If Illinois can do it, we can too!
The Chron ran a story Saturday discussing an issue we included in the second issue of Ethsix*: transition-age youth in foster care and the need to improve services available to them. In the story, writer Julian Guthrie discusses the bill introduced by Sen. Barbara Boxer that would extend foster care benefit services to age 21 instead of 18, giving kids a few extra (optional) years to grow and learn and benefit from the programs before being tossed out into the big scary world (avoid it as long as you can, kids!). According to the Chron, a few states, including Illinois and Iowa, have already started enforcing similar programs with state money.
Personally, I’m all for anything that offers more support for kids in foster care, a system that most people agree is strained and under-funded. The years between ages 18 and 21 are huge developmentally, and a little extra help in vocational and life training can’t possibly hurt. Plus, it’s likely to keep those kids “aging out” of the system off the streets (as in the case of the Chron’s first interviewee, Kristal McCoy).
The article also introduces the nine foster care overhaul bills that are currently sitting on the Gov’s desk for approval or veto by Oct. 14, which would help generally protect the vulnerable percentage of the child population currently in foster care. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that they all go through!
