FOSTER KID STIPEND CAP MULLED TUESDAY
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
A bill that would lop two years off the time that young adults in Florida’s foster care system may receive a state stipend will come before a House panel on Tuesday. The House Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee will consider the measure (PCB HCAS 12-03), which would reduce funding for participants in the Road to Independence program by dropping their eligibility from age 23 to 21. The bill’s supporters say the state cannot afford to support young adults who are old enough to support themselves. Opponents include the members of Florida Youth SHINE, an advocacy group for young people in foster care or aging out of it. According to the group – which gathered 60 letters in opposition to the bill – they are much more at risk for homelessness and criminal activity than youth with families. Without the stipend, said FYS chair Jesse Wilson, “these kids are going to end up in other systems of government – homeless shelters or the criminal justice system.” According to the Independent Living Transitional Services Critical Checklist 2010, by the time Florida’s foster youth turn 17, 46 percent have failed their grade-level FCAT.
