Redesigning the Journey for Foster Youth Aging Out of Care
In partnership with the Governor’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative and the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, Belmont Innovation Labs is applying the SOLVE model to one of our state’s most urgent challenges: improving outcomes for youth aging out of foster care.
Each year, around 850 young Tennesseans leave the foster care system at age 18—often without the stable housing, supportive relationships, or access to the mental health support needed to thrive. These young people are full of potential, yet face disproportionate risks of homelessness, incarceration, and unemployment.
Through the SOLVE process, we are designing solutions with—and not just for—these youth.
We are running Reconstruct Challenge to address this topic and are open to applications beginning Monday, November 17th. In partnership with Access Ventures and Every Child Tennessee, we will invest in and support for-profit and nonprofit solutions developing real-world solutions to help these young adults have a safe place to live, supportive relationships to rely on, and access to the mental health care they deserve.
Phase 1: Discover
Landscape Study | May–October 2024
Our work began with deep listening. Over 250 hours of research, 10 hours of stakeholder conversations, and the synthesis of 75+ national and state-level resources formed the backbone of our Landscape Study.
We mapped system dynamics, elevated youth perspectives, and identified three critical leverage points for change:
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Supportive Adult Relationships |
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Accessible Mental Health Services |
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Safe & Affordable Housing |
Phase 2: Design
Impact Case | November 2024–June 2025
With clear priorities, we moved into collaborative strategy development. The Impact Case outlines high-leverage interventions and investment-ready pilots, built from data, design sprints, and the lived experience of foster youth.
Two signature pilots emerged:
Lumen Flats
Led by Elmington Capital and co-designed with youth, this project repurposes a senior living facility in Knoxville into supportive housing for youth aging out of foster care, leveraging Foster Youth in Transition vouchers.
The Reconstruct Challenge: Thriving Youth
A statewide venture philanthropy platform aiming to raise $1.5 million to support 8–10 scalable youth empowerment pilots with catalytic capital, technical assistance, and cross-sector collaboration.
Both initiatives embed impact measurement, tracking what matters most: housing stability, relationship quality, and access to healing.
Phase 3: Deploy
Thriving Youth | Launching October 2025
The Deploy phase is where insights meet execution. In October 2025, we’ll launch two flagship initiatives:
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New youth-centered housing models
Both will launch with defined metrics, funding commitments, and evaluation frameworks. With the right support, these pilots will demonstrate how aligned capital, community partnership, and youth voice can close persistent gaps, and scale what works.
The Reconstruct Thriving Youth Challenge is executed in partnership with Every Child TN and Access Ventures. It applies a venture philanthropy model to invest in both for-profit and nonprofit solutions from across the country. Applications will be accepted from November 17, 2025 to January 10, 2026.
Why It Matters
We’re not just imagining a better future. We’re building it with and for young people.
For youth transitioning out of foster care, success means:
- A stable relationship with a trusted adult
- A safe place to live
- Access to mental health care and space to heal
- A pathway to belonging, purpose, and independence
Through the SOLVE process and deep community partnership, we’re working to break generational cycles and replace it with a foundation of opportunity, healing, and hope.
Our Partners
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Whether you're a funder, policymaker, practitioner, or advocate—there’s a place for you in this work.