Letter to the Editor: Rita Soronen

Ohio needs a foster-to-college scholarship program; it's urgent
Columbus Dispatch, October 16, 2024, page A9.

More than 3,500 children are waiting to be adopted from foster care in Ohio right now and nearly 1,000 young people will age out this year.

The Dave Thomas Foundation is committed to dramatically increasing the number of adoptions so that children will have safe, permanent homes before they age out.

Ohio has an opportunity to pass new legislation to enact the Foster-to-College Scholarship program, which will make adoption more accessible to families.

By covering the cost of attending any post-secondary or workforce training for students who were in foster care as teenagers, the program relieves the financial burden placed on adoptive families and empowers them to support all their children, including those who were adopted.

The cost of college has increased significantly, forcing parents to save for years.

Families considering adopting a teenager face a dilemma: How can we support each of our children to pursue their dreams, even if we haven't been saving for it?

This program will give parents the ability to help all their children reach their highest aspiration, regardless of their savings.

Many parents cannot afford to save at all and must take on debt to support their children.

For families considering adopting a teenager, relieving the financial burden of education loans in the future will make adoption more feasible today.

House Bill 164 and its companion Senate Bill 182 present an opportunity to invest in children who have endured abuse and neglect and experienced trauma, grief and loss in their lives.

With the support of caring adults, young people can overcome these adverse childhood experiences and become thriving adults who give back to their community.

Because this program would offer financial support for all types of workforce training beyond just a college degree, it will support young people to achieve a vision for their future, whatever their aspirations may be. And having hope in their future helps young people stay on a positive and constructive path throughout their teenage years.

Ohio's House of Representatives has shown their support for HB164. In June, it passed resoundingly, 85 to 5.

Now, the bill rests with Ohio's Senate.

We urge Ohio's senators to pass this legislation and create the Foster-to-College Scholarship program.

As we race against the clock to ensure that all children have a permanent home, I urge our legislators to view this proposal with urgency. Ohio is a thriving state and this is an investment that will pay dividends for generations.

Rita Soronen, Guest Columnist
Rita Soronen has led the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, a national nonprofit public charity, since 2001 and the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption-Canada since 2003.

Jamole Callahan and Rita Soronen

Cynthia attains U.S. Citizenship

Former FCCS Youth Protects Her Country, Fights for Future Foster Teens
News from Franklin County Children Services, August 30, 2024

For Private Second-Class Cynthia Louis Charles, this was no ordinary care package. In addition to a brand new pair of shoes, cleaning supplies, plus hair care and beauty products, the box included a framed photo of the Franklin County Children Services Youth Advisory Board (YAB) and a special message from FCCS staff and volunteers rooting for her success.

A former foster youth, Cynthia now serves in the U.S. Army Reserve Command and is studying at Columbus State Community College to become a dental hygienist.

She’s also a current member and past president of YAB and recipient of the 2022 FCCS Jack Donahue College scholarship.

Her desire to be self-sufficient led Cynthia to join the military. A native of Haiti, her enlistment in the armed forces expedited her journey to becoming a U.S. citizen and offered financial stability, including additional funding for college.

However, being in the Army Reserve Command has given Cynthia more than just security. She says it’s given her a foundation for taking on future responsibilities: “During training, I learned how to be disciplined and work as part of a team.”

As part of her seven-year contract, Cynthia is required to report for duty once a month and balance her service with classes and a part-time job at a campus cafe. She just recently reported back for more training in August and will join her new reserve unit in September.

Cynthia recently moved into Columbus State’s Scholar House, where former foster youth have their own apartments and receive support from dedicated staff. She’s eager for the responsibility to take care of a place all hers. “I even have a washing machine.”

Her next goal is to begin working with the Ohio Department of Job & Family Services Bridges program which provides “guidance and support as [foster youth] transition into adulthood.”

Cynthia is hoping this resource will help her navigate the challenges of the future. “I’m so still young, and I just want adult advice on stuff because I may have issues that I need to handle,” she said.

While Cynthia remains busy, she makes time to advocate for youth who are still in foster care because she’s grateful for those who helped her while she was in care.

Looking on her list for lobbying, Cynthia will join YAB members in advocating for Ohio House Bill 164, which aims to establish a foster-to-college scholarship program.

“I’m really looking forward to what’s going to happen in the future because of what YAB is doing now,” she said.

Miatta attains U.S. Citizenship

Former Foster Youth Pursues Citizenship, Education to Help Others
News from Franklin County Children Services, June 12, 2024.

Becoming a U.S. citizen has been a dream for 22-year-old Miatta Joe, a native of Sierra Leone who first experienced foster care at the age of 15.

Her hard work and persistence made that dream a reality, when she officially became an American citizen back in May and prepares to celebrate at her swearing-in ceremony in July.

And as a longtime member of the Franklin County Children Services Youth Advisory Board, she says she'll continue using her determination, education, and impassioned voice to speak for other young people in the child welfare system.

“Being a citizen is really a good thing for me because now I have the right to vote and work inside the government to help people,” Miatta shared, noting that she managed and funded the almost year-long process to become a US citizen on her own.

“I had to fill out a lot of forms, get a lot of documents, and do a lot of research,” she said.

Pursing a degree in Human Science at Columbus State Community College, she hopes to start a career in which she can help other youth. “I’m studying the brain so I can learn how it reacts to stuff like the things I went through. So I can help people like me.”

Coming to America as a child and experiencing significant family trauma, Miatta entered foster care at age 15. She often shares how she lived in multiple placements while dealing with mental health issues.

Miatta credits Ms. Valerie, whom she met at a group home, with inspiring her to take action to help herself. “She pushed me hard to get a part time job and start doing stuff for myself.”

“Being busy helped me get over my emotional trauma by distracting myself.”

This newfound self-determination at age 16 led Miatta to become part of the FCCS Youth Advisory Board, which is comprised of young people who either are currently in or have been in foster care. Members provide their insights to the agency’s administration, and being part of the group gives them a sense of empowerment and the ability to represent other FCCS youth by sharing their perspectives.

“We want to change things so the system works better for kids who are involved in it and who are leaving it,” she said.

Recently, Miatta and some of her fellow YAB members spoke out during a rally at the Ohio Statehouse for House Bill 164 which would create a college scholarship program for former foster youth.

Miatta credits FCCS staff among those who have helped her pursue her goals. YAB advisors Deric Cobb and Asia Davis “are pushing me hard in life,” she said. “They are the people who will be there for me if I call.”

“It has been a pleasure working alongside Miatta,” shared Ms. Davis. “She brings a lot of joy, energy, and enthusiasm to the team, and she relishes her role as the senior member of the Youth Advisory Board.”

When asked what she would say to others who have experienced trauma and are involved in the child welfare system, Miatta said: “Work hard, never give up, and keep your head held high. You’re not the only one going through what you’re going through, and people care about you. There’s a bright future ahead.” 

Richland County graduates prepare for college

Richland County Children Services celebrates high school graduates in their care
Lou Whitmire, Mansfield News Journal, June 22, 2024.

Six students in the care of Richland County Children Services had a special graduation celebration Thursday afternoon at the agency at 731 Scholl Road.

Five of the six students were able to attend the ceremony, complete with food, family members, cake and presents as Children Services staff stopped by to congratulate them.

Destiny Milton was among six high school graduates in the care of Richland County Children Services who were given a graduation celebration at the agency Thursday. With Milton is, center, caseworker Chelsey Frost and Milton's aunt, Traci Trumpower.

Recently married Destiny Milton is a 2024 graduate of Ontario High School who attended Pioneer Career & Technology School, where she received a certificate in welding.

She has just completed orientation at Whirlpool in Marion and is excited about beginning her new job.

Milton, 18, said her mom and uncle worked in factories and her late grandpa would be proud of her career choice.

Six high school graduates in the care of Richland County Children Services were given a graduation celebration Thursday at the agency. Left to right, James Hettinger, Cameron Barnett, Destiny (Barr) Milton, Ayden Fowler and Josh Reedy, Not pictured is Ivy Bistline.

"I want to become a firefighter," said Milton, who stopped by a Mansfield fire station to learn more about what she needs to do. "In the fall I want to get my EMT certification."

Milton's aunt, Traci Trumpower, said she and her husband are so proud of Destiny.

"We're happy to see the successes she's had," Trumpower said.

Seated at their table was Richland Services' Chelsey Frost, whom Milton said "was the best caseworker."

Cameron Barnett, 17, said he just graduated from Buckeye Community School on Park Avenue West. He plans to attend OSU Newark campus to study architectural science.

Cameron said he likes drawing, writing and is very good at fixing things.

His foster mother, Bobi Ginn, said Cameron fixed her broken doors and door frames at her trailer.

"He's only been with me since Monday," she said.

Cameron, who was drawing on a sketch pad while he chatted with graduates James Hettinger and Josh Reedy, said he is ready to take on new challenges.

Cameron said Hettinger is a former foster brother, and he knew Reedy as a former classmate at Thurgood High School in Dayton.

Reedy will attend Wilberforce University where he plans to study business administration and music.

Hettinger is seeking employment now that he is out of high school. Ayden Fowler is going to work at School Specialty.

Michelle Miller, executive director of Richland County Child and Family Counsel, brought a gift basket for each graduate. Laptops were given to a couple of students who are headed to college along with school supplies.

Graduate Ivy Bistline, who was not able to attend, plans to attend The Ohio State University and major in social work.

UC Blue Ash and Antioch College join the list of SW schools to earn Ohio Reach Designation

More area colleges are being recognized for assisting students from the foster care system
Zack Carreon, 91.7 WVXU, July 1, 2024.

Jaleshia Brown graduated from UC Blue Ash in 2021

This year, UC Blue Ash and Antioch College have joined the growing list of southwest Ohio schools to earn the Ohio Reach Postsecondary Designation, joining Miami University and Wright State.

Ohio Reach is a network of advocates for youth from the foster care system administered by the Ohio Children's Alliance. The organization provides them with access to higher education opportunities.

A designation from Ohio Reach means the school is recognized for its work to assist former foster care students and can receive additional support from the organization to further improve its programs.

Since schools began receiving designations in 2023, 40 institutions across the state have earned the honor so far.

Laurie Malone, Academic Advising Director at UC Blue Ash says that designation is a big deal. That's especially true for schools like Blue Ash that have a large population of first-generation college students, some of which come from the foster care system. UC Blue Ash has identified 40 students as foster care alumni, but there could be more.

"We believe there's more students that are already here," Malone told WVXU. "With this new destination, this is giving us opportunities for resources to build trust with our students."

Colleges with programs like these can offer monetary support, food, and sometimes even housing to ease the financial burden on students. Jaleshia Brown, a former foster kid, and 2021 UC Blue Ash graduate says this kind of support can dramatically improve a student's chances of success in higher education, but getting students on board can be a challenge.

"It's not always easy for us to accept that help because we've been let down so many times," Brown said. "We may not be that forthcoming with the information."

Brown says too often, foster kids don't want to disclose their background and can sometimes suffer in silence instead of asking for help.

Brown had been in the foster care system since she was a young child, frequently bouncing from foster home to foster home where the rules were always changing. She says her childhood was filled with instability, trauma, and abuse. Once she reached her teens, she had an idea of where she wanted to go in life but there were many obstacles.

After high school, she had a child and struggled to find success in college largely due to a lack of money and support. As a single mother and student, she experienced homelessness and for a time lived in her car while getting an associate degree at Cincinnati State and continuing her education at Blue Ash.

While she was in college, academic advisors were there to help and connect her to needed resources, but there was still something missing.

"The supports were there. Everybody was doing their job, but there was no actual connection to actually help me through that," Brown said.

That's why she's so excited about the Ohio Reach Designation. Brown, who now works professionally with foster kids says a school can only receive the destination if it meets certain criteria like having a designated campus liaison. The destination also provides training for school staff so they can better understand the challenges students face coming out of the foster care system. That can make all the difference.

"Just someone who's genuinely there for us and that just keeps showing that, 'Hey, no matter how much you push me away, or want me here or don't want me here, or whatever. I'm still here and I have these resources for you,'" Brown told WVXU.

Craig Bennett, Senior Director of Student Success at Miami University says the Ohio Reach name is trusted by students leaving foster care, which makes seeking help less intimidating. When marketing to high school counselors and students, Miami puts the Ohio Reach logo right next to its own.

"Students from foster recognize the Ohio Reach symbol and automatically recognize that there's somebody on campus who understands and has worked with other foster care students," Bennett said. "It allows students to make a decision on where they want to attend."

Miami and UC Blue Ash agree providing these students with the tools they need will encourage more foster kids to pursue their education, which will in turn make college campuses more diverse.

Brown wants to see more money put into programs across the state so more colleges can intervene in students' lives earlier and set them on a path with fewer challenges. She believes students like her have a lot of strengths they can bring to the academic world, they only need the opportunity.

"They're survivors, they're fighters, and they adapt. They have been their whole lives," she said. "And that's all you need to start."

UC Blue Ash receives Ohio Reach Postsecondary Designation

UC Blue Ash to provide additional support for students who were in foster care:
College first in Hamilton County to receive Ohio Reach Postsecondary Designation
June 18, 2024

Jaleshia Brown is a foster care alumnus who earned degrees in criminal justice
from UC Blue Ash and UC Uptown.

As the number of foster children who graduate high school is growing locally, the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College is adding resources designed to support their success in higher education.

UC Blue Ash has received Ohio Reach Postsecondary Designation from the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE). It is one of only 40 Ohio campuses to earn this designation, and it’s the only one in Hamilton County.

The news comes as more kids who have been in the foster care system are finishing high school. Hamilton County Job & Family Services reports that 82 foster children graduated from area high schools this spring, which sets a new record for the county.

Ohio Reach is a network of professionals, advocates and students across the state that support former foster youth on their higher education journey. The network provides resources to institutions of higher education, child welfare agencies and foster care alumni enrolled in higher education to support their academic success.

The Ohio Reach designation is reserved for colleges and universities meeting criteria that depict their support of students with experience in foster care. It includes a $2,500 award from ODHE to develop programming for foster care alumni.

ODHE notes that criteria for receiving the designation includes:

• A designated campus liaison
• Champions in various campus departments
• The ability to connect students to resources (basic needs, food, housing)
• Community-building opportunities for students
• Targeted outreach to students and efforts to identify and support them
• Expanding the eligibility of on-campus services
• Staff training on working with alumni of foster care
• Succession/transition planning
• Data collection
• Mentorship

“The Ohio Reach designation is so important because it gives us the resources to support our students who are foster alumni, and it helps us connect them with statewide services and develop special programming at our college,” said Laurie Malone, director of Academic Advising at UC Blue Ash and the designated campus liaison for Ohio Reach. “It also helps us build trust — it gives us legitimacy and shows that we have the commitment and resources to make a difference. We can really do a lot of good with this.”

The designation also offers a sign of hope to foster care alumni who are fighting the odds as they look for the opportunity to pursue their college degree.

“The college graduation rate is so low for current and former foster youth because it is hard to thrive and focus on school when you are constantly in survival mode — trying to figure out where your next meal is coming from or where you are going to lay your head at night,” said Jaleshia Brown, a foster care alumnus who earned her associate degree in criminal justice from UC Blue Ash and her bachelor’s degree from UC while graduating with honors.

She benefitted from funding through the state that is specifically for current or former foster children. “Many of us are the first in our families to attend college. Ohio Reach allows us to be the first in our families to graduate college.”

Brown works as a coordinator for the Hamilton County Youth Advisory Board, an advocacy group for current and former foster youth that is working to improve the foster care system and influence policy change.

Malone notes that the programming at UC Blue Ash will include welcome packages for new students, financial aid workshops, networking events with other foster care alumni and support with finding housing or various community resources. She hopes the designation will also help the college in identifying students who were in foster care so they can apply for Education Training Vouchers (ETVs) through the state. The ETVs provide up to $5,000 per year for foster alumni who are currently in college. Emergency relief funding of up to $1,500 per year is also available through Ohio Reach.

“Identifying our students who have experience with foster care can be challenging,” said Malone. “We’re adding a question about this to our new student orientation materials, and we’re working on ways to better identify current students so they can apply for an ETV and access other resources available through the state. A lot of students could be eligible for funding that is specific to this population but just don’t know about it.”

Learn more about the Ohio Reach Postsecondary Designation, including a map of Ohio Reach schools.

Article about Scholar House 3

Helping foster children land on their feet
Reporter Jackie Gillis, NBC4, June 11, 2024. 

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — For foster youth, finding stability once leaving the system might be a challenge. The Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) is working to address that need. 

The Columbus Scholar House for former foster youth has been around for a few years now. It offers housing to those who were previously in foster care but are now enrolled in two or four-year universities. 

While one current resident, Nevaeh Fernan, grew up in a loving household, a lot happened that ended up with Fernan experiencing homelessness. She found herself couch surfing and not knowing what was next for her. 

Growing up, school was her safe space and she was determined to continue her education. 

“I always had this plan to be a social worker, but I never knew what it would take to get there. I never knew if I could afford it. I never knew what it would look like,” Fernan said. 

One thing she struggled with was stability; she never knew where her next meal would come from or even where she’d spend the night. Because of that, she actually enjoyed her time in foster care.

“I was allowed to be me. I knew when my next meal was going to be and they just wanted to see me grow,” she said.

Fernan tried to enroll in universities a few different times, but she couldn’t financially afford it. When she learned about Scholar House, she found her new safe space. 

“I don’t have to worry about where I’m going to sleep. I don’t have to worry about boundaries, like setting up boundaries and having that emotional security. It’s definitely been a game changer,” said Fernan. 

Gavin Eberhardt, an on-site case manager, said when he works with residents at Scholar House, he likes to make sure they’re set up for success. 

“I tend to do financial budgeting with the students,” he said. “I tend to take students to job and career fairs as well. I make sure that all the students have food, so food will never be a priority or would never be a barrier with the students.”

Eberhardt said leaving the foster care system can be a pivotal time in someone’s life. For a lot of them, this is their first time renting an apartment and so that can be a challenge.

‘They really don’t know what to expect. So that’s my role is to really help them learn not only the home economic aspect, but also learn how to, you know, budget and maintain a household with what also being a full time a part time student,” he says.

Columbus Scholar House for Former Foster Youth is located near downtown Columbus, the King-Lincoln district. Rent is based on 30% of adjusted annual income. 

As for amenities, it’s fully furnished, utilities are included and there are a lot of community activity areas. 

For qualifications, applicants must be adults, aged 18-24, who were previously in foster care or will leave within 90 days. They also have to be enrolled in a two or four-year university and maintain a 2.5 grade point average. 

Fernan said she’s currently studying business at Columbus State, something she didn’t think was achievable at one point. Her goal is to get into social work so she can help others who are in need and let them know there is hope. She says that this housing is allowing her to fulfill her dreams.

To apply, click here.

Lucas County had a record-breaking high school graduation this year as well

Lucas County Children Services celebrates student achievements with parade and festivities
Reporter Silver Barker, WTOL 11 News, May 31, 2024.

The “graduation parade” happens every spring to celebrate teens who earn either a high school or GED diploma.

TOLEDO, Ohio — Cars crowded the streets surrounding the Lucas County Children Services building Friday to honk their horns, hold up their colorful posters with endearing messages, and cheer and clap all to show their support for their loved ones completing a huge milestone in their life.

LCCS said this year is a record-breaking one as this is the highest number of graduates they've ever had.

A total of 22 students have started their next chapter as they've not only emancipated from the Lucas County Children Services but also received their high school diplomas.

Kevin Milliken, the public information officer for LCCS, said this year is a record-breaking one as this is the highest number of graduates they've had.

One of the 22 students celebrating this accomplishment is Sofia Musito, who is setting records of her own.

“My parents never went to high school or anything," Musito said. "So just trying to make a life for myself because they didn’t really know how to navigate it. Even right now going to college, they never experienced that."

While her parents never experienced college, Sofia will as she was recently accepted into a college and plans to major in psychology.

Musito and other graduates were provided a private lunch with friends of LCCS where they were given gifts. In addition, they took a limo bus to Middlegrounds Metropark for a graduation photo session.

They wrapped up the afternoon at Maumee Presbyterian Church and received duffle bags filled with personal items, household items and other donations to start their next chapter.

A moment of pride and achievement for those who have proven they can flourish even when the odds were sometimes against them.

LCCS said it's important to celebrate these graduates as they have overcome some of the toughest obstacles life could have thrown at them during their childhood.

Dayna Riley, LCCS independent living supervisor, said the graduates were excited about the activities they had planned Friday.

"It's important for them because some of them, they don't get a graduation ceremony," Riley said. "They walk across the stage and that's it so this just shows our support in the children services to them that we really are here for them."

LCCS said the graduates vary with many headed to college this summer and fall. A few are headed to training in skilled trades and others are headed directly to the workforce.

Second article about Hamilton County foster youth graduation - 82 students

'You aren't defined by your circumstances.' Foster care kids graduate high school
Madeline Mitchell, Cincinnati Enquirer, June 6, 2024.

"I still go to every family event," Adrianna Gonzales says of her foster family. They are still close after she graduated high school and started a family of her own.

In the front lobby of the Summit Hotel in Madisonville, Adrianna Gonzales chases her 3-year-old son while holding her 9-month-old baby. The boy is laughing and pulling at balloons that line the hotel's entrance.

Gonzales is nervous. She's about to speak to a room full of high school graduates. The 25th annual Celebration of Dreams event, hosted by Hamilton County Job and Family Services Wednesday evening, honors kids in Hamilton County foster care who beat the odds by getting a high school diploma. There are 82 of them this spring − a record for the county.

Three years ago, Gonzales was one of those graduates. She was placed in foster care when she was 7. At her foster mother's urging, Gonzales went to vocational school while she was in high school, while pregnant. It was difficult, she says, but she's grateful her foster mom was so passionate about setting Gonzales up for success.

Now, she's a loving mother of two, a full-time worker and a student at Galen College of Nursing. She's exactly the kind of role model Michael Patton, director of Hamilton County Job and Family Services, is proud to introduce to this year's graduates.

Hamilton County Job and Family Services director Michael Patton shakes a graduate's hand during the 25th annual Celebration of Dreams graduation on Wednesday.

"You aren't defined by your circumstances," Patton says at the start of the program. "You belong wherever you decide to show up."

When Gonzales gets on stage to speak, she takes a deep breath and shares her story, ending with a message of hope, faith and resilience.

"My children are my world and I strive every day to be a role model they can look up to. I want them to know that no matter where you start, it's where you choose to go that defines your journey," Gonzales tells the graduates.

Hamilton County had 82 foster care kids graduate high school this spring.

In the audience listening, the teens reflect on their own journeys through the foster care system and what it took to make it to their own high school graduations. They, too, are determined to make a better life.

Deshon Mack, 19, is going to college to study psychology. "I'm just interested in how the brain works," he says.

Jaida Stiles, 20, dreams of running her own restaurant. She's planning to get a culinary arts degree from Cincinnati State Technical and Community College.

Carley Perkins has lived with her aunt and uncle for about two years.

Carley Perkins, 19, is pursuing animation and graphic art. She sits next to her aunt and uncle in the audience, whom she lives with now after bouncing between living with her dad, grandma and foster families all her life.

Perkins is also deaf, and has cochlear implants to help her hear and understand speech. School classes were always easy, she says, but making friends? Not so much. She's nervous but excited for her next steps into adulthood.

"Don't worry about what others think of you," Perkins says. "Just think highly of yourself."

Anyone wishing to provide a graduation gift to these teens can do so through Hamilton County's Kindness for Kids wish list on Amazon.

Record number of Hamilton County foster kids graduate high school

I had to do it on my own': Record number of Hamilton County foster kids graduate high school
Reporter Sean DeLancy, WCPO News, June 5, 2024

Hamilton County Jobs and Family Services celebrated the graduation of 82 students in foster care — the most in one school year in program history

CINCINNATI — More than 80 Hamilton County foster children, their families and supporters walked the red carpet flanked by clapping support personnel from the Jobs and Family Services Wednesday as the system celebrated the largest group of kids to get a high school diploma in a single school year.

Many in the crowd had suffered traumas they would only speak about in vague terms.

Emily Day said her meeting with the foster system was sudden and shocking.

"I was at school and I never went home," Day said. "I left with my backpack on my back and left with one of my friends to go home and a case worker I never met picked me up and I got dropped off in the middle of Colerain and had no clue where I was."

Despite the sudden shift in her life, Day walked the red carpet and celebrated graduating from Oak Hills High School a full year early.

She said her foster mom was great, but getting to graduation was difficult.

"I had to do it on my own ... not having, like, a big family behind me for support. It's been me," she said.

While largely alone in her journey through school, Day has been far from alone in Hamilton County's foster system.

JFS says the county currently has custody of roughly 1,900 children and nearly a third of them are older than 13.

Community Engagement Manager Tammara Jones acknowledged the kids go through a lot despite JFS's best efforts to provide a support system for them.

"They have so many different obstacles that they face," she said.

Jones said JFS provides support for kids through age 21 with programs like Bridges and helps them find assistance through things like the Youth Navigator Network to make transitioning out of the system less abrupt than disconnecting completely at 18.

"We are always here. We will always be here wherever you are," she said.

JFS is in constant need of foster parents. Day said it's worth it for anyone interested in providing a home for a kid to inquire about how to do it.

"These kids are coming from places where they are beaten and battered and they don't have anyone who cares," Day said. "They just need somebody to love them."

Day said she will be attending the University of Cincinnati where she will study nursing, and she plans to save lives in the Emergency Room when she completes that degree.

'A sigh of relief:' Advocates applaud Ohio's governor for providing safety net for those aging out of foster care

WBNS 10TV Columbus, April 26, 2020

Youth advocates are breathing a sigh of relief after Ohio's governor announced the state will cover the costs of those aging out of the foster care system.

Governor DeWine thanked OHIO Youth Advisory Board for coming up with this plan.

On April 25, 2020, 10TV news interviewed Talia Holmes, president of the FCCS Youth Advisory Board. She knows firsthand what it's like to be in foster care.

"You're always having to worry about making sure you're presenting yourself in the best way, so the person you're with wants to keep you," Holmes said. "[You want to make sure] you're not put into another situation that may not be as good as the one you may be leaving from."

Holmes said this is a step to ensure Ohio's most vulnerable are set up for success. "It's providing them that extra leverage to be able to make steps securely so that they are able to be successful in society," she said.

Kyajah Rodriguez in the news

What Happens When You Age Out of Foster Care During a Pandemic?
Advocates say state governors can instruct their state child welfare systems to keep kids in their care, even if they age out during this time—but will they?
Suriano, Jessica. The Nation. May 19, 2020.

Ky Rodriguez (far right) meets with Housing and Urban Development leadership on behalf of the Ohio Youth Advisory Board, an organization led by former and current youth in foster care.

Bianca Bennett entered the New York foster care system as a 2-year-old, then again as a 13-year-old. She aged out as a 21-year-old. Like many young adults when they age out of the system, she spent several months after this couch-surfing. She moved to Florida to attend college, eventually living in a student dorm. Then, this March, the coronavirus shut down her campus.

Unable to stay in the dorm, she returned to New York City. Her depression and anxiety made a brutal comeback, and she started sleeping 16 hours a day. Now, she’s living with a couple in upstate New York while working part-time for the foster care nonprofit You Gotta Believe, unsure what will happen in the fall—her senior year.

Even so, Bennett considers herself lucky. She was able to find a place to stay. Others who faced the same obstacles haven’t been as fortunate. “If it wasn’t for [the people I’m staying with], I’d probably be alone on the streets, trying to be an advocate for youth, and still going through my own thing,” she told The Nation. “Because the city’s locked down, I probably wouldn’t be able to get a lot of resources the way I needed them.”

Even before Covid-19 swept the country, young adults who aged out of the foster care system without adequate support were less likely to have access to stable housing, employment, or health care. With the pandemic shuttering businesses, closing campuses, and intimidating foster parents into refusing to house new kids and teenagers, they are facing a heightened level of precarity.

As a result, California, Ohio, Illinois, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia have announced plans to extend the aging-out guideline past the age of 21 for young adults in care during the pandemic. In California, this extension is valid through June 30, and young adults will still remain eligible for extended foster care even if they have lost their jobs or their education programs have been disrupted because of the pandemic. In Illinois, the 104 young adults in foster care who would be aging out of the system from April through June are also allowed to stay in their placement homes “until the pandemic crisis is declared over.”

At the end of April, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced that the state would cover the costs for over 200 young adults who would have aged out over the next few months to stay in care until the pandemic ends.

 As well, two federal programs administered by the Children’s Bureau support states that choose to extend foster care beyond age 18, a spokesperson from the Administration for Children and Families told The Nation in an e-mail.

For states to use the first option, Title IV-E, young adults must be in school or working, preparing for employment, or have a medical condition that would prevent them from being in school or working. Since 2010, 31 states have exercised their Title IV-E foster care programs, according to the ACF. The second federal program, Chafee for Successful Transition to Adulthood Funds, could originally be used to financially support foster youth up to age 21. After the passage of the Family First Prevention Services Act in February 2018, the funds could be used up to age 23, but the program funding was not raised alongside the age extension. According to one 2019 report, the current allocation of Chafee funds provides, on average, about $1,500 per young adult per year.

At the federal level, states are not reimbursed for the cost of extending the aging-out period beyond the age prescribed in state statutes if they use state funds, even during this public health emergency, according to the ACF spokesperson. These costs cover necessities from clothing to food to school supplies, and foster parents are reimbursed monthly for these expenses while someone is still under their care in the system.

While the stimulus package passed in response to the pandemic, known as the CARES Act, provided $45 million for child welfare services and $25 million to the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program, how these funds are used still falls under the discretion of state leadership. The ACF plans to continue working with Congress if any updated legislation is introduced in response to the pandemic, according to the spokesperson.

“Unfortunately, some governors have not gotten this underway because they don’t want to have to pay the tab,” Ruth White, executive director of the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare (NCHCW), told The Nation. Advocates have implored other officials to advance these protective measures nationwide.

Over 17,000 young adults are on track to be emancipated from state foster care this year, according to a joint letter from Foster Care Alumni of America and the NCHCW to the National Governors Association. “It is unconscionable and inhumane to release young adults under these conditions of international unrest and uncertainty,” the letter said.

A group of legal advocates in New York who work year-round to help foster youth land on their feet after aging out of the system encouraged Governor Cuomo to order an 180-day moratorium on discharging youth over the age of 18 from foster care without their consent, and to allow all young people under the age of 21 who have been discharged from foster care after age 18 to return to placements without asking for a court’s approval.

Last year, 1,075 young adults age 18 or older left the New York foster care system. Although youth in New York foster care can leave the system at age 18, they can also choose to stay in care until they turn 21. At least a dozen shelters in New York City for children and teens experiencing homelessness do not feel the city is doing enough to protect this group; they also fear outbreaks of the virus, considering the close quarters. According to the Coalition for Homeless Youth, New York City had 54 shelter beds available for homeless youth ages 16 to 20, and none for those ages 21 to 24 in late March.

“Foster youth weren’t really a priority before the pandemic,” Bennett said. “Twenty-one doesn’t decide whether you’re an adult or not, especially in [a city like] New York that costs an arm and a leg to live in. There’s not really adequate housing for our youth. There are not a lot of jobs for our youth.”

Just after stay-at-home orders became a norm for most of the country, one national poll found that over 25 percent of the responding young adults from foster care ages 18 to 24—in the critical aging-out phase—were experiencing heightened food insecurity; nearly 40 percent were forced to move, or were fearing having to move; and nearly 33 percent said they had enough money for a week or less of living costs.

“I have enough for grilled cheese for 2 days,” one 18-year-old in Nebraska responded. “I feed myself and one other person.” A 22-year-old from Massachusetts wrote, “This crisis has forced me back to a very toxic and triggering environment.”

Ky Rodriguez entered the Ohio foster care system when she was 13 and aged out when she turned 18. In those five years, she lived in four different foster homes. She couldn’t start attending Ohio University until nine months after she left the system, and the “huge gap between emancipation and stabilization” made her fear she was going to experience homelessness until classes began in the fall. She ended up living with a former foster mother during this gap period, even though the woman no longer had custody rights.

In the back of her mind, Ky said, she knew it was only a stopgap measure for housing security. “Living with her during that gap period, I definitely did feel like a burden,” Rodriguez told The Nation. “I definitely did feel like a liability. I definitely did feel like this is not something that is permanent; like at any time, things can change.”

 Working as a resident assistant in Ohio University dorms, Rodriguez was faced with the fear of losing the roof over her head again at the end of this spring semester. With classes moving online, she quickly learned she wouldn’t have the option to stay in the dorms over summer like she planned.

And she’s not alone: The NCHCW estimates that approximately 10,000 former foster youth live in college dorms nationwide. While some colleges are keeping dorms open for their most vulnerable students, others gave foster youth 48 hours to vacate.

“When I am going to school, I’ve noticed how vulnerable I am to losing things and ending up back in that space where I’m homeless and I need to figure out what I can do, or like I’m struggling, or I don’t have resources because there isn’t a safety net,” Rodriguez said.

“When the schools shut down, I know people were not thinking about foster youth,” California Representative Karen Bass told The Nation. “They just told everybody to go back to their families. But what about kids that didn’t have families, or even international students? They can’t travel. They’re stuck.”

Bass is one of five co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth, a bipartisan forum for policy recommendations on child welfare. In April, the chairs sent a letter to governors urging them to “take advantage of all available resources to support these young people as you manage the COVID-19 situation in your states,” and to contact colleges and universities about offering aid to current or former foster youth. While targeted funding for older foster youth at the federal level is still needed, the letter said, the chairs encouraged governors to utilize the funds that have already been allocated for states to use as they see fit for “housing, nutrition, healthcare, and counseling needs of older foster youth.”

“Child welfare should have always been thinking about what happens to kids in May,” White said. “The holiday housing problem has existed for years. Some schools have plans for this, some don’t.”

Chafee Independent Living funds are designed to be flexible for many different kinds of housing for young adults up to age 23, including hotels, host homes, shared housing, and rental assistance, according to the NCHCW.

In light of Covid-19, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development also issued a “mega-waiver” memorandum, effective for six months starting on March 31, that allows organizations for people experiencing homelessness to use Emergency Solutions Funding with more flexibility. This could help former foster youth who are over the age of 23 and therefore can’t utilize Chafee funds.

Over 1,900 public housing authorities are eligible to use the Foster Youth Independence Initiative, too. This initiative was designed to offer “tenant protection vouchers,” allowing former foster youth to “rent their own apartments and access services on a three-year path to self-sufficiency,” according to the NCHCW.

 In fiscal year 2020, California, New York, and Texas received the largest allotments of Chafee funds, at over $16 million, $11 million, and $9 million, respectively. Wyoming, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Delaware each received the smallest amount, at $500,000 each.

States are permitted to use up to 30 percent of their yearly Chafee funds to cover the costs of room and board, but, according to the NCHCW, this isn’t happening nearly as frequently as it should. As few as 30 percent of former foster youth in many states end up receiving Chafee funding and services. “There is no excuse for this persistent failure and flouting of Congress’s intent,” the NCHCW wrote in a list of recommendations for states it released in February.

 “It’s something we were complaining about pre-Covid,” White said. “States have been given millions of dollars of flexible money, but they cease to use it flexibly.”

The threat of homelessness not only puts former foster youth at a greater risk of getting sick; it also makes them more vulnerable to abuse. When former foster youth are forced to couch-surf for housing, they are not able to socially distance, Rodriguez said. They are forced to rely on the kindness of others to open their doors. The constant stress of uncertainty, she said, “re-traumatizes a lot of foster kids who have emancipated.”

 Roughly 550,000 people in the United States are experiencing homelessness, which is leaving people with a “double vulnerability” to contracting Covid-19. While crowded shelters may not be able to keep people six feet apart, those living outside of shelters lack access to hand-washing stations and sometimes even soap and water. Last month, the US economy lost 20.5 million jobs, and the unemployment rate rose to 14.7 percent, leaving millions of people in economic desperation.

To circumvent this housing insecurity, Rodriguez said some recently emancipated young adults have been forced to shelter with abusive and exploitative people.

“There are grown, way older adults who are agreeing to house 18-year-old kids who are fresh out of the foster system in exchange for sexual favors,” she said. “They have nowhere to go, and they’ve been in unsafe situations with an abusive partner, but they can’t leave because that’s the only form of housing that they have.”

 The pandemic also requires foster parents to inevitably put their health at a higher risk by providing shelter to those who may be on the verge of aging out of the foster care system, historically an age group of foster youth that already is less likely to be adopted or find stable home placements.

This only heightens young adults’ fear and anxiety about being kicked out of the foster care system right now with no place to land, Rodriguez said. “Instead of this being…some kind of inconvenience for some people,” she said, “with foster kids, this is going to be drastically life-changing.”

In addition to more effectively allocating Chafee funds for housing, the joint letter to the National Governors Association from Foster Care Alumni of America and the NCHCW encourages states to “make sure that child welfare offers access to cell phones, tele-health professionals, mental health care professionals, or mentors to ensure ongoing social connections.”

Even though states have several options to support former foster youth during this pandemic, Rodriguez and White stressed that states’ concern with “the bottom line” continues to be a challenge. The National Council for Adoption estimates that annual state and federal expenditures for foster care total over $9 billion under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act alone.

“I’ve noticed, even in Ohio, as soon as people turn 18, they’re in a rush to hurry up and get them out of the system because it’s expensive to house kids in foster homes, to house kids in group homes or residential facilities,” Rodriguez said.

 For students who were formerly in the foster care system, who like Rodriguez and Bennett were scrambling to find the next place to live, the pandemic has exposed how the country’s educational institutions have become much more than a place of textbooks and lecture halls.

For many, they have become their sole de facto provider of housing, food, and other basic necessities—because they often are not available to them anywhere else. “If I had stayed in New York City any longer,” said Bennett, “I don’t know where I’d be right now.”

Reach the National Alliance on Mental Illness by calling the HelpLine at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264) or texting NAMI to 741-741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor. To find the contact information for your state governor, visit www.nga.org/governors/addresses.

Many thanks, Ohio CASA

As with any foster youth, Lisa Dickson didn’t choose the family she was born into. Instead, she was born into a family that included an abusive father – and a mother who had experienced abuse from her biological family, and eventually lost her life in a battle with cancer. During her time in foster care, Lisa was focused on building her immediate future. From the moment that Lisa transitioned from foster care to adulthood, ahead of time, at age 16, she cared both about building her future and improving outcomes for others.

Since 2006, Lisa has had the honor of working 70 hours a week. She volunteers 30 hours a week in her volunteer roles as co-facilitator of the OHIO Youth Advisory Board (the statewide voice of Ohio foster care youth ages 14-24) and Communications Chair of ACTION Ohio (the statewide voice of foster care alumni). She also works 40 hours a week in her paid job as a Children’s Librarian. Her volunteer roles are focused on informing and empowering current and former foster youth about policies and procedures, and inviting each of them to share their insights. Foster care youth, young adults and older alumni of the system are invited to advocate for what is needed when it comes to policies and resources – with the ultimate goal of helping Ohio foster care youth and alumni have the best chance at healing, growing, and being successful.

Empowering the voices of current and former foster youth within the state of Ohio has led to a ripple effect of local, statewide and national change — including a federal bill, the Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act, which has recently passed unanimously in the US House of Representatives and is currently being championed in the US Senate, and HUD Secretary Ben Carson creating FYI on-demand housing vouchers for foster youth.

This year, International Women’s Day is celebrating women who work every day for an equal world. Ms. Dickson’s work goes beyond gender equality; it’s truly equality for all people – adults and youth who deserve families and love and equal access to life’s resources. Her own experiences have inspired her unwavering diligence and fierce advocacy, and that’s why we are honoring her for International Women’s Day.

Appreciation for Representative Steve Stivers

Representative Steve Stivers is a champion of foster and homeless youth ❤️❤️❤️

Learn more about the Homeless Children and Youth Act.

FYI Combats Homelessness Among Former Foster Youth

HUD Program Combats Homelessness Among Former Foster Youth
Irene Luo and Jan Jekielek, The Epoch Times, February 25, 2020. 

Every year, over 20,000 foster youth age out of the foster care system. Around 25 percent of them become homeless within four years of exiting foster care, according to the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare (NCHCW). Others, although not homeless, might nonetheless be living day-to-day in a motel, vehicle, or with friends or relatives.

The Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) initiative, launched last year, seeks to end this pipeline from foster care to homelessness.

A group of current and former foster care youth with ACTION Ohio spent six years researching the problem and consulting housing experts to find a solution. In March 2019, they pitched their proposal to Secretary Ben Carson of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Just four months later, the FYI program was live.

“You can imagine what that’s like at the tender point in your life, not having the security of a place to call home,” Sec. Ben Carson said in an interview with The Epoch Times for the “American Thought Leaders” program. Such foster youth “can be tremendous contributors to our society, and we need to make sure that we give them a solid foundation from which to launch.” 

Since the start of the program in late July, HUD has awarded over $2.4 million in funding for FYI, which helps former foster youth cover the cost of their rent for up to three years after they stop being supported by the foster care system. Each public housing authority can award up to 25 vouchers per year.

So far, the funding has provided housing subsidies for 497 former foster care youth across the country. The latest round of funding was announced on Feb. 6, with $258,606 going to public housing authorities in seven states. The FYI program is available to foster youth between 18 and 23 years old who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless after aging out of the system. In addition to housing subsidies, it also provides other forms of guidance and job support to help them become self-sufficient. ‘

An Anxious Time’ 
Aging out is “an anxious time” said former foster youth Adaora Onuora. “There’s so many things going through your head.”

When you’re in the system, it’s easy to take housing for granted, Onuora said. But by the last year, “the social workers are kind of banging it into your head,” she said. “What are you going to do? Where can you go? What resources do you have? What family do you have?”

The FYI program is an extension of the Family Unification Program (FUP), which also helps former foster youth avoid homelessness. But FUP is only available to 280 of the approximately 3,400 total public housing authorities in America.

“It wasn’t anywhere near sufficient enough to deal with this problem,” said Sec. Carson. 

After jumping through bureaucratic hoops, Onuora was fortunate to receive a housing voucher with FUP just a few weeks before her 21st birthday.

Onuora has been a vocal advocate of the FYI initiative, with the hope that the housing vouchers she was fortunate to gain access to could be universalized across America for all foster youth aging out of the system. 

Jamole Callahan, a former foster youth and one of the founders of ACTION Ohio, told The Epoch Times: “Out of all the years we’ve been meeting with HUD, Secretary Carson was the first sitting secretary we physically met with.”

“He was the first one that sat down and had an honest conversation with us,” Callahan said. “As one of my sisters in care said it, we are cutting off the spigot of aging youth out into homelessness with this program,” Callahan said.

According to Ruth Anne White, Executive Director of the NCHCW and one of the main advocates for the FYI program, Sec. Carson “heard their proposal, and essentially said, this is fundable. It’s within my authority. It doesn’t require action from Congress. Let’s move.” 

“I’ve never seen anything move at that speed absent something like a natural disaster,” said White, who has worked on affordable housing policy for two decades in DC.

When the program was originally designed, it included a requirement that participants work or attend school, but this was later removed due to criticism from poverty advocates. But the program is nonetheless built with the idea of being a stepping stone to self-sufficiency, “in a similar way that we would treat our own children,” White said. “This is the only voucher that’s time-limited in HUD’s entire portfolio,” White said.

Bipartisan Bill 
While FYI makes housing vouchers far more accessible to former foster youth than before, certain limitations still remain. Only public housing authorities that are not participating in FUP can apply for the new FYI program. But unlike FYI, FUP is a competitive resource, meaning the funds may not be available to everyone and may not be available immediately when a foster child ages out of the system.

“We just kind of have to go through this limbo with the youth as they’re aging out in that last year to find out whether it’ll be available for them,” Onuora said. If they’re unlucky, they’re stuck on waiting lists for years. But that gap could be closed soon with a bipartisan bill that White, Callahan, and Onuora hope will pass in Congress.

The Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act would guarantee a housing voucher for foster care youth when they age out if they demonstrate need for it. The bill unanimously passed in the House and is under consideration in the Senate. 

Onuora is currently double majoring in criminal justice and communications at Bowie State University, a historically black college. After that, she plans to head to law school. “My calling is law. I want to be a politician, and I want to make changes for my community,” Onuora said.  

Columbus Dispatch Editorial Board endorses FSHO

Many thanks to the Columbus Dispatch Editorial Board for endorsing the Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act:

• "Brown and Grassley’s bill would offer a lifeline to former foster children who find themselves suddenly on their own and without the family support most young adults can count on."

• "Currently they have to join long waiting lists for housing vouchers through a federal program, and many become homeless. The Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act would make the vouchers available to aged-out foster youth on demand and in more communities."

The Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act passed by unanimous consent in the U.S. House of Representatives, and is currently being championed in the U.S. Senate.

Jonathan Thomas and others share their voices at the NW Foster Care Forum

Residents give recommendations to state foster care council in Bowling Green

Brooks Sutherland, Toledo Blade,  December 9, 2009

Jonathan Thomas of Bowling Green was a foster-care child and knows what it’s like to feel helpless after turning 18 and “aging out” of a home that provided stability after early years of turmoil.

“I don’t know if there are a lot of young adults who are actually ready to leave home when they turn 18,” he said Monday at a state-organized foster care forum at the Wood County Department of Job and Family Services. “Even those who come from good, stable homes, often find themselves having to return for a number of reasons, such as finances, relationship trouble, and stress.”

The need to prepare foster kids for “life after foster care,” was a recommendation given by Mr. Thomas Monday and was one of many heard by members of Gov. Mike DeWine’s newly-formed Children Services Transformation Advisory Council, which was created through executive action last month.

The council in November, announced 10 planned foster-care forums, and made its way to northwest Ohio Monday night to hear how it can improve the system that houses around 16,000 kids in the state.

Kristi Burre, the director of the office of Children Services Transformation, was appointed to co-chair the council alongside LeeAnne Cornyn, the director of the Governor’s office of children’s initiatives.

Ms. Burre said the forums are a listening period for the council before they write recommendations about how to improve the foster care system in January.

“The reason that we’re doing these forums is so the advisory council can travel all around the state and hear about local challenges from those who are involved or are impacted by our system,” she said. 

Ms. Burre said the governor has “charged” his cabinet members and executives with a mission to travel around the state and hear from stakeholders. 

“A lot of it just listening,” she said. “Truly listening and then doing something with the information.”

Recommendations Monday night in Bowling Green ranged from treating family caregivers the same as foster-care parents as far as funding goes, to setting up programs for post-foster care, to providing checks and balances for state and local departments of job and family services.

A packed house listened to public testimony, some speakers getting emotional as they described their experiences in the system. 

“My problems didn’t go away,” Tryshana Garraway, a University of Toledo student, said about life after foster care. “I still had mental health issues, I still had financial issues. I didn’t know how to do things.”

Shirley Wagner, a former foster-care child who became a foster-care parent, gave four recommendations to the council, urging them to “focus on stability,” and provide checks and balances on DFS.

“I think I speak for all of us here when I say there’s a problem with our foster-care system,” she said.

Tricia Cox, a foster-care parent of nine years, who estimates she’s had 58 kids come through her home, said the state needs provide additional resources to ensure kids get to have “normalcy,” as they develop.

“I have a 17-year-old boy who wants to drive, he cannot drive because the agency won’t take the responsibility for insuring him,” she said. “That’s not normal. He wants to drive. He wants to work. Things like that need to be looked at.”

Josh Martin, a veteran and former foster-care child, who sits on the board of directors of Community Teaching Homes, a Holland-based placement and behavioral health services organization, said he’s one of the few who “broke the cycle,” and encouraged the council to not waver on funding.

Jennifer King, a former foster-care child from Bryan, said there are problems all across DFS agencies and they should be addressed with some checks and balances, potentially from the sheriff’s offices.

“I am proposing an advisory council to oversee JFS,” she said. “They need some checks and balances. They are not accountable to anybody but themselves.”

The state will host three more regional forums before the end of the year and then three more in January.

Senate version of Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act

 

Brown bill would help youth aging out of foster care
Tom Jackson, Sandusky Register, 12/7/2019

When Columbus resident Cloé Cooper aged out of the foster care system when she turned 18, she intended to go to college. Instead, she became homeless.

“After months of couch-surfing from one bad area of town to another, I eventually had to drop out of school and went on to work a minimum wage job full time,” Cooper told reporters on a Wednesday conference call hosted by U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.

Cooper, a student and employee at Columbus State Community College in Columbus, said it took years for her to earn enough money to go back to college.

Brown introduced Cooper to Ohio news reporters to dramatize the need for the “Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act,” a bipartisan bill to help young people who have aged out of the foster care system receive a public housing voucher for up to 24 months, allowing them to get on their feet while trying to start an independent adult life. 

Brown told the reporters that across the U.S., 20,000 people age out of foster care every year. Up to a third of them are homeless at some point, Brown said.

“You don’t have the same family safety net to fall back on others have,” Brown said.

Brown said the measure was approved in the House and is awaiting action in the Senate. It’s co-sponsored by a Republican, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Brown said he hopes that will aid the measure’s chances of passing the Senate, too.

More than 80 organizations have endorsed the bill, including the Ohio Youth Advisory Board, ACTION Ohio and the Ohio Children’s Alliance.

Brown’s bill comes as the number of children in foster care in Ohio has risen, largely in response to the ongoing drug addiction epidemic. Ohio had 16,185 children in foster care in October 2019, including 80 in Erie County, according to statistics on the website of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

That’s up from 12,511 young people in foster care in October 2009. Foster care cases rose in Erie County, too, spiking to more than 100 in 2014, but officials worked to bring the number down with a concerted effort to find permanent homes for children, reducing foster care cases to 74 by December 2018.

Ohio's top three counties that have the most foster youth are Franklin, Cuyahoga and Hamilton

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced an effort to look into improving foster care in Ohio, starting with meetings statewide. The three counties with the most kids in foster care -- Cuyahoga, Franklin and Hamilton -- will not host any meetings. Most foster kids lack driver's licenses and cars to get to the rural ares where they will be held.

To improve Ohio’s foster care system, Gov. Mike DeWine assembled an advisory council, which has scheduled seven meetings across the state to listen to kids, parents, advocates and others.

The problem, advocates say, is no meetings have been scheduled in or near Cleveland or Cuyahoga County – which in October, accounted for over 17% of the state’s 16,186 children in foster care. Nor are any scheduled for Cincinnati or Columbus. Together, Ohio’s three largest urban areas have 45% of the state’s foster kids – not to mention nonprofits and other agencies heavily involved in the system.

Nor are there any meetings scheduled in Summit, Lucas and Montgomery counties, which also top the state in the number of children in care.

Teens in foster care usually do not have driver’s licenses.

The nearest meeting to Cleveland is scheduled in Medina on Dec. 11.

“That would definitely be a concern because we have a large population and many of the people aren’t necessarily able or willing to venture that far,” said Jackie McCray, deputy director of the Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services. “However, they have legitimate suggestions, legitimate concerns, and I think their voices need to be heard.”

Overall, McCray and others are happy that DeWine is turning his attention toward improving the system. In the two-year budget passed over the summer, hundreds of millions of dollars were directed at services to help children, including those in the foster system.

But the concerns voiced at the meetings will likely be skewed toward those in rural Ohio, said Amber Donovan, executive director of Community of Hope, a Cleveland organization that helps people who have aged out of foster care.

“Urban and rural settings have unique challenges and it is essential that all voices are heard and represented in the discussion around solutions,” Donovan said. “Youth voice matters, and written testimony is a good starting point, but meeting people where they are impacted matters.”

People who are unable to attend in person can submit comments online.

Donovan already submitted hers, unable at this time to attend the Medina meeting. The state responded to her comments, telling her she should share her thoughts in person at a Dec. 19 meeting in Canton.

The state selected meeting sites that were regional centers, said Dan Tierney, a spokesman for DeWine.

“This is a problem in all 88 counties,” Tierney said. “By having them in the locations that we chose it does highlight the fact that it’s an 88-county problem, and not limited to the majority urban areas of the state.”

Tierney said the state is not hosting 88 forums, yet it wanted to have meetings outside of Columbus, since the drive to the state capital would take even longer.

Tierney said that the Children Services Transformation Advisory Council also has a good mix of rural and urban members, including former foster kids, adoptive and biological parents, judges, advocates and others.

That includes Jeff and Rhonda Mays, parents whose children were placed into foster care in Cuyahoga County until they could recover from drug and alcohol addiction. They are now advocates and mentors.

Chip Bonsutto, executive director of Ohio MENTOR, which offers therapeutic foster care and mental health services, is also on the advisory council. Ohio MENTOR has locations in Akron, Elyria, Independence and Willoughby Hill.

Senate version of Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act is introduced

The Senate version of the Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act was introduced this week by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA).

Senator Grassley is the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Senator Brown serves as Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.

The bill was introduced with no changes. The wording of this bill has been honed by foster youth for years, and they wanted to maintain its integrity.

1. Press Release
2. Thank you letter to Senator Brown
3. Thank you letter to Senator Grassley
4. Proponent testimony by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities