eng Science and Education Publishing World Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities 2474-1434 2022-08-03 8 1 32 39 10.12691/wjssh-8-1-5 WJSSH2022815 article Marla Foster-Morgan 1 Kimberley Garth-James kjames@apu.edu 2 Richter Fellow, Founder of Hannah¡¯s Home, Los Angeles, USA Director, Public Administration, Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, USA While state-run foster care organizations continue to provide services for children needing help, there is still the problem of successful independent living for Transitional Aged Foster Youth (TAFY). This is a qualitative study examining the empirical research of factors impacting foster youth living independently. Thirteen structured interviews using resilience theory, and the primary author¡¯s experiences in the state foster care system, helped clarify the study findings. Several resilience factors such as housing, trauma resources and spiritual connections are worth consideration by public policy makers in their analysis of investments in improved independent living outcomes for TAFY. http://pubs.sciepub.com/wjssh/8/1/5/wjssh-8-1-5.pdf foster care trauma care transitional aged foster youth