On February 22nd, 2023, Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Susan Collins (R-ME) released a call to action regarding housing for youth in the foster care system who are transition age. Both senators are members of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, of which Senator Klobuchar serves as the co-chair, which is the largest bipartisan, bicameral caucus in Congress. In a letter addressed to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Senators requested more provisions for housing for youth who are at risk of experiencing homelessness due to aging out of foster care.
The senators went on to commend the Foster Youth to Independence initiative but brought awareness to the barriers and delays into accessing the program’s vouchers and asked that these concerns be addressed. Specifically, their letter asked for an update to HUD’s initiatives to increase housing security for those aging out of foster care or those who have aged out since 2019. The senators also directly asked for an update on what HUD is doing to ensure youth of transition age are made aware of the resources that may be available to them.
By Chris Bennett, Policy Intern
