Foster kids live at the juncture of two broken systems, and the state is slow to find a solution.
Reyna Mondragon grips her hands together as she speaks into the microphone. The dimple on her left cheek shows up as she punctuates her words. It is a Wednesday morning in mid-March and she’s sitting at one of the Texas Capitol’s oak tables on the floor of the Senate chamber, where the Committee on Health and Human Services meets when the Senate isn’t in session. Lobbyists, reporters, legislative staffers and those here to testify stand against the brass railing or sit at senators’ desks.
Mondragon, 18, has a history of physical, emotional and sexual abuse. She has just “aged out” of the Texas foster care system, which serves more than 30,000 kids. The current norm for them—months or years of navigating a system that neglects their unique mental health needs—keeps most of them from living healthy and whole lives. Mondragon fought through the system to survive, and she’s here to fight for foster kids still in state care. “Kids should not be kept from having a normal life just because they are in foster care,” she tells the nine-member committee seated along the sides and at the head of the table.
I met Mondragon in April 2014 when she was a high school senior. This past year, I’ve been reporting on efforts to reform the state foster care system, the lack of caregiver oversight and inadequate funding for kids living with relatives. Mondragon told me about her past during a series of interviews at her adoptive home, her apartment and various Austin coffee shops.
Her story was shocking even to a reporter familiar with the system. This is this woman’s story in her own words. I’ve corroborated details of Mondragon’s story with caregivers and state documents. Her language is laced with profanity, and the details she offers are graphic. They involve sex, drugs and failed family relationships. As state lawmakers consider legislation to address the challenges kids such as Mondragon face, her willingness to step forward and offer her memories was impressive. It puts a face on the lives of those who depend on state help as they struggle to survive inside the gap between the Texas foster and mental health systems.
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This story made possible by a grant from the Fund for Investigative Journalism.