The aim for this study was to investigate how young adults describe their emerging adulthood, when coming from problematic teenage years. Three people around the age of 25 were interviewed. They had experience of non-institutional community care during their teenage years. To capture the narrative the informants gave of their youth, a life course perspective and resilience theory was used to understand if and how they have managed stress and adversity in their life. The study shows similarities to earlier studies on youth leaving institutional care or foster care, with heightened risk of school failings, shortened transition between youth and adulthood and a continued problematic life situation. The study shows the importance of meaningful relations outside of the family context. Transition periods and other turning points offers the possibility to explore new roles and with time incorporate the interventions of the non-institutional community care which can lead to personal growth.