{UAH} ENDING THE OBAMA BIDEN ABANDONING OF FOSTER YOUTHS

Under Trump, foster youth are no longer forgotten

by Alyssa Farah

 

August 05, 2020 12:00 AM

 

According to the most recent data, 437,000 children in the United States are in the foster care system. While many of these children are either reunited with their families or adopted each year, approximately 20,000 young adults age out of the foster care system. For many of these young people, independence means significant personal and financial difficulties.

According to the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare, 25% of children who age out of the foster care system face homelessness. An even higher number are on the cusp, barely holding onto the housing they do have.

This tragic reality is unacceptable in America. Since day one, President Trump and first lady Melania Trump have worked to ensure that no one is forgotten or falls through the cracks, especially young people in the foster system. Under their leadership, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson created a new program to provide a bridge for those aging out of foster care, with the goal of preventing homelessness among young people. The Foster Youth to Independence Initiative, or FYI, provides housing assistance and other support services to young people aging out of our child welfare system.

Since its launch last July, the program has awarded vouchers to 677 individuals in 26 states, equating in $5.4 million in funding to prevent homelessness for young people under the age of 25 who have recently left the foster care system.

Living on the streets is no way to start the path toward independence. There are skills taught to each of us by parents or mentors that we may take for granted. Not only does the FYI program provide safe housing, but it also provides supportive services to help vulnerable young people achieve self-sufficiency. Working with other local resources, the program helps communities to offer activities centered on life skills and job preparation. As part of FYI, young people also receive educational and career counseling by harnessing the tools already available in communities across the nation and making them more easily accessible to those who need them most.

We’ve met with foster youth, and we’ve seen this program’s real impact, today, on those who were previously in dire circumstances. One such individual is Kacie. Kacie’s mom died when she was 13 years old. At age 16, Kacie was placed in foster care after she ran away from home to escape abuse. When she turned 18 years old, Kacie faced a terrifying future: She was pregnant, and she was close to losing her foster housing. But Kacie’s foster care caseworker helped her to work with the local housing authorities to secure an FYI voucher. Now, she has safe housing for her and her new baby. Kacie’s housing security is allowing her to turn her attention to the future, and she hopes to study to one day become an X-ray technician.

Success stories such as Kacie’s are happening across the nation, thanks to the work of the president, the first lady, and Carson. Although it may not make headlines or front-page news every day, the Trump administration has prioritized the needs of too-often-forgotten young men and women such as Kacie who need a break, a hand up, to help them on their journey to adulthood. Kacie has such a bright future, and this administration is honored to have lent a hand.

It can be scary to step out of adolescence and into adulthood without the support of family. The last thing these young men and women who have already suffered extreme hardship should be worried about is where they will lay their heads at night. Under Trump’s leadership, we are working to ensure their safety, security, and future.

Alyssa Farah is the White House communications director and assistant to the president.

EM         -> { Trump for 2020 }

On the 49^th Parallel          

                 Thé Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni, Ssabassajja and Dr. Kiiza Besigye, Uganda is in anarchy"
                    Kuungana Mulindwa Mawasiliano Kikundi
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