CINCINNATI — An area organization is trying to fill in the gap to help kids aging out of foster care. 

What You Need To Know

  • Found Village in Cincinnati helps provide resources and mentor teens who've been through the court and foster care systems

  • The group uses coaches to help those who have been in similar situations, but noticed a gap in support for young adults 18 to 25 

  • The group is starting a program called Launch to Independence to help young adults with things like housing, job training and transportation to be successful on their own

 Keion Siler said he had a rough childhood, and he had to group up fast. 

“We were homeless at times, we lived in shelters," said Siler, “I stayed in the house by myself and took care of myself, sold things out of our house so that I could have food,” he said. 

He said his mom had a stroke, and he ended up taking care of her, too.

“Part of her body was still paralyzed, so like I bathed, I clothed, I fed, I cooked, and did all those things at the age of 13 for her,” said Siler. 

That’s why now he took on a job helping kids who are just like him. 

“My story is very similar to a lot of the kids that we work with, so my biggest desire is to help change generational curses, in a sense of not just poverty, but also trauma that has passed down," said Siler. 

Siler is a coach at Found Village in Cincinnati, a group that helps mentor kids going through rough times. Shannon Yung said she was one of them, too. 

“We were living at the poverty line for years," Yung said. "We had some domestic violence in our house. I had to move out with my grandparents."

She’s now the community engagement director at Found Village. She said they’re currently helping about 60 teens who’ve gone through the court system or foster care. They noticed a gap, with young adults, who’ve aged out of the foster care system. 

“We have to continue to work with young people until they’re independent, and right now we’re thinking that’s age 25, and what that looks like is being able to afford your housing, having reliable transportation, having a livable wage job,” said Yung. 

She said they plan to help young adults through a program called 'Launch to Independence' where they'll mentor and help them navigate through issues like housing, transportation and finding a job so they can live successfully on their own. 

Keion Siler is hoping to use what he went through to help keep them on the right track. 

For more information about Found Village, click here.