Chafee

Champions for young adults in foster care say that as many as 18,000 could age out of the system next week when a federal moratorium expires.

Many of Arizona’s current and former youth are in line for more federal help to get them through the pandemic, the state Department of Child Safety has announced. The change means young adults currently in foster care and former foster youth who have not yet turned 27 years old will be able to tap funds made available under a law Congress passed in December, the COVID-19 Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening to crush the college dreams of thousands of people who will soon be aging out of foster care, and Congress must take urgent steps to avoid these devastating outcomes, according to a report being released this week.

I feel like my whole life has been turned upside down. I am a college sophomore studying nursing at Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire. My name is Savannah Scott.

House leadership on child welfare introduced two bills today that would increase funds for older foster youth and help states prevent teens and young adults in foster care from aging out of the system during the coronavirus pandemic.

Former foster youth enrolled in college or career training will now have more time to pull up their grades before losing their federal-state Chafee grants. Until now, such students would lose their $5,000 annual grant if they failed to make satisfactory academic progress for two consecutive semesters, unless they are able to successfully appeal under their school’s process. 

U.S. Reps. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.), Karen Bass (D-Calif.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.) sent House leadership a letter yesterday urging consideration of “the needs of current and former foster youth as youth continue to address the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.” 

Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) have introduced a bill that would commit $100 million over five years to support programs aimed at helping older youth in foster care transition into adulthood.

The Imprint is highlighting each of the policy recommendations made this summer by the participants of the Foster Youth Internship Program (FYI), a group of 12 former foster youths who have completed congressional internships.