An Opportunity to Make a Strongly Leveraged Investment

• Although the population is relatively small, the societal cost of bad outcomes for these youth has been estimated  at $5 billion for each annual cohort of youth leaving care.

Cost Avoidance: Bolstering the Economic Case for Investing In Youth Aging Out of Foster Care

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By Ira Cutler (2009)

This study bolsters the case for greater investments into the future of youth aging out of foster care. Cutler does so by identifying some of the costs of bad outcomes and estimating the potential savings that could be achieved if youth in foster care were doing as well as others their age. The paper looks at three important areas: education, family formation and criminal justice.

• In each community, the Jim Casey Initiative has called attention to the plight of these youth and spurred local public and private investments. The leverage associated with investments by the Initiative has been estimated at $6.50 for every $1 dollar invested.

Assessing Leverage: Lessons from the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative

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By Ira Cutler (2009)

This publication discusses how the Initiative has categorized, measured and analyzed leverage in its work. It discusses the distinguishing characteristics that helps define leverage: purpose, form, duration and source.Overarching observations about lessons learned include the effectiveness of youth as advocates, the importance of partnerships, public funds, building on what you have, financial leverage is not just about the money, and the importance of clear communication strategies.