Dallas County Foster Kids Age Out to Troubled Lives…

After aging out of foster system, some teens’ troubles are just beginning

DALLAS — When many high school students are fighting for Independence, Seth Miller seemingly has it all.

He wears what he wants, eats when he wants to, has complete Independence, and an apartment of his own.

But Seth would trade it in a second for one thing.

“One family,” he said. “Even if I had to live in a box — family.”

When Seth was a baby, he was adopted into a large family. The adoption lasted until he was seven, when abuse allegations split up the children.

He remembers what his adoptive mother told him on his last afternoon at home.

“‘You’re just going to spend the night, but you’ll be back tomorrow,'” Seth recalled. “Sometimes I question why she didn’t tell me the truth.”

In the coming years, Seth would live with five other foster families, never feeling part of any of them. Neglect was part of his foster life, he says. Distrust of people and anger at the world grew.

“You were just a number,” Seth said stoically.

At 18, Seth became a legal adult and aged out of the foster care system. He left his last foster family in an attempt to find happiness.

About 1,500 Texas teens age out of the foster care system annually, with few resources to help them survive the adult world. Many struggle with unemployment and crime. Nearly half, according to some research, become homeless.

A few weeks ago, Seth was living in his car.

“I remember one night, I did fall asleep and woke up the next morning and I was like this,” Seth said, leaning on his steering wheel, “and my neck kind of hurt. I never imagined living like that.”

“He called and told me he was homeless,” said Virginia Barrett, a Court Appointed Special Advocate, or CASA.

Unlike state case workers, CASA’s are volunteers charged with protecting the best interests of a single child. There are not enough CASA volunteers for every foster child in North Texas.

Barrett has been Seth’s CASA since he was seven. When the state assistance stopped, this volunteer has kept helping the angry, abandoned young man.

She gathered donations and helped Seth rent an apartment so he could finish his senior year of high school.

“My goal is to make it better,” Barrett said. “That’s what we’re working on.”

She’s trying to get Seth into a supervised independent living program to help him meet his monthly financial needs so he can concentrate on graduating.

Seth has biological siblings he has never met, and never knew existed until a few months ago. For now, Virginia is his only family.

Seth also works full-time at McDonalds. He is determined he will not fail himself.

He believes the system, overloaded with too many foster children, too many unqualified foster families, and too few case workers, let him down.

“I know I’m tough because I went through a lot,” he said. “And I’m going to make it. Because I have to. That’s all I have. That’s the only choice I have.”

Seth would like people to take notice of what he calls a broken system, to protect other vulnerable children who grow up in foster care.

He hopes other foster teens will see him now and know they are a number.

Number one.

E-mail jstjames@wfaa.com

WFAA Reader Comments:

• 

  Chris Biles ·  Top Commenter · Senior Auditor at Defense Contract Audit Agency

  This story was enough to make me cry. It is terrible that we have a system that failed this obviously good man in the making. I pray he has strength.

  Reply · 7 · Like · Follow Post · September 6 at 9:41am
• 

  David Edmondson ·  Top Commenter · University of North Texas

  It’s hard to sell the idea to Texans that investing tax dollars to propel young adults to a stable life ultimately costs us less in the long run.

  Reply · 2 · Like · Follow Post · September 6 at 12:22pm
• 

  Lewis Lambert ·  Top Commenter · The Colony, Texas

  I really hate this. We adopted our son to keep this from happening to him but one family can not take care of all of them. They need more families willing to help and not be so caught up in their own life to not wory about another.I have a friend who is a foster parent and he has 7 children in his home now. I have more respect for that man and his wife than anyone else on the planet.(since he is the only one I know that does this).

  Reply · 1 · Like · Follow Post · September 6 at 9:45am
• 

  Kathy A Thompson-Porter · Dallas, Texas

  breaks my heart. I pray for all the lost souls out there and an answer to this crisis. The system is so overwhelmed. My sis n law tried to adopt a child, went through all initial hoops, filled all the paperwork out and no one ever contacted them.

  Reply · 1 · Like · Follow Post · September 6 at 9:38pm
• 

  Steven Berrones ·  Top Commenter

  1500 kids age out annually. That’s a lot of missed adoption opportunity’s.

  Reply · 1 · Like · Follow Post · September 6 at 5:30am

  • 

    Cynthia Tebay Burleson · Follow ·  Top Commenter ·Owner at A Family Affair Supervised VIsitations and Education Services

    And with all the new laws coming out that have passed there will be many many more, it’s so sad to feel unwanted and unloved.

    Reply · 2 · Like · September 6 at 5:24pm
• 

  George Jacox · Follow ·  Top Commenter · Putnam City North High School

  Cut more taxes and the system will get better? Over taxed?

  Reply · 1 · Like · Follow Post · September 6 at 7:51am

  • 

    Leslie Beaverson-Jacox · Psychological Clinician at Oklahoma State Department of Health

    this problem is not unique to Texas…Oklahoma is in bad shape, too

    Reply · 3 · Like · September 6 at 8:13am