Aging Out is Not a Plan: Reimagining Futures for Foster Youth

House Subcommittee on Work and Welfare

2025-06-12

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Source: Congress.gov

Summary

This hearing of the Work and Welfare Subcommittee focused on reimagining futures for foster youth, with a particular emphasis on the challenges they face when aging out of the system and the need to modernize support programs like the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood (Chafee)[ 00:13:12 ] . Witnesses shared personal experiences and highlighted innovative programs, underscoring the critical need for comprehensive support, coordinated services, and robust funding to ensure successful transitions to adulthood for foster youth.

Themes

Challenges Faced by Foster Youth

Many foster youth face significant challenges, including a high risk of homelessness, lower educational attainment, and a lack of permanent family connections upon aging out of care[ 00:15:20 ]

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. Approximately 15,600 youth aged out of foster care in 2023 without stable family ties, leading to negative outcomes such as homelessness within four years for about 25% of former foster youth[ 00:15:20 ]

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. Educational disparities are also prominent, with only 79% of foster youth obtaining a high school diploma compared to 92% of their peers[ 00:16:16 ]

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. Additionally, former foster youth often struggle with transportation, obtaining vital documents, and managing their mental health, issues exacerbated by fragmented support systems and a lack of information about available resources.

Importance of Support Systems and Relationships

Personalized support, meaningful relationships, and community connections are crucial for foster youth transitioning to adulthood[ 00:14:59 ]

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. The Missouri Royals Program, for instance, provides specialized case management, one-on-one life skills coaching, and fosters youth leadership, helping young people feel valued and empowered. Peer support and mentorship, as exemplified by Foster Club and fraternity brothers, offer a sense of belonging and provide valuable information and emotional backing. There is a recognized need for specialized case managers dedicated to older foster youth to address their unique developmental needs and foster trust.

Modernizing and Improving the Chafee Program and Related Federal Policies

The Chafee program, while vital, requires modernization to better serve foster youth[ 00:14:46 ]

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. A significant issue is the underutilization of funds, with states returning millions in unspent Chafee and Education and Training Vouchers (ETV) funds due to administrative barriers and a lack of awareness among youth[ 00:16:45 ]

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. Suggested improvements include increasing annual funding caps, expanding ETV-eligible programs to include trade and technical pathways, updating funding formulas to reflect the number of eligible older youth, and clarifying policies to allow for best practices like specialized case management. Better coordination between federal programs like Chafee, Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) housing vouchers, and Department of Labor initiatives is also essential to create a seamless safety net.

Success Stories and Best Practices

Despite systemic challenges, programs and individual efforts demonstrate the potential for positive outcomes. Foster Success, for example, has achieved a 30% post-secondary credential completion rate for ETV students through streamlined processes and holistic human support, significantly higher than the national average. Foster Forward's Works Wonders program provides trauma-informed career pathways, offering coaching, peer support, and assistance with housing and employment, leading to 74% of youth reaching positive outcomes. These successes highlight the effectiveness of programs that are relational, developmentally appropriate, and youth-powered.

Tone of the Meeting

The tone of the meeting was largely supportive, bipartisan, and empathetic[ 00:13:48 ]

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. Speakers consistently emphasized the importance of listening to the lived experiences of foster youth and expressed gratitude for their willingness to share their stories. There was a shared commitment to improving federal policies and programs to better support vulnerable children and ensure they achieve their full potential[ 00:13:48 ]

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. While acknowledging the severe challenges faced by foster youth, the discussions also conveyed a sense of hope and determination to implement effective solutions.

Participants

Transcript

Our Work and Welfare Subcommittee hearing will come to order.  I want to welcome everybody here today.  The title of our hearing is Aging Out is Not a Plan, Reimagining Futures for Foster Youth.  And a special thank you and welcome to our witnesses here today.  Before we begin, I want to welcome any delegates that are here shadowing members of Congress as part of Foster Youth Shadow Day, which is organized by the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth.   Our colleague from Wisconsin, Rep.  Gwen Moore, is a co-chair of the caucus, and we appreciate her longstanding efforts to ensure the voices of youth are heard.  My name is Darren LaHood, and I represent Illinois' 16th District, which covers much of central and northwestern parts of Illinois.  Today's hearing continues the subcommittee's tradition of bipartisanship to support vulnerable children in America and improve outcomes for families.   As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Work and Welfare, I'm deeply proud to have worked last Congress with Ranking Member Danny Davis and members of the committee to reauthorize Title IV-B.  By passing the law, the bipartisan, quote, Supporting America's Children and Families Act, unquote,   was the law that went into effect last year.  That law included a number of policies specifically focused on youth, including extending eligibility for services until age 26, ensuring foster youth have individualized plans that account for their mental health needs, and promoting state youth advisory boards.  We know more work remains to be done and look forward to working this Congress to modernize and enhance   the John H. Chaffee Foster Care Program.  Created in 1999, Chaffee provides current and former foster youth with independent living services and other supports to help them gain employment, obtain housing, and create meaningful connections with adults.  Chaffee also makes available education and training vouchers, which offer current and former foster youth up to $5,000 for the costs of higher education.
A young person's transition to adulthood is a pivotal moment in their life.  Yet in 2023, 15,600 youth aged out of foster care, meaning they exited foster care at age 18   without a permanent connection to family.  Aging out is not a plan.  Foster youth who age out are one of the most vulnerable populations in this country and are disproportionately more likely than their peers to have negative outcomes.  Some refer to foster youth as, quote, a highway to homelessness, unquote.  Alarming data shows that approximately 25% of former foster youth experience homelessness within four years of leaving foster care.   Other concerning data found that only 79% of foster youth obtained a high school diploma compared to 92% of their peers.  While the number of youth aging out has decreased over the years, we must do better to improve outcomes for this population.  Despite unmet need, a recent report by GAO found that for years, states have failed to spend all available Chaffee funds, resulting in funds being returned to the federal government.   This chart behind me here shows in 2022, 12 states returned $2.5 million in unspent Chaffee funds, and 28 states returned $6.3 million in education and training vouchers, totaling $8.9 million.   State underutilization of funds means that help is not getting to the youth who need it.  GAO-found administrative barriers and red tape make it difficult for states to draw down funds, and many youth don't even know about the services available to them.  In my home state of Illinois, only 5% of foster youth receive Chafee services at any point in their time in care.  We also know that many federal programs that serve current and former foster youth   are fragmented and disconnected, leaving youth to navigate a complex web of services.
For example, the Department of Housing and Urban Development offers, quote, foster youth to independence, unquote, housing vouchers, which provide 36 months of housing stability for former foster youth referred by child welfare agencies.  Similar, the Department of Labor offers Chaffee eligible youth paid work experience and pre-apprenticeship programs that align with the needs of local employers.   but these programs often lack coordination.  Following the model of bipartisan success from Title IV-B reauthorization, my hope is that we can work together to improve Chaffey, to provide a stronger safety net of support to help youth achieve their full potential and become thriving, self-sufficient, and independent adults.  That should be our goal.  I want to thank our witnesses for being here today to exemplify the voices of foster youth,   in our country and to highlight innovative programs.  I am honored to have our witnesses here today and look forward to your testimony here today.  With that, I'm pleased to recognize the ranking member, my friend from Illinois, Danny Davis.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and let me thank you for calling this very important hearing.  I also will note that it has been my pleasure to work alongside you as we have continued to move the needle and make progress in behalf of our children.  Let me welcome all of the witnesses.  We are delighted that you're here and look forward to hearing your testimony.  Foster care should be a last   resort.  When foster care is necessary, we have a legal and moral obligation to act in the best interest of the child.  The best interest of children and youth is not limited to only food on the table, a warm place to sleep, or a path to employment.

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