Washington – First Focus Campaign for Children today applauded the introduction of a U.S. Senate bill that would expand eligibility of the earned income tax credit (EITC) for former foster youth.

The Foster EITC Act, introduced today by Sens. Bob Casey (D-PA), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), would lower the age that former foster youth can claim the EITC from 25 to 18. Among other things, the bill would also expand eligibility to all childless adults over age 21.

The EITC is a tax credit for low-and moderate-income working individuals and families. It is one the largest federal anti-poverty programs and lifted 10 million Americans out of poverty in 2013.

Former foster youth earn between half and a quarter of the earnings of their peers at age 24. Most are not living with a biological or foster parent, and often lack the family financial support that many other young adults receive. Allowing youth formerly in care to claim the credit during the time they are transitioning to adulthood creates parity with young adults of the same age.

First Focus Campaign for Children Bruce Lesley made the following statement in support of the legislation:

“We applaud the leadership of Senators Casey, Murray, and Warren in serving former foster youth by expanding their eligibility for the lifechanging Earned Income Tax Credit. Young adults formerly in foster care earn as little as half that of their peers, and this bill would even the playing field. It’s just common sense that we should help secure a bright future for America’s most vulnerable youth and lead them towards economic security.”

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The First Focus Campaign for Children is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization affiliated with First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization. The Campaign for Children advocates directly for legislative change in Congress to ensure children and families are the priority in federal policy and budget decisions. For more information, visit www.campaignforchildren.org.

Washington – Advocates for homeless children and youth say the annual count of homeless children and youth released today by the Department of Housing and Urban Development is problematic and underestimates family and youth homelessness.

HUD’s Annual Homeless Assessment Report Part I reported 127,787 homeless children under age 18 in the United States in January, a 5.8 percent decrease from 2014.

HUD’s “point-in-time” (PIT) count is intended to give an estimate of how many homeless Americans there are on one particular night. It includes families staying in homeless shelters, as well as families identified by volunteers who survey streets, parks, light rail stations and tunnels, all-night businesses, and other places frequented by homeless people.

The PIT count is a flawed method for measuring homelessness, particularly among families and youth, for the following reasons:

• HUD’s count measures capacity, not need: Shelters are often full, and many communities do not have shelters, or have shelters that are inappropriate for the needs families or youth. Unaccompanied youth may avoid adult shelters because of safety concerns.

• HUD does not look in the places most homeless families and youth can be found: Homeless families and youth are less likely than single adults to stay on the streets and the other outdoor locations that volunteer search because they fear referrals to child protective services. Unaccompanied homeless youth face victimization on the streets; as a result, they more often seek alternative places to stay.

Because staying on the streets is rarely an option, families and youth are more likely to stay temporarily with other people, or in motels. But HUD does not consider these homeless children and youth to be homeless, and therefore makes no effort to count them.

In contrast, public schools do consider children and youth in these hidden locations to be homeless. The Department of Education’s data is a more accurate assessment of trends in family and youth homelessness.

The Department of Education identified 1,301,239 homeless children and youth in the 2013-2014 school year, a 6.7 percent increase from the 2012-2013 school year.

Not only are most homeless children and youth not included in HUD’s PIT count, they also are not eligible for HUD homeless assistance. But Congress is considering a bipartisan bill, the Homeless Children and Youth Act (S. 256, H.R. 576), requiring HUD to adopt a more accurate definition of homelessness and make homeless children and youth eligible for the same assistance available to homeless adults.

“No child should ever be left without a home,” said Congressman Steve Stivers, (R-OH-15), who introduced the Homeless Children and Youth Act. “I am concerned that the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD) statistics do not give a complete picture of the problem. Passage of the Homeless Children and Youth Act will streamline HUD’s definition of ‘homeless’ to ensure we can get all homeless children and youth the help they need.”

“Homeless children count, but the housing department does not count all homeless children in its annual survey, “said Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus Campaign for Children. “There’s a record number of homeless children in American, but HUD is looking the other way, so homeless families stay homeless. It’s time to make homeless children a priority, and we need to start by adopting an honest definition of homelessness that reflects reality.”

“The nation’s public schools have witnessed a persistent increase in the numbers of homeless children and youth over the past decade,” said Barbara Duffield, Director of Policy and Programs for the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth. “Most of these children and youth are not outside in plain sight, nor are they in shelters; they are moving from place to place, in precarious situations that jeopardize their health and development. The urgency of child and youth homelessness requires an alignment of federal definitions of homelessness.”

“The Point in Time Count is simply a report of how many homeless people are contacted through an impressive, elaborate street outreach effort conducted once a year nationwide,” said Ruth White, executive director of National Center for Housing and Child Welfare. “The obvious discrepancy between PIT numbers and what any provider, public school employee, or American who regularly walks down a city street can see with their own eyes, calls into question the need for thePIT and indeed, the purpose of the PIT counts.”

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The First Focus Campaign for Children is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization affiliated with First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization. The Campaign for Children advocates directly for legislative change in Congress to ensure children and families are the priority in federal policy and budget decisions. For more information, visit www.campaignforchildren.org.

NAEHCY is a national grassroots membership association dedicated to educational excellence for children and youth experiencing homelessness. Through state and federal policy and technical assistance to our members, students, and the public, NAEHCY changes systems so all children and youth can learn, succeed academically, and achieve their dreams.. For more information, see www.naehcy.org.

The National Center for Housing and Child Welfare (NCHCW) links housing resources and knowledge to child welfare agencies in order to improve family functioning, prevent family homelessness, and reduce the need for out-of-home placement. NCHCW also brings housing resources to child welfare agencies in order to ensure that older youth in foster care have a connection to permanent family as well as a solid plan for stable housing and services to help them be successful as adults.

Washington – Advocates for homeless children and youth say the annual estimate of homelessness in the United States released today by the Department of Housing and Urban Development is misleading and underestimates family and youth homelessness.

HUD’s Annual Homeless Assessment Report Part II, an estimate and description of homeless Americans presented each year to Congress, reported 517,416 sheltered families with children (including both children and adults) in 2014, a 9.3 percent increase from 2007.

In contrast, the Department of Education identified 1,360,747 homeless children and youth in the 2013-2014 school year, a 100.2 percent increase from the 2006-2007 school year.

HUD’s estimates focus on shelter occupancy, which is inappropriate for families and youth because:

• HUD measures capacity, not need: Shelters are often full, and many communities do not have shelters, or have shelters that are appropriate for the needs families or youth. Unaccompanied youth may avoid adult shelters because of safety concerns.

• HUD does not look in the places most homeless families and youth can be found: Homeless families and youth are less likely than single adults to stay on the streets and other outdoor locations. They are less likely to sleep in bus stations, parks, etc. because they fear referrals to child protective services. Unaccompanied youth can face victimization on the streets. Families and youth are much more likely to stay temporarily with other people, or in motels. But HUD does not consider these homeless children and youth to be homeless, and makes no effort to count them.

Department of Education data includes children and youth in these hidden locations, which are unstable and very often unsafe. HUD excludes these children and youth in its estimates and fails to prioritize their needs. But Congress is considering a bipartisan bill, the Homeless Children and Youth Act (S. 256, H.R. 576), requiring HUD to adopt a more accurate definition of homelessness and make homeless children and youth eligible for the same assistance available to homeless adults.

The First Focus Campaign for Children, the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth, and the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare released the following statements in response to HUD’s release:

“Homeless children count, but the housing department does not count all homeless children in its annual estimates, “said Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus Campaign for Children. The report is a missed opportunity to identify and prioritize our homeless children. Americans deserve better, especially when it comes to fighting family homelessness. This is a desperate situation, and the first step we must take is to pass the Homeless Children and Youth Act.”

“The nation’s public schools have witnessed a persistent increase in the numbers of homeless children and youth over the past decade,” said Barbara Duffield, Director of Policy and Programs for the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth. “To categorize these children and youth as merely ‘housing insecure,’ as does today’s report, both mischaracterizes their living situations and implies that they are less vulnerable than other homeless children and youth. Nothing could be further from the truth. The urgency of child and youth homelessness requires an alignment of federal definitions of homelessness.”

“The AHAR is simply a report of how many homeless people are contacted through an impressive, elaborate street outreach effort conducted once a year through the Point in Time events nationwide,” said Ruth White, executive director of National Center for Housing and Child Welfare. “The obvious discrepancy between the AHAR numbers and what any provider, public school employee, or American who regularly walks down a city street can see with their own eyes, calls into question the need for the AHAR and indeed, the purpose of the PIT counts.”

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The First Focus Campaign for Children is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization affiliated with First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization. The Campaign for Children advocates directly for legislative change in Congress to ensure children and families are the priority in federal policy and budget decisions. For more information, visit www.campaignforchildren.org.

NAEHCY is a national grassroots membership association dedicated to ensuring the school enrollment, attendance, and overall success for children and youth whose lives have been disrupted by the lack of safe, permanent and adequate housing. For more information, see www.naehcy.org.

The National Center for Housing and Child Welfare (NCHCW) links housing resources and knowledge to child welfare agencies in order to improve family functioning, prevent family homelessness, and reduce the need for out-of-home placement. NCHCW also brings housing resources to child welfare agencies in order to ensure that older youth in foster care have a connection to permanent family as well as a solid plan for stable housing and services to help them be successful as adults.

Washington – Over 250 leading children, family, and poverty advocacy organizations endorsed today a bill that would set a national target date for the elimination of child poverty in the United States.

The Child Poverty Reduction Act (S. 2224), introduced by Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), aims to cut child poverty in half in 10 years and end child poverty in America within 20 years. A U.S. House of Representatives version of the bill (H.R. 2408) was introduced in May.

The bill is modeled after a successful policy in the United Kingdom that cut child poverty by 50 percent during the effort’s first decade. By contrast, the U.S. child poverty rate increased by 20 percent, from 16.2 percent in 2000 to 21.1 percent in 2014.

Key provisions include:

• Setting the goal to cut the U.S. child poverty rate in half within ten years and eliminate it within 20 years;
• Requesting the National Academy of Sciences assist in the development of a plan by researching the societal costs of child poverty and make non-partisan recommendations on how to reduce child poverty; and
• Tasking a working group with monitoring progress toward the target at the federal and state levels.

“We applaud Senators Casey, Baldwin, and Brown for leading the effort in Congress to end child poverty once and for all,” said Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus Campaign for Children. “One in five children in America live in poverty, and they are depending on us to move beyond hand-wringing to solving this problem.”

Ending poverty is a difficult task, but one federal government has effectively responded to before. During the 1960s, the poverty rate for the elderly was higher than for children. Federal government dramatically reduced poverty among seniors, by enacting Social Security, Medicare, tax-subsidized retirement plans, and other effective antipoverty investments. But federal government failed to make similar investments in reducing child poverty. Today, the national child poverty rate is double the poverty rate for seniors. In some states, it is close to triple.

“The federal government knows how to make real progress on poverty, and has for seniors. For kids, they just haven’t,” said Lesley. “Allowing kids to remain in poverty when we know exactly how to fix it is unconscionable.”

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The First Focus Campaign for Children is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization affiliated with First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization. The Campaign for Children advocates directly for legislative change in Congress to ensure children and families are the priority in federal policy and budget decisions. For more information, visit campaignforchildren.org.

Washington – Over 120 state and national organizations led by the First Focus Campaign for Children endorsed today the Children’s Bill of Rights (H. Res. 476).

The resolution, recently introduced by Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) and Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.), would establish a national Children’s Bill of Rights recognizing that every child is entitled to:

• Basic needs such as shelter, clothing and food;
• Protection from abuse and/or neglect, access to medical treatment;
• Educational supports and opportunities;
• Representation by attorneys and advocates in legal proceedings;
• Rehabilitative services if detained or incarcerated; and
• Protections from unsafe child labor.

“The Children’s Bill of Rights is an important step forward in federal recognition that children are entitled to basic rights and protections that promote their physical, social and emotional well-being. In addition, it promotes access to education and other opportunities that enhance their life skills to ensure the healthy development of all children in the United States,” said the groups in a letter sent to Congress.

Endorsing organizations include the American Federation of Teachers, Child Labor Coalition, Child Welfare League of America, First Focus Campaign for Children, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), and National PTA.

The United States stands alone as the only nation that has not ratified the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child and lacks a comprehensive framework governing the rights of children.

“The United States has no framework governing the rights of our children to ensure their basic needs are being met. That is shameful,” said Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus Campaign for Children. “The rights of the child should be our first thought every time we make a decision about their well-being.”

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The First Focus Campaign for Children is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization affiliated with First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization. The Campaign for Children advocates directly for legislative change in Congress to ensure children and families are the priority in federal policy and budget decisions. For more information, visit campaignforchildren.org.

Washington – Today, the First Focus Campaign for Children, a national bipartisan children’s advocacy group, recognized 100 Members of Congress for leadership on issues important to the health and well-being of children during 2015.

“Lots of politicians talk about kids’ issues, but few back it up,” said Bruce Lesley, president of the Campaign for Children. “Champions and Defenders delivered for kids.”

The advocacy organization recognized 50 Members of Congress as “Champions for Children” for their extraordinary efforts to protect and improve the future of America’s next generation. An additional 50 Members were recognized as “Defenders of Children” for their support of policies that advance the well-being of children.

In selecting Champions and Defenders, the First Focus Campaign for Children noted leaders who introduced, co-sponsored, and voted for legislation to meet children’s needs. In addition, the organization considered Members who demonstrated extraordinary initiative by spearheading activities such as sponsoring hearings or garnering the support of their colleagues to improve the lives of children. The 2015 Champions and Defenders are:

2015 Champions for Children

Senate

Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)

Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)

Sherrod Brown (D-OH)

Bob Casey (D-PA)

Susan Collins (R-ME)

Dick Durbin (D-IL)

Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)

Al Franken (D-MN)

Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)

Mazie Hirono (D-HI)

Mark Kirk (R-IL)

Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)

Patty Murray (D-WA)

Rob Portman (R-OH)

Jack Reed (D-RI)

Harry Reid (D-NV)

Ron Wyden (D-OR)

House

Karen Bass (D-CA)

Judy Chu (D-CA)

David Cicilline (D-RI)

Katherine Clark (D-MA)

Steve Cohen (D-TN)

Danny Davis (D-IL)

Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)

Suzan DelBene (D-WA)

Ted Deutch (D-FL)

Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)

Keith Ellison (D-MN)

Chris Gibson (R-NY)

Gene Green (D-TX)

Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ)

Luis Gutiérrez (D-IL)

Richard Hanna (R-NY)

Mike Honda (D-CA)

Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)

Ann Kuster (D-NH)

Barbara Lee (D-CA)

Alan Lowenthal (D-CA)

Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM)

Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)

Doris Matsui (D-CA)

Betty McCollum (D-MN)

Jim McDermott (D-WA)

Jim McGovern (D-MA)

Gwen Moore (D-WI)

Charles Rangel (D-NY)

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)

Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA)

Steve Stivers (R-OH)

Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)

2015 Defenders of Children

Senate

Cory Booker (D-NJ)

Maria Cantwell (D-WA)

Tom Carper (D-DE)

Chris Coons (D-DE)

Orrin Hatch (R-UT)

Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND)

Dean Heller (R-NV)

Patrick Leahy (D-VT)

Ed Markey (D-MA)

Jeff Merkley (D-OR)

Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)

Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

Brian Schatz (D-HI)

Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)

Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)

Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)

House

Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)

Tony Cárdenas (D-CA)

John Conyers (D-MI)

Rodney Davis (R-IL)

Susan Davis (D-CA)

Charlie Dent (R-PA)

Bob Dold (R-IL)

Donna Edwards (D-MD)

Eliot Engel (D-NY)

Elizabeth Esty (D-CT)

Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)

Derek Kilmer (D-WA)

Jim Langevin (D-RI)

Sandy Levin (D-MI)

John Lewis (D-GA)

Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ)

Nita Lowey (D-NY)

Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY)

Patrick Murphy (D-FL)

Chellie Pingree (D-ME)

Mark Pocan (D-WI)

Jared Polis (D-CO)

Dave Reichert (R-WA)

Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)

Adam Schiff (D-CA)

Bobby Scott (D-VA)

Jackie Speier (D-CA)

Mike Thompson (D-CA)

Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)

Juan Vargas (D-CA)

Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ)

Frederica Wilson (D-FL)

John Yarmuth (D-KY)

This is the Campaign for Children’s sixth annual class of Champions for Children. For more information about past honorees, visit www.campaignforchildren.org.

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The First Focus Campaign for Children is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization affiliated with First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization. The Campaign for Children advocates directly for legislative change in Congress to ensure children and families are the priority in federal policy and budget decisions. For more information, visit campaignforchildren.org.

WASHINGTON – On Friday, October 9, Representatives Karen Bass (D-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA) and Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-IL) will introduce a resolution calling for the United States to adopt a Children’s Bill of Rights.  The United States stands alone as the only nation not to ratify the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child and lacks a comprehensive framework governing the rights of children.  This is a step in changing that.

Reps. Bass, Chu and Gutiérrez will be joined by Washington area school children, First Focus Campaign for Children President Bruce Lesley, and other advocates who have been fighting for clear policies and platforms that address the rights of children (Background on Children’s Bill of Rights from First Focus Campaign for Children).

Press Conference Details

WHO:                        

Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA)

Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA)

Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez (D-IL)

Bruce Lesley, President, First Focus Campaign for Children

WHEN:

9:00 am | Friday, October 9, 2015

WHERE:

234 Cannon House Office Building

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Washington – The United States Census Bureau today released national poverty data for 2014, reporting that about one-fifth (21.1 percent) of children lived in poverty last year. The child poverty remained well above the overall poverty rate of 14.8 percent and more than double the 10 percent poverty rate for senior citizens. The agency reported even higher poverty rates for children of color: 31.9 percent for Latino children and 37.1 percent for African American children. This data comes on the heels of last week’s Urban Institute analysis, showing that 39 percent of children in America spend at least a year of childhood in poverty.

Reacting to the data, congressional sponsors of the Child Poverty Reduction Act (H.R. 2408) urged their colleagues to support this proposal to cut the Nation’s child poverty rate in half within 10 years and eliminate child poverty within 20 years. The bill is modeled on an effective multipartisan effort in the United Kingdom. The British government acted years ago to establish a national child poverty reduction target, backed by benchmarks against which progress could be measured. Though the task is not complete, Britain saw reductions in child poverty since the establishment of a target policy, while child poverty in the U.S. has continued to rise. The letter was signed by the bill’s sponsor, Representative Danny Davis (D-Illinois), and cosponsors Rep. Barbara Lee (D-California) and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland).

The U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee has also acted on a bipartisan basis to address child poverty. During its debate of legislation funding the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for federal fiscal year 2016, the committee approved an amendment offered by Rep. Lee and Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard. The amendment tasks the National Academy of Sciences to recommend a policy agenda to halve child poverty within 10 years. Expert recommendations played an important part in implementing the UK’s child poverty target, and the Child Poverty Reduction Act includes a similar provision.

The First Focus Campaign for Children, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization, applauded these efforts, releasing the following statement from First Focus Campaign for Children President Bruce Lesley:

“It’s been six years since the recession ended, but recovery still hasn’t reached millions of children. Britain has shown that we can protect children from poverty, as well as seniors. Representatives Davis, Lee, and Cummings want action on only proven response to child poverty. The real question for their colleagues is this: will you finally take action on the national child poverty crisis?”

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The First Focus Campaign for Children is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization affiliated with First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization. The Campaign for Children advocates directly for legislative change in Congress to ensure children and families are the priority in federal policy and budget decisions. For more information, visit campaignforchildren.org.

Washington – U.S. Department of Education data shows the number of homeless children and youth attending America’s public schools has risen to a record-breaking 1,360,747. That number, for the 2013-2014 school year, is up 8 percent from the prior school year and double the 679,724 homeless children and youth attending public schools during the 2006-2007 school year. Despite the dramatic increase in child and youth homelessness since the economic recession, the data likely represents an undercount, as Education Department data does not include homeless infants and toddlers, young children who are not enrolled in public preschool programs, homeless children and youth who were not identified by school officials, and homeless children and youth who are no longer attending public schools.

Less than 20 percent of homeless students are clearly eligible for homeless housing assistance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The housing agency only considers people staying in shelters or on the streets to be eligible for homeless assistance; however, most homeless children and youth stay temporarily in motels or stay a night here and there at other people’s homes. As a result, more than 1.1 million homeless students are eligible for educational assistance through local schools, but not HUD homeless services including shelter, short-term housing, and assistance with obtaining permanent housing.

The bipartisan Homeless Children and Youth Act (S. 256 in the Senate and H.R. 576 in the House of Representatives) would amend the HUD definition of homelessness so that all homeless children and youth identified by public schools are eligible for assistance, regardless of where they happen to be staying. The Senate bill was introduced in January, and the House bill in April, but the committees of jurisdiction have yet to act on them.

Homeless children and youth face education, health, and safety consequences:

• Children experiencing homelessness are more likely to be diagnosed with learning disabilities;
• Homeless students transfer schools more often, and are more likely to miss school, and have lower standardized test scores;
• Homelessness is the highest risk factor in determining if a student leaves school before graduation; homeless students are 87 percent more likely than their peers to leave school

School districts reported serving over 90,000 unaccompanied homeless youth. Studies have found that:

• 40-60 percent of unaccompanied homeless youth were abused physically in their homes, 20-40 percent were abused sexually;
• Over two-thirds of unaccompanied homeless youth report that at least one of their parents abuses drugs or alcohol, and;
• Unaccompanied homeless youth are more likely to fall victim to sexual exploitation, including human trafficking

In response to the data, leading advocates for homeless children released the following statements:

“HUD is still living in a pre-recession world, but the face of homelessness in America has changed,” said Bruce Lesley, President of the First Focus Campaign for Children. “If HUD won’t act, Congress must force them, by passing the bipartisan Homeless Children and Youth Act before adjourning this year.”

“The data released today confirm what our members see every day – increasing numbers of children and youth struggling to survive without a home,” said Barbara Duffield, Director of Policy and Programs for the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth. “Without access to HUD homeless assistance, schools struggle to stabilize the education and the lives of homeless children and youth. The Homeless Children and Youth Act would eliminate the red tape that prevents local agencies from collaborating to create better futures for these vulnerable students.”

“These trends are heart-breaking yet entirely predictable, given the federal government’s chronic absenteeism in community discussions about affordable housing for low-income families,” said Ruth White, Executive Director, National Center for Housing and Child Welfare. “For over a decade Congress has ignored its responsibility to fill yawning gaps in housing options for low income families – and left America’s public schools to deal with the consequences. HUD simply must turn its attention and funding to robust affordable housing programs for families and relieve this burden on America’s schools – and most of all, the children.”

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The First Focus Campaign for Children is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization affiliated with First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization. The Campaign for Children advocates directly for legislative change in Congress to ensure children and families are the priority in federal policy and budget decisions. For more information, visit campaignforchildren.org.

NAEHCY is a national grassroots membership association dedicated to ensuring the school enrollment, attendance, and overall success for children and youth whose lives have been disrupted by the lack of safe, permanent and adequate housing. For more information, see www.naehcy.org.

The National Center for Housing and Child Welfare (NCHCW) links housing resources and knowledge to child welfare agencies in order to improve family functioning, prevent family homelessness, and reduce the need for out-of-home placement. NCHCW also brings housing resources to child welfare agencies in order to ensure that older youth in foster care have a connection to permanent family as well as a solid plan for stable housing and services to help them be successful as adults.

Washington – The First Focus Campaign for Children, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization, today endorsed the Health Insurance for Former Foster Youth Act. The legislation, introduced by United States Senator Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania), ensures that young adults who grew up in foster care remain eligible for health care through Medicaid until they reach age 26, regardless of their state of residence.

“We applaud Senator Casey for his leadership and urge his colleagues to quickly advance this common-sense reform,” said First Focus Campaign for Children President Bruce Lesley.

The Affordable Care Act required states to extend Medicaid eligibility to age 26 for former foster youth who “aged out” of foster care within the state, paralleling a provision of the law that allows parents to keep young adult children on their family’s insurance policy until age 26. But the law gave states the option to apply the former foster youth provision to young adults who aged out of care in other states. Only 13 states (California, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Virginia, and Wisconsin) have adopted the option to cover young adults who aged out of foster care in other states.

Most children in foster care were victims of child abuse or neglect, and more than 20,000 children age out of foster care in a typical year. Foster children are more likely than their peers to face chronic physical and mental health problems, which often continue into adulthood. Former foster youth are also more likely than their peers to live in poverty and be uninsured. The Health Insurance for Former Foster Youth Act would ensure that former foster youth who age out of care in one state and live as young adults in another would always be eligible for Medicaid until they reach age 26.

“Moving across state lines shouldn’t cost young people their health care – especially former foster youth, who often struggle with extra health burdens,” said Lesley.

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The First Focus Campaign for Children is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization affiliated with First Focus, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization. The Campaign for Children advocates directly for legislative change in Congress to ensure children and families are the priority in federal policy and budget decisions. For more information, visit campaignforchildren.org.