very important
and would help other young people
like me.”