Homelessness & Foster Care Crossover

Arkansas’ foster care entries among teens have been elevated relative to peers. This brief explores how housing instability and foster care involvement overlap—especially at reentry— and what supports improve stability.

What We Track

• Foster care entries and point-in-time population (ages 12–17), 2015–2025
• Discharge destinations and returns to care within 12 months
• Youth homelessness indicators near entry/exit (school liaison flags, shelter contacts)
• Reentry stability: school enrollment continuity, care team handoffs, housing supports

Methods

We normalize rates by the population ages 12–17 and pool small counts across 2–3 years. Where reporting systems change, we annotate breaks in series and adjust comparisons.

Key Findings (Stub)

• — summarize 2015–2025 entry trends and teen share —
• — highlight overlap between reentry and housing instability —
• — identify counties/regions with persistent returns to care —

Program & Policy Notes (Stub)

• Reentry housing supports (rapid rehousing, host homes, kinship stabilization)
• School-based identification & McKinney–Vento coordination
• Child welfare–justice data handoffs to track housing risk post-release