It’s hard turning 18 — moving out, finding a job, going to college. But many foster children have to do it by themselves, without the lifeline to parents and home that helps many teens ease into independence.

A major report out Wednesday says that many former foster kids have a tough time out on their own. When they age out of the system, they’re more likely than their peers to end up in jail, homeless or pregnant. They’re also less likely to have a job or go to college.

Life can be a struggle for these young people, even with help from the government and nonprofit agencies.

An Abrupt Cutoff

Aging Out Of Foster Care

Read The Study

Take Josh Mendoza, a shy young man from Tampa, Fla., with soulful eyes and a hint of dark hair along his upper lip. He lived in 14 different group homes after he was removed from his mother’s care more than two years ago because she used drugs.

But now he’s just turned 18, and like 30,000 other foster teens this year, he’s suddenly out on his own.

“This is my apartment,” Mendoza says as he opens the door to a ground floor unit at an apartment complex in Tampa. The living room is empty except for a navy blue futon and a small TV. The white walls are bare. He has only been here for two weeks. There’s food in the cupboard, but not a lot: some spaghetti, Cream of Wheat and cereal.

Living on your own is a little weird, says Mendoza. It’s kind of lonely and a challenge, he says. His only cooking experience in foster care was heating soup in the microwave. He looks at a frying pan on top of his new stove. The bottom is covered with congealed fat.

“Yesterday, I was trying to cook, but I don’t think it turned out too good,” Mendoza says. “With the burgers, it kind of got burnt.”

But unlike many foster care teens, Mendoza has been getting some help.

Nick Reschke is Mendoza’s transition specialist, a kind of big brother/parent provided to foster youth in the Tampa area. He helped Mendoza find his apartment, sign the lease and move in.

“The day he turned 18, we went to pick up his check, went grocery shopping, went over a list of what he needs, what his budgets are,” says Reschke, who also helped Mendoza pick up some donated furniture and supplies. “And then after that, Josh and I, we pretty much just cleaned the apartment up, wiped down the counters, wiped down the cabinets and set up his house. And that was his first night.”