Post by ashliy on Feb 13, 2022 14:31:37 GMT
Children who age out of foster care in Hampton Roads are ending up homeless.
RICHMOND — Roughly 400 children age out of foster care each year in Virginia, and a local legislator is working to ensure they all have a safety net to keep them off the streets.
Del. Anne Ferrell Tata, R-Virginia Beach, introduced a bill that would provide a $470 monthly housing allowance for six months to teens leaving the foster system. The legislation received bipartisan support and passed the House of Delegates on Tuesday.
“These are very vulnerable kids who can fall through the cracks,” Tata told The Virginian-Pilot. “We have a lot of moms and dads in the House of Delegates and I think the bill really resonated with parents.”
Teens aging out of traditional foster care have some assistance in Virginia. Fostering Futures, a program offered by the Department of Social Services, lets young adults stay within the system until they turn 21. Those who want to participate must register for the program, regularly go to school or work and attend a variety of meetings.
In an interview with the Pilot, Mark Stevens, executive director of Standup for Kids, said many of the homeless youth they help in Hampton Roads aged out of foster care. He said his organization recently took in an 18-year-old girl who aged out of the system in August. She quickly sought support from a man she met online who offered to care for her. Instead, she became a victim of human trafficking.
www.pilotonline.com/government/virginia/vp-nw-statehouse-children-housing-20220210-ctoj3ujuvczxcyfwp7x5e4utu-story.html
This shouldn't be happening.
RICHMOND — Roughly 400 children age out of foster care each year in Virginia, and a local legislator is working to ensure they all have a safety net to keep them off the streets.
Del. Anne Ferrell Tata, R-Virginia Beach, introduced a bill that would provide a $470 monthly housing allowance for six months to teens leaving the foster system. The legislation received bipartisan support and passed the House of Delegates on Tuesday.
“These are very vulnerable kids who can fall through the cracks,” Tata told The Virginian-Pilot. “We have a lot of moms and dads in the House of Delegates and I think the bill really resonated with parents.”
Teens aging out of traditional foster care have some assistance in Virginia. Fostering Futures, a program offered by the Department of Social Services, lets young adults stay within the system until they turn 21. Those who want to participate must register for the program, regularly go to school or work and attend a variety of meetings.
In an interview with the Pilot, Mark Stevens, executive director of Standup for Kids, said many of the homeless youth they help in Hampton Roads aged out of foster care. He said his organization recently took in an 18-year-old girl who aged out of the system in August. She quickly sought support from a man she met online who offered to care for her. Instead, she became a victim of human trafficking.
www.pilotonline.com/government/virginia/vp-nw-statehouse-children-housing-20220210-ctoj3ujuvczxcyfwp7x5e4utu-story.html
This shouldn't be happening.