TIFFANY HAYES / THERE'S ALWAYS A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

"The foster care system has taught me that no matter how hard the circumstances may be, no matter what you are faced with, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel. You just have to keep pushing."

Tiffany Hayes shares #HerStory for #SpeakUp:

"The hardest experience I've ever faced in foster care was being taken away from my adoptive mom. I felt like that was my home and she loved me but the moment she became ill, I was taken away from her and placed in a group home till my teenage years. One moment I had a home and then it was gone.

When I emancipated, all I wanted was a worker that would listen to me. I was going through domestic violence in my relationship but she closed my case and said I was being noncompliant. They kicked me out on the streets at 18 and I had nowhere to go. I was homeless for 129 days all because she did not ask what was wrong. She just assumed that I was being defiant.

My advice to those in foster care- it hurts now and you'll ask yourself "why" but in the end, it'll make you stronger. Take advantage of the resources that are given to you as you start to emancipate. I know the world seems so cold and so harsh right now but you won't feel alone if you do this."