ATLANTA — When most college students head home for winter break, they return to families, warm meals, and a place to land. For many young adults aging out of foster care, break means something much different: no home, no family, and nowhere to go.

Eryka McNulty knows that reality firsthand.

"My first winter break was so hard because I had nowhere to go," she said. "I didn't have any family that would support me safely, and I didn't have money for a hotel, and I was just at a loss."

Eryka worked three jobs in high school while trying to keep up with classes. After aging out of foster care, she entered college determined to succeed, but the pressures of paying rent, buying food, and covering basic needs while carrying a full course load quickly became overwhelming.

"I was falling behind

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