GUEST OPINION

Many of us are not taking care of our children. It's a sad nationwide reality, one we don't like to think about. In this age where there are bumper stickers everywhere that tout marriage and children and the promises we make to our families, there is a hidden reality underneath these platitudes.

Each year in the United States, more than 20,000 children age-out or "graduate" from the nation's foster care system. There are so few services to help these teen-agers transition to independent adulthood and they end up in despair, turning to a life of drugs or crime. Think about it. Would you send your 17-year-old son or daughter out into the world without shelter, money or food? Would you just close the door and walk away? That's exactly what happens to these youth-without-homes. So many of these teens do not have family or other dependable adults to help them out, or provide them with life assistance. These abandoned young adults end up being high risk for homelessness, joblessness, illness, incarceration, welfare dependency, early pregnancy, and sexual and physical victimization.

According to the Child Welfare League of America, 25 percent of these youth who graduate from the "system" become homeless, 56 percent are unemployed, and 27 percent of the male teens end up in jail. Some other facts that may surprise you include:

• An estimated 40,000 of these children will be involved in some form of sexual exploitation and victimization by predators.

• Many child victims of prostitution are abandoned or neglected children, who have not been reported missing to law enforcement or have run away from their homes or foster care.

• The average age at which a child enters into prostitution is 14 years old. However, children as young as 9 years old are being exploited.

Homelessness is a major problem among former foster youth; it is estimated that as many as 30 percent of the nation's homeless adults were once in foster care. And according to the U.S. Department of Justice, in a one-year period, an estimated 1.6 million children either ran away from or were thrown out of their homes.

While in Florida the state runs the fostercare system, counties can and should play an important role. For instance, in 13 states nationwide, county governments operate the child welfare system. While the responsibilities of counties differ, all counties in the U.S. are responsible for providing access to a social safety net that young adults aging out of foster care will desperately need to succeed in their lives and their communities.

County governments should be at the forefront of providing services to former foster youth, including access to housing, education, training and job placement, as well as health care, which includes treatment for mental and psychological illness, general life counseling and substance abuse.

Recently, Lee County put forth a resolution supporting the Campaign Against Sexual Exploitation sponsored by the National Association of Counties, Inc. on behalf of these children, in a pledge to keep these issues in the public spotlight. It also indicates Lee County's dedication and understanding of this terribly sad and real plight of young children.

By dedicating time, money and effort in this area, we as a society will benefit. We will see a decrease in mental health issues, substance abuse and young men and women becoming involved with illegal activities. Society will spend less money because these lost youth will be deterred from spending a lifetime circling in and out of the legal system.