ABA resolution urges laws to stop foster kids from transitioning to homelessness
Governments should enact laws and policies to prevent homelessness when foster kids age out of the system, according to a resolution passed on Monday by the ABA House of Delegates.
Resolution 109A says governments and courts should provide support for housing assistance to young adults who turn 18 while in foster care. Dependency cases should not be dismissed without a court hearing and a finding that the youth has housing, a permanent connection to at least one supportive adult, and, for youths with disabilities, a transition to adult systems that provide health care and other support, the resolution says.
A report accompanying the resolution cites a study that tracked more than 700 former foster children in Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin from 2002 to 2011. Thirty-six percent of the youths reported at least one instance of homelessness by age 26.
