John J. Faso: “I come before the House today to express support and ask my colleagues to support our legislation, H.R. 2847, the…”

“I come before the House today to express support and ask my colleagues to support our legislation, H.R. 2847, the Improving Services for Older Youth in Foster Care Act. I would also like to acknowledge and thank the cosponsors of this legislation, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass), the gentleman from New York (Mr. Reed), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis), the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Lawrence), and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Cartwright). Our legislation is designed to help support older foster youth as they transition into adulthood by making limited but much-needed changes to the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program. While the Chafee program has largely enhanced outcomes for former foster youth, there is still room for improvement. Of the individuals who age out of foster care, nearly 20 percent will be homeless after 18, only half will be employed at age 24, and less than 3 percent will earn a college degree. This legislation seeks to improve on those results. If enacted, our legislation would support the education of foster youth who leave care by extending the age of eligibility for education and training vouchers up to the age of 26. By changing the eligibility, we can help improve employment outcomes and job opportunities for older youth as they leave the system.…”