First Lady Melania Trump has not been very visible in this second term of her husband’s presidency. In part, she wants to be close to her son, Barron, who is attending university in New York (although I suspect he does quite well on his own). But Melania has likely tired of the attacks and abuse she suffered in the president’s first term that were unrelenting and petty. I’m not surprised that she is less than enthusiastic about appearing in public at this time.

Fortunately, she has resurrected her first term program, Be Best. In January, Mrs. Trump explained that she had difficulty getting support for Be Best in the first term, receiving the usual petty criticisms and skepticism from the media. But she plans nevertheless to expand the program:

‘I will continue with Be Best and also I will expand Be Best,’ Trump said in a Monday interview on ‘Fox & Friends.’

‘In the first administration, I didn’t have much support from anyone,’ Trump told Fox News’s Ainsley Earhardt.

‘I invited all of the streaming platforms to the White House. I had the roundtable. And I didn’t have much support from them,’ she said. 

‘Imagine what we could do in those years if they will rally behind me, and teach the children and do protect them about the social media and their mental health?’ she added.

In addition, she received funding for a new and exciting program for our youth, called Foster Youth to Independence (FYI):

‘I am proud to have successfully secured $25 million to provide housing for individuals aging out of foster care.  This is another essential measure that ensures the safety, welfare, and autonomy of those in the foster community,’ commented First Lady Melania Trump.

[snip]

The FYI program, led by HUD and supported by public housing authorities across the country, offers housing assistance to eligible individuals under the age of 25 who are transitioning out of foster care. The program is designed to prevent homelessness and provide a foundation for young adults to pursue education, employment, and long-term independence.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, more than 20,000 young people transition out of foster care each year. A significant percentage of these youth face housing insecurity or homelessness. This support provides an essential safety net during a pivotal time in a young person’s life.

Often, these young people find their way to drugs, prostitution, and homelessness. There has been little help, either emotionally or financially, for these youth once they turn 18 and leave their foster homes:

About half will get a high school diploma or GED, and less than 3% will earn any type of degree. As you can imagine, that leads to difficulties becoming and staying employed. By age 21, only about 56% young people who aged out of the system have full or even part-time jobs. Those who do [find jobs] do not make a living wage. By age 24, only half will have gainful employment. 

And while those numbers are all troubling, here’s the one that bothered me the most: girls who age out of the foster care system are 80% more likely to become involved in sex trafficking. Foster care is also often called the ‘pipeline to prostitution.’  Around 60% of youth involved in sex trafficking have a history that includes the foster care system.

Although the foster care system is a noble goal and can be a valuable resource for these kids when they are rejected, abused, or abandoned by their birth families, they need more help to find their place in this world once they are out on their own.

We have watched other young people, who are far more privileged, reject their blessed circumstances and abandon any code of human decency. We’ve watched them attack other students on campus, particularly Jews, as they demonstrate their lack of humanity and common sense.

Let’s consider that there could be at least one group of young people that will be offered the means to live a normal life, a roof over their heads, and resources for finding productive outcomes, education, and jobs.

Congratulations, Melania. We’re glad to have you back.

Image: Public domain.