For most of us reading this article, we didn’t have life completely figured out when we turned 18 years of age. I turned 18 in the middle of boot camp with the United States Marine Corps. I declined to notify my Drill Instructors that it was my birthday, lest they plan a special “celebration” for me. When I emerged from boot camp, I was a United States Marine who had little discipline and income. However, I also had a family to fall back on if things got hard. Most of us who achieved some level of success in life benefited at least one trusted adult during our coming of age into adulthood. Sadly, that’s not the case for many foster youths who age out of our nation’s child welfare system. So let’s talk about those youth for a moment. The Impact of a Trusted Adult is Obvious to All Now, it wouldn’t take a massive research initiative to prove the impact of having a trusted adult in a young person’s life is beneficial. We saw it in our own lives when we became adults. Those of us who have children now can’t imagine abandoning our children during that pivotal season of life. Not to mention, most of us know people we grew up with who did not have such a support system, and we can see the hardship that brought our peer’s lives. So we don’t need the data. Fortunately for you, we have the data anyway. Youth Villages is an organization based in Memphis, TN, which currently operates the most extensive program in the country, showing positive results for former foster youth in multiple areas of life. These results were quantified in a massive research study from MDRC, which spanned multiple years. MDRC is a nonprofit, nonpartisan education and social policy research organization, and this study was funded by grants from The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The study showed improved outcomes related to immediate needs, such as housing, food, clothing, and avoiding violent relationships. In areas where it did not show an improvement, Youth Villages went back to the table to innovate and follow the data wherever it would lead them. What Youth Villages does for former foster youth is truly remarkable, and I’m not just saying that based on the data or due to the fact that I worked for them for over 13 years. Yet, because I worked for them, I can testify to the impact of transitional living services first hand.