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AB 12 Question of the Week
Q: I'm a non-minor dependent attending college full-time. I'm not able to work and am struggling with my monthly expenses. I know that students attending college at least half-time are generally not eligible for CalFresh (food stamps) unless they meet certain requirements or exemptions.
I recently heard that participation in Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) qualifies an otherwise CalFresh-eligible student for the CalFresh exemption. Is this true? For the answer, follow this LINK.
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CalYOUTH Study Finds Youth Who Remain in Foster Care Fare Better than Youth Who Don't
On May 10th, Professor Mark Courtney and a team of researchers at the University of Chicago’s Chapin Hall released “California Youth Transitions to Adulthood Study: Conditions of Youth at Age 19”. This newly released report analyzes data from the second wave of youth surveys, comparing outcomes of youth who were in foster care at age 19 with those who had exited foster care since their initial interview, at age 17.
According to the report, youth who were in foster care at age 19 had better outcomes across almost every variable measured than those who elected to exit foster care between age 17 and 19, including housing; education; criminal justice involvement; economic hardship and food insecurity; physical and mental health; sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy; and receipt of services and support. For a summary prepared by the John Burton Foundation, follow this LINK.
While youth in-care fared better at age 19 than those who had exited care, they still fared poorly when compared to their same-age peers in the general population in terms of their educational experiences, employment history, physical and mental health, and involvement with the criminal justice system. To read the report, follow this LINK.
Nathanael Okpych presented on findings from the report at a meeting of the Select Committee on Foster Care, held last Thursday. To watch his presentation, which begins at minute 51 on the archived video, follow this LINK.
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Tomorrow: Special Web Seminar Featuring Voices of Relative Caregivers
In policy conversations about foster care, we often talk about relative caregivers, but don’t necessarily hear from them. To ensure the voice of relatives is included, a special web seminar on Wednesday, May 25 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. sponsored by the Step Up Coalition. The web seminar will feature six relative caregivers sharing their experiences as well as their ideas for how the child welfare system could be improved.
Don’t miss this special opportunity to hear directly from the individuals who are for tens of thousands of children and youth in California’s foster care system. To register, follow this LINK.
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New Study Finds Half of 19-Year Old Young Women in Foster Care Have Been Pregnant
While the rate of unplanned pregnancy is at a 30-year low, according the the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, youth in foster care continue to experience high rates. In the recently released CalYOUTH Study, 49.3 percent of young women reported having ever been pregnant. This is an increase from 26.0 percent of young women who reported that they had been pregnant at least once, at age 17 in the CalYOUTH baseline survey.
The CalYOUTH Study also found that when compared to same-age youth from the general population, youth in care were less likely to report using birth control during sexual intercourse in the past year. Further, more youth in care reported never using a condom in the past year (36.1%) than reported always using a condom in the past year (23.6%).
Collectively, these data point to a need for strategies to address the high rate of unplanned pregnancy among foster youth. The County Welfare Directors Association of California and and the John Burton Foundation, together with a statewide coalition, are requesting funding from the California State Legislature to establish an opt-in program for counties to adopt proven strategies to prevent unplanned pregnancy among foster youth. For more information about the budget proposal, download the fact sheet. To add your organization to a sign-on support letter, e-mail simone@johnburtonfoundation.org.
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Budget Season is in Full Swing in Sacramento
Budget season is in full swing at the State Capitol with both the Assembly and Senate human service budget committees meeting to decide their priorities.
The Senate Budget Subcommittee No 3, Chaired by Senator Holly Mitchell met last Thursday to vote on human service proposals. In child welfare, the committee included $59.9 million for Continuum of Care Reform, $19.7 million for continued implementation of mandated related to serving Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC), $1.65 million for public health supervision of children taking psychotropic medication and $10 million to prevent pregnancy among youth in foster care. To read the full agenda for Senate Budget Subcommittee No 3, follow this LINK.
The Assembly Budget Subcommittee No 1, chaired by Assembly Member Tony Thurmond, will meet today at 1:30 p.m. in the State Capitol to vote on its priorities. At the previous budget subcommittee hearing, a wide range of proposals were heard. To review the agenda for today’s meeting, follow this LINK.
Following the conclusion of both subcommittees, a Conference Committee consisting of members of both the Assembly and Senate will be formed to address items that were included in one version of the budget but not in the other. Once this occurs, both houses will vote on the final version and it will be sent to Governor Brown by June 15.
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