Ohio foster care youth and alumni are excited to be able to talk with federal decision-makers about:
- Supports for current and former foster youth, including Chafee funds, ETV and how they support pathways to education, employment and economic self-sufficiency.
- Barriers faced by current and former foster youth, including driver’s license and education barriers, and how they undermine pathways to education, employment and economic self-sufficiency.
Our vision is to connect current and former foster youth with:
The Committee on Ways and Means plays a crucial role in United States foster care policy including the areas listed below. This is particularly true of the Subcommittee on Work and Welfare.
| John H. Chafee Foster Care Program | Chafee can be used in many ways to help foster youth. States need to have a sense of urgency about utilizing this provision to prepare foster youth for successful adulthoods. |
| ETV Funds | ETV is a wonderful resource — but program eligibility varies by state. Ohio’s ETV provider recently did a research study about housing and food insecurities faced by ETV recipients. The amount of funding for each student doesn’t cover the cost of attendance including room and board. That’s why the state of Ohio is currently looking into tuition waivers. |
| Temporary Assistance for Needy Families | Ohio recently lost its TANF-Independent Living allocation. This happened at the same time that driving requirements were increased. |
| IV-Funds | This critical funding stream provides federal reimbursement for foster care maintenance. It’s a a matching grant program, meaning that Ohio must spend state/local funds. |
The Chafee provision has not kept up with cost of inflation and the larger population that it now serves:
| Increased Population in Need of Chafee Services | |
| 1999 | 2026 |
| Our nation’s Chafee funds were relied on to provide independent living preparation for foster youth between ages 16-18. | Our nation’s Chafee funds are relied upon to serve foster youth between ages 14-23, including ETV vouchers up until age 26. |
*The primary jurisdiction of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act in the U.S. House of Representatives belongs to the Committee on Education and the Workforce — but the Committee on Ways and Means does work on specific provisions, such as TANF.
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