At 18, many young adults rely on parents and friends for guidance, stability and a safety net when life becomes difficult. For thousands of teens leaving foster care, that support is absent. They enter adulthood without parents to call, a home to return to or a safety net to fall back on. The path to adulthood can be an uphill climb.

For Rory, the daunting passage to adulthood began right after high school. She had dreams for her future, but she also carried the weight of responsibilities that many young people don’t face until much later in life.

“As someone who experienced foster care, many of us have no family at all,” Rory said.

Rory’s foster care caseworker told her about LifeSet, a Youth Villages program that helps young people aging out of foster care enter adulthood.

When Rory first met her LifeSet specialist, Bryanne Reed, the focus was on the basics. Reed went to work and quickly helped Rory secure an ID, get her driver’s permit and apply for colleges. For a young person like Rory, these steps seemed small but were building blocks toward a stable adult life.

Since then, Rory has hit some additional major milestones. She’s completed college orientation, registered for her classes, obtained her own apartment and is now focused on saving for and purchasing her first car.

Through it all, Reed walked beside her.

“Every time we meet, it’s always asking what I need and what I want to work on,” Rory said. “The program is self-paced, and they ask what you want [to accomplish].”

For Rory, that approach has been essential. After foster care, the temptation to push away support is strong.

“Young people don’t take it because they just want out,” she said. “Take the help.” Rory knows others who have tried to go it alone, and she understands why because she was once in their shoes. That choice to let someone walk beside her has kept Rory’s path steady.

“This world is hard, and I would more than likely be homeless right now if I just walked out,” she said.

LifeSet doesn’t take over the journey. Instead, it lightens the load. It gives young people like Rory the space to figure out what they want, the skills to take the next step and the encouragement to keep going.

Today, Rory is starting her new chapter with determination. She currently works at Blueprint 502, a Louisville nonprofit dedicated to helping local youth, and she’ll begin her freshman year at the University of Louisville. She’s majoring in English with a concentration in creative writing and minoring in computer science.

About Youth Villages – Kentucky

In collaboration with the Department of Community Based Services, our work in Kentucky focuses on strengthening families to prevent or limit the need for out-of-home placements (Intercept) and supporting youth who age out of foster care or lack a stable caregiver as they enter adulthood (LifeSet).

Do you or someone you know need support from LifeSet in Kentucky? To learn more about eligibility and referral criteria, please email KYLifeSet@youthvillages.org.

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