Rogers / 1 Senator Adamson

S.S._____

A BILL
To extend foster care to 21 years old nationwide, with the requirement that foster teenagers undergo a mandated
substance abuse program before entering the extension program.
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE
This act may be cited as the Prevention of Homelessness Act of 2017.
SECTION 2. FINDINGS
Congress hereby finds and declares that,
1) Staying in foster care until the age of 21 makes youth 2.7% less likely to become homeless.
2) Youth who age out of foster care have anywhere from 11% to 36% chance of having at least one homelessness
encounter.
3) Frequent change in foster care causes instability, which harms youths abilities to connect with supporting adults in
their communities for when they age out the foster system.
4) 71% of LA homeless youth were found to have a drug or alcohol addiction.
5) Double the amount of homeless youth who abuse alcohol or drugs attempt suicide at up to 51.2% as opposed to
25.6% of non runaways.
6) Homeless addicts have the possibility of being arrested for their substance abuse, making it even more unlikely for
them to get a job.
7) Homelessness in former foster care youth can be minimized by implementing transitional programs that train work
skills and have strong role models.
8) The first year of ageing out of foster care, around of former foster care youths experience some form of
homelessness.
9) Shelters prevent homeless youth from staying there that smoke, drink, or do drugs.
10) Black youths and female youths are at the highest risk for becoming homeless in the state of Wisconsin after
aging out of the foster care system.
11) The odds that the foster youth in Illinois would attend college by age 21 were about four times higher than for
those in Iowa or Wisconsin (Where youth had to leave foster care at 18).
12) The accumulated benefits from the Foster Care to 21 program total $38,187 per participant. Given program costs
of $7,397 per participant, we calculate an overall net benefit of $30,790, or $5.16 of benefits for each dollar invested.
13) In some jurisdictions, youth receive little more than referrals to community-based agencies or other resources
after aging out
14) Youth enrolled in foster care until 21 were more likely to exit foster homes with a GPA of 3.0 or greater,
graduated from high school or with a GED, and attend college in the year after graduation
SECTION 3. STATUTORY LANGUAGE
A) The Prevention of Homelessness Act of 2017 shall extend the courts jurisdiction to a ward of the state who has
been placed into foster care until the nonminor reaches 21 years of age. This bill shall apply to current or former
wards of the state between 18 and 21 years of age, who are currently participating in foster care, or have recently left
after reaching the former age of majority. This bill shall require that all wards of the state undergoing this program
complete a mandatory substance abuse program before participating in the transitional independent living case plan
pursuant to the federal act.
B) This program shall be funded by available federal, state, and county funds, including title IV-E funding.
Individual states have foster care program funding acts currently in place, this funding shall be extended to the new
majority age of 21.
C) The Prevention of Homelessness Act of 2017 shall be enacted on January 1, 2017. There is no expiration date for
this bill.