-: So, I'm Carrie Lemmon
and I'm the director of the L.A. Compact
at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.
So, one study found that, in LA County,
for 50% of foster youth aging out of the system
are unemployed in their first four years
and their average wages are less than $30,000
over four years, cumulatively over four years.
They also do not go on to higher education,
so, about half of them enroll in community college but,
ultimately, only about 2 to 4% ever complete a degree,
so, we're really,
our systems are failing to prepare these youth
for self-sufficiency in life.
So, one of the issues that we've been working on
is trying to ensure that these youth have access
to paid work experiences at a very early age.