ATLANTA — There are thousands of Georgians in foster care, and hundreds age out of the system without finding a forever home.
Although the state has changed the rules to try to protect this often vulnerable population, Channel 2 investigative reporter Erica Byfield found that once youths are on their own, they often face scary consequences.
“I ended up jobless, on my own. I had no one to reach out to,” Mia told Byfield.
“Four days before they were going to sign the official adoption papers, they decided they didn't want me anymore,” Mia said.
Mia now has a job, an apartment and a story that can bring you to tears. At 16, she traveled to Florida, where she thought she had found a new family.
She said she spent the next five years in care before she aged out of Georgia’s foster system at age 21.
“I got an email from my case worker's supervisor that said, 'Good luck,' pretty much,” Mia said.