Those of us who've worked in child welfare know all too well that child welfare systems do not make good parents. Meaning, youth who age out of foster care are lacking, more often than not, supportive connections that all youth launching into adulthood need to ensure their success. Think about where you went for your first Thanksgiving when you were a freshman in college. Think about who you called the first time you were short on your rent. Many youth who've aged out of foster care don't have those connections, they don't have that support. The Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act proposes to change this trajectory for many youth aging out of the system by helping them secure housing prior to age 18. The following article is by Patrick Burns, actor, writer, musician and former foster youth.
Representative Michael Turner created the “Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act” as a direct result of meeting with Ohio foster care youth during their annual Three Days on the Hill trips to Washington, D.C.
The Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act is not just a good idea, it’s necessary. The time is now to make this act a reality. It offers a creative solution to help, with no additional spending required, by a) allowing foster care youth who are at risk of “aging out” of foster care to apply for housing assistance when they reach 16 years old, and b) allowing them to jump to the front of the waitlist when they are about to “age out” of foster care.
Although the bill may be largely symbolic at this point, with a new Congress stepping in come January, as a foster care alumnus. I still think it’s important to express my utmost support for the bill.
Read the whole article here.
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