When we think of children that desperately need a family to love them, we often think of young kids.
But there are tens of thousands of teenagers in the U.S. that are facing the rest of their lives alone and without support.
Take 17-year-old Haven, from Oklahoma: in just a few months he will be 18 years old and will no longer be eligible for adoption.
Now he’s desperately trying to find a family he can turn to and in his words “be there for you if you need help.”
Haven will turn 18 in October 2019 and will age out of foster care and have to fend for himself.
He has been in the custody of the Oklahoma Department of Humans Services since he was 12 years old.
After living in a shelter for the past five years, he finds his situation frustrating and wants a family that can help guide him into adulthood.
"I'm involved with Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, AKA JROTC," Haven explained.This 17-year-old says he dreams of…
Posted by KFOR-TV on Tuesday, March 12, 2019
“It (the shelter) gets old,” he told the KFOR Oklahoma’s News Channel 4. “Just being there. Not being able to go out whenever I want.”
You might be forgiven for questioning the point of offering a 17-year-old a secure homelife when they are about to become an adult, but not having that support can have detrimental consequences for a teenager.
Less than 3 percent of kids in this situation earn a degree, 20 percent will find themselves homeless and more than half still won’t have a job six years after their 18th birthday.
The support of a loving family to guide you and catch you when you fall at this age is clearly crucial in creating a a strong and successful adult, according to Jessica Good’s article on adoption.com.
Haven would love to get a driver’s license and wants to join the military. He’s already involved with the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, AKA JROTC, he said.
He also loves video games, Minecraft in particular, and hanging out with friends.
Needs a place to call home
He explains the importance of having a loving family to support teens, something that so many of us take for granted.
“So you can have someone to help you, like be there for you if you need help,” he told KFOR. “Not just going into it all blind because that’s how you get into drugs and bad stuff like that.”
This smart young man just needs a place to call home and is looking for “anyone who will take me.”
“I don’t really care. As long as it’s a family that will show love for me and be there for me,” he said Haven.
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For more information or if you’re considering adopting Haven, call Tom Peterson at (405) 325 9398.
It’s heartbreaking to think that more than 20,000 kids age out in the U.S. without a family to support them.
Please share in the hopes that a loving family or person can give this smart and promising young man a supportive home so he can live his best life.
