Homeless youth with foster care involvement fare notably worse than other homeless youth on nearly every measure examined according to a new report, “The Impact of Homelessness on Youth with Out-of-Home Placement History.”
The report, released Sept. 14, 2026, was written by Wilder Research, in partnership with Foster Advocates and with support from the Sauer Family Foundation.
The report highlights data from a special analysis of the 2023 Minnesota Homeless Study, focused on the experiences of homeless youth who have a history of foster care placement. About 4 in 10 of all youth experiencing homelessness had been placed in a foster or group home at some point during childhood. On average, youth with out-of-home placement history first experienced homelessness at just 13 years old.
“These findings should be a wake-up call to the social service system and the state of Minnesota as a whole,” said Jessie Austin O’Neill, author of the report and co-director of the Minnesota and Reservation Homeless Studies. “It is our collective responsibility to address system gaps and failures to help ensure the well-being and stability of these youth for the long term.”
Youth with out-of-home placement histories also reported high rates of violence and abuse before and during homelessness. More than half (55%) had stayed in an abusive relationship because they lacked another place to live, and 44% had been attacked or assaulted while homeless. Homeless youth with out-of-home placement history also faced higher rates of health problems than their peers: three-quarters reported a significant mental health issue, including nearly two-thirds (65%) who reported experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.
The report also centers the perspectives of youth who experienced foster care placement themselves, whose experiences provide context that the data alone cannot capture: how instability builds over time, where systems fall short, and what they need to remain safely housed.
Foster leaders who contributed to the project have shared that young people in foster care learn very early how to survive instability, but that survival should never be the standard that is set for them. Additionally, they stressed that if a young person leaves the system, and they don’t have a safe place to live, it should not be viewed as an individual failure. Instead, it indicates that there are system failures that need to change. They encourage policymakers and others to include the voices and perspectives of those with lived experience in foster care to help create meaningful solutions.
Foster Advocates and Wilder Research will present findings from the report, including lessons from the youth engagement and co-analysis process at the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless conference on Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026
“While this is not new information to fosters, it is new information to the state. This research gives Minnesota an opportunity to connect dots that Fosters have been describing for years,” said Osahon Akpata-Tanious, Executive Director of Foster Advocates. “Housing instability is often the result of years of disrupted relationships, placements, and support. The path forward has to include Fosters in designing policies and systems that create lasting stability, connection, and opportunity.”
Go deeper:
- Read the report
- Read a story on this report from The Imprint, featuring stories from local fosters
- Learn more about the Minnesota and Reservation Homeless Studies—there’s still time to sign up to volunteer before the 2026 study on October 22!
