UPDATE: This package of bills, now titles the Fostering the Future Act in line with a recent Trump executive order, has passed the House.
The House Ways and Means Committee approved a slate of legislation aimed at updating the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood, a federal program supporting current and former foster youth.
“Young adults who age out of foster care at age 18 experience high rates of homelessness and are less likely to graduate from high school, gain employment, or enroll in post-secondary education compared to their peers,” committee Chairman Jason Smith, a Republican from Missouri, said at the hearing. “Foster youth deserve the same chance at a good education, meaningful work, and fulfilling relationships as every other child in America.”
The committee took a similar approach a few years back in reauthorizing Title IV-B, another federal child welfare funding stream that supports a range of services including prevention, reunification, and post-adoption support.
The Chafee Act, and related federal programs dating back as far as 1986, were developed to address the fact that thousands of foster youth age out into adulthood every year.
This package of Chafee bills does not include any increase in overall funding under the law, which has essentially remained steady at around $180 million since the 1990s, except for a one-time surge of $400 million during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Of that, $140 million goes to independent living support and just over $40 million is for Education and Training Vouchers (ETV) that help current and former foster youth afford college.
These bills, which began to trickle into the hopper in February, do include tweaks to allowable uses and eligibility status for Chafee funds — sought by advocacy groups and First Lady Melania Trump, who met earlier in April with the committee to discuss Chafee.
“I made a commitment to the First Lady that this Committee will advance reforms to Chafee. Today, we are following through on that commitment,” Smith said. “The bipartisan bills before us are solutions that better help foster youth lead independent lives.”
Foster Youth Housing Opportunity Act: Would enable states to spend a portion of their Chafee allotment on housing support services, such as financial counseling and covering up-front costs like a security deposit or utility connection fees. States are already allowed to use 30% of their Chafee funds on “room and board” costs for foster youth; this amendment would allow them to spend on these support services outside of that cap.
Foster Youth Postsecondary Education Access and Success Act: Would more than double the maximum ETV award from $5,000 to $12,000. It’s the same amount the award was temporarily increased to during the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, as part of the stimulus package signed by President Trump during his first term.
The bill also inserts a “reasonable efforts” requirement for states to “ensure that eligible youth are aware” of ETV grants; instructs the Department of Health and Human Services to simplify the application form, and permits states to offer a grace period for youth if reasonable circumstances have temporarily prevented them from meeting their state’s satisfactory academic progress requirements.
Foster Youth Workforce Opportunity Act: Would enable Chafee ETV funds to be spent on remedial education, high school equivalency, or preparation for an apprenticeship program. Importantly, it also enables youth who are supported in these ways to obtain an extra year of Chafee eligibility.
Fresh Starts for Foster Youth Act: Would require states to consider legal issues affecting older foster youth as part of case planning, and enable them to use Chafee to help fund legal representation and counseling.
Support for Expectant and Parenting Foster Youth Act: Would enable Chafee funding to be used to help connect pregnant or parenting foster youth with home visiting programs funded by another federal program called Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting, or MIECHV.
Chafee Opportunities for New Networks and Existing Connection Trust: Would add two new allowable uses for the funds that states receive through the federal Chafee program, which was created to support the transition to adulthood for older youth in foster care. The new purposes:
- Helping youth who have been in foster care at age 14 or older develop “sustained, supportive relationships” with adults, mentors and peer groups.
- Supporting older foster youth to participate in developing their permanency plans, and provide them with written information about available services and steps the agency is taking to support the plan.