Bipartisan legislation introduced on Feb. 9 by U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood (R-IL) is focused on bumping up access to housing for youth transitioning out of foster care.
The Foster Youth Housing Opportunity Act, H.R. 7432, which Rep. LaHood sponsored alongside lead original cosponsor U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI), would improve federal partnership with states and local services to better coordinate housing vouchers and opportunities.
“I thank Congresswoman Moore for her leadership and joining me to introduce the Foster Youth Housing Opportunity Act to better help youth transitioning out of foster care find stable housing,” Rep. LaHood said. “We must continue our work to uplift the most vulnerable among us and provide them with resources to pursue the American Dream.”
Specifically, H.R. 7432 would improve access to housing by strengthening coordination with federal Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) vouchers available through public housing agencies, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. LaHood’s office.
The bill also would allow funds from the federal John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood to be used for housing supportive services outside of the existing 30-percent cap on “room or board.” This would provide flexibility to determine the cap based on a rolling average over five years, and aligns age eligibility with FYI vouchers, the summary says.
“We must boost investments in our foster youth and foster families,” said Rep. Moore. “Our bill would help improve coordination between existing housing programs at HUD and child welfare systems while providing states more flexibility to use Chafee funds to help cover housing-related costs and services for foster youth as they age out.”
H.R. 7432 has been referred to the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee and the U.S. House Financial Services Committee for consideration.