The recent legislative changes within President Donald Trump’s tax-and-spending cuts package introduce work requirements to maintain eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Despite efforts to exempt them, these new rules apply to former foster youth.
While controversial, these requirements can serve as a catalyst for teaching foster youth the necessary, lifelong value of hard work and responsibility, potentially guiding them toward stability and purpose.
In the United States, the concept of work integrity — encompassing purpose, responsibility, and a commitment to contributing meaningfully to society — has long been a cornerstone of our nation’s success. For foster youth, who often face unique challenges transitioning into adulthood, instilling work integrity is not just valuable but a societal responsibility.
The National Youth in Transition Database reveals that only about half of youth exiting foster care into adulthood secure part-time employment, with many struggling to maintain stable jobs. A 2020 study by the Urban Institute found that former foster youth face unemployment rates as high as 30-40% within the first few years of aging out, significantly higher than the general population’s rate of 3-5% in recent years. These statistics underscore the precarious economic position of this group, with fewer than one in four accessing SNAP benefits, despite their critical need for nutritional support.
If there were incentives to work, more young adults could be motivated to maintain employment. Requiring foster youth to work for these benefits should not be seen as a hurdle, but rather as a way in which society is taking responsibility to help connect these young adults to employment.
It has been over 10 ten years since I aged out of the foster care system. Outside of being on food stamps for about six months, I received no financial support or government assistance after I was emancipated. I needed the food stamps to remain healthy and sustain my track career while I was in high school. But after graduating high school, I no longer needed the food stamps because I obtained employment. I earned and saved money by working in a factory, in a diner as a waitress, and through various internships from organizations and my church.
Over the past couple of years, my husband and I have mentored a handful of former foster youth by volunteering for a local nonprofit. We witness these young adults live off the free housing and stipends given to them while not maintaining work. It grieves us to see young adults continually fall out of these programs and into homelessness because these resources are not long-term solutions to the problems these youth face. Authentic relationships and purposeful work are long-term solutions.
The proposed SNAP work requirements mandate that able-bodied adults, including former foster youth aged 18 and older, demonstrate 80 hours per month of work, training, or volunteering to remain eligible for benefits beyond three months. Critics argue that these requirements add bureaucratic burdens that could exacerbate food insecurity for vulnerable populations. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 270,000 individuals, including former foster youth, may lose SNAP benefits due to these changes.
When the government supports former foster youth, it’s often framed as a parental responsibility. But just as a wise parent sets boundaries, so too should the government. For example, a father might fund his daughter’s college education but require her to attend an approved school of his choice. A mother may offer her young adult child a monthly allowance to get groceries while transitioning to adulthood, while requiring the daughter to work full time.
Similarly, government aid often comes with conditions — such as employment, education, or program participation — to ensure accountability and sustainable growth. Expecting handouts without effort doesn’t build resilience or independence, just as a prudent parent knows that unconditional support without boundaries rarely leads to long-term success.
As the famous quote states, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” More plainly, we could offer youth handouts — or we could require them to maintain work while receiving these benefits, because through work they are taught the skills necessary to live a successful life, in turn breaking generational cycles of poverty.
When a population is not required to work because of the hardship they have endured, it sends a message: “Because of what you’ve been through, you have nothing or little to contribute.” On the other hand, work requirements for foster youth communicate a belief in their personhood, God-given purpose, and their ability to contribute to society.
In the foster care system, our instinct is to throw more money and resources at kids, rather than invest time to nurture a relationship with them. When we ask for more stipends and funds, it is sending a message to society that the government is responsible, not society. When a youth has a job, they have a place to gain relationships and skills for a successful future. Employers take on the responsibility of leading these young adults toward a sustainable lifestyle.
As a foster youth, I didn’t want handouts. I wanted people’s time and love. What more government assistance allows people to do is help at a distance. But these young adults aren’t charity cases. They are people with inherent worth and purpose, who deserve mentorship and opportunity through work.
Requiring work is not a detriment. Rather, work is a privilege, full of necessary life lessons like communication, timeliness, responsibility and so on. Work integrity — defined as the commitment to consistent effort and accountability — can profoundly impact foster youth by fostering a sense of purpose and agency. Employment, even part-time, provides structure, builds skills, and enhances self-esteem, which are critical for all individuals.
Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT Data Center, highlights that foster youth with employment at age 21 face lower risks of homelessness and poverty compared to their unemployed peers — but only 57% report being employed. This study also reports that 20%–30% of former foster youth experience homelessness by age 21, and suggests employment as a protective factor.
By requiring engagement in work or training, the SNAP policy could incentivize foster youth to develop habits of responsibility, potentially breaking cycles of dependency and instability.
For instance, Rebekka Behr’s story illustrates how access to SNAP, coupled with eventual career success, enabled her to transition off public assistance, underscoring the potential for work requirements to serve as a bridge to self-reliance. Work requirements won’t hold former foster youth back, it will propel them forward, giving them a foundation of what they truly need for a successful future.
As Americans, we have a special responsibility to support foster youth by equipping them with the tools to succeed. Work integrity, cultivated through structured opportunities, can instill a sense of purpose and resilience. By combining work requirements with targeted support — such as job placement services or educational stipends — we can honor our duty to foster youth, helping them not only survive but thrive in a society that values hard work and responsibility.
