Last week, the House Financial Services Committee unanimously voted to send “The Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act (H.R. 4300) (FSHO) to the House for a full vote. FSHO would give preference in housing vouchers to youth transitioning from foster care. The bill, which has bipartisan support, led by Congressman Mike Turner (D-OH) and Steve Stivers
On September 20, 2019 a Federal District Court in Maryland rejected a challenge to Maryland’s recent law that prohibits conversion therapy of minor children. A Maryland psychotherapist, Christopher Doyle, claimed that the law violated his religious freedom. The plaintiff was supported by the Liberty Counsel based in Orlando Florida. Conversion therapy generally seeks to change
The findings of the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSR) report, Focus on Youth CFSR Findings: 2015-2017, published by the Children’s Bureau details how child welfare agencies are working with older youth between the ages of 16 and 17 in foster care. The report addressed the following questions: (1) How well do agencies meet the
On Wednesday, September 18, 2019, the Juvenile Law Center hosted a panel discussion on H.R.2300: Eliminating Debtor’s Prison for Kids Act of 2019. Sponsored by Congressman Tony Cardenas (D-CA), H.R. 2300 incentivizes states to end the costs, fines, and fees associated with the juvenile justice system—which are particularly harmful to children living in low-income and
On Tuesday, September 17, MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership (MENTOR) and the Schultz Family Foundation with the Congressional Youth Mentoring Caucus briefing “Workplace Ready: The Value of Mentoring in Improving Performance,” featured speakers to discussed the impact of workforce mentoring on young employees, companies and community partners. Speakers included Kelly Pavich from the Marriott Foundation,
On Sunday, September 22, Kidsave will be featured in the A&E Television Network docu-series “The Day I Picked My Parents.” This documentary series is about the lives of older children who struggle to find families because of their age. It shines a light on the numerous challenges and hard-fought triumphs of these kids who’ve lived
CWLA continues to engage with committee staff and member offices on a pathway forward to address the proposed legislation. At this time, it is critical that we unite in our message – the Family First Transition and Support Act must pass as a comprehensive package, including the “de-link” from the 1996 AFDC eligibility requirements for
On August 5, the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare hosted the webinar “FUP and FYI: Overview and Getting Started.” Last week the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) introduced the Foster Youth to Independence Initiative (FYI) to prevent homelessness among youth, who are aging out of foster care without a stable
On July 1, 2019 the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies) held a report launch for The Promise of Adolescence: Realizing Opportunity for All Youth. There were three panels, including Sandra Gasca-Gonzalez from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, July Diers from the Ford Foundation Stanford undergraduate and publication cover artist
On July 16, the Civil Rights and Human Services Subcommittee held a hearing entitled Strengthening Federal Support to End Youth Homelessness. Chairwoman Bonamici (D-OR) stated in her opening statement that it is a “responsibility to provide every child and youth with a safe and stable environment to learn and grow.” She noted that the Runaway
