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In 2026, JBAY will ensure the needs of youth who have experienced foster care or homelessness continue to be prioritized in California. Join us in advocating for California's youth and young adults.
Reducing Youth Homelessness: Securing Annual Funding to Preserve California’s Safety Net for Youth
This state budget proposal championed by Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego) would establish an ongoing $80 million minimum funding guarantee for youth homelessness, leveraging the 10% youth set-aside in the Homeless Housing, Assistance and Prevention (HHAP) Program. If HHAP is not funded or its youth set-aside does not reach at least $80 million, this proposal requires State General Fund to make up the difference, outside of HHAP.
HHAP’s “youth set-aside” requires grantees to dedicate at least 10% of their HHAP allocations to addressing youth homelessness. This approach has delivered measurable results: Since 2019, HHAP has served more than 50,000 young people, contributing to a 24% decline in overall youth homelessness, and a 42% reduction in unsheltered youth homelessness between 2019 and 2024. However, this progress is at risk. The 2025-26 budget marked the first year since the program’s creation that HHAP was not funded.
AB 2766 (Ahrens): Improving Access to Student Housing & Course Enrollment for Foster & Homeless Students
Despite strong motivation to succeed, students with experience in foster care or homelessness face significant systemic barriers in higher education. Only 12% of foster youth and 15% of students who experienced homelessness in K-12 complete a two- or four-year degree by ages 25-29, compared to 49% of their peers in the general population.
Assembly Bill 2766, authored by Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens (D-Silicon Valley) would improve college access, housing stability, and timely degree completion for current and former foster youth and students experiencing homelessness. It would expand access to priority campus housing; strengthen identification and transparency in campus housing processes; defer or waive housing fees until financial aid is disbursed; and align eligibility for priority course registration with the NextUp program at California community colleges, which serves foster youth who may exceed the age limit for priority registration. JBAY is co-sponsoring this bill with the Student Homes Coalition, the UC Student Association and UAspire.
AB 2162 (Bryan): Preventing Homelessness Among Former Foster Youth & Maximizing Federal Housing Assistance
Youth who have been in foster care are far more likely to experience homelessness than their peers in the general population. California has made important progress in reducing this risk by investing in services that help former foster youth access federal Housing Choice Vouchers, resulting in a 136% increase in vouchers between 2021 and 2024. These services are funded through the state’s Housing Navigation and Maintenance Program (HNMP).
Assembly Bill 2162, authored by Assemblymember Isaac Bryan (D-Los Angeles) would make targeted improvements to HNMP to better align it with federal opportunities and strengthen accountability. The bill would extend HNMP’s upper age limit to 28, matching federal eligibility for Housing Choice Vouchers for former foster youth, and enhance county reporting requirements to include information on voucher capacity. Together, these changes would help ensure more eligible youth receive stable housing and that California maximizes available federal resources.
AB 2251 (Rodriguez): Improving Student Access to Financial Aid
A college or university’s “Cost of Attendance” (COA) represents the total estimated cost of attending school, and is a central factor in determining a student’s financial aid eligibility and the maximum amount of aid they can receive. Federal and state policies allow institutions to adjust a student’s COA to reflect special circumstances, such as unexpected or higher than average expenses. This process is especially critical for students facing the greatest financial instability, including those with experience in foster care or homelessness, who may qualify for additional forms of aid. However, many of these students are unable to accept urgently needed assistance because they have reached their COA cap and are not informed about, or do not receive available adjustments.
Assembly Bill 2251, authored by Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez (D-San Fernando) would strengthen institutional transparency by requiring colleges to publish the data sources and assumptions used to calculate their COA budgets and clearly communicate the availability of COA adjustments. By maximizing flexibilities already authorized under federal law, the bill would strengthen and standardize the COA adjustment process to ensure consistent, timely and transparent access for students across California. JBAY is co-sponsoring this bill with the California Student Aid Commission, the UC Student Association, the Cal State Student Association, TICAS, and UAspire.
AB 2764 (Ahrens): Ensuring Equitable Access to Extended Foster Care Statewide
Research shows youth who exit foster care before age 19 are three times more likely to experience homelessness than those who participate in California’s Extended Foster Care (EFC) program. To participate in EFC, youth must meet at least one of five conditions, which include completing high school, completing postsecondary education, working, reducing barriers to employment, or meeting a health exemption. Unfortunately, some youth are being required to meet participation conditions that exceed these legal standards, resulting in barriers to re-entering EFC or from accessing specific placements, and unlawful discharge.
Assembly Bill 2764, authored by Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens (D-Silicon Valley) would clarify and standardize EFC eligibility statewide, ensuring that a young person’s access to housing and support does not depend on their county of jurisdiction or the discretion of individual decision-makers assigned to their case. JBAY is cosponsoring this bill with the California Alliance of Child and Family Services and California Youth Connection.
SB 1421 (McGuire): Strengthening Accountability for Transition-Age Foster Youth
In recent years, California has made significant investments to support foster youth transitioning to adulthood. These include the creation of the California Foster Youth Tax Credit (FYTC), which reduces poverty by providing a state tax credit of up to $1,189 to current and former foster youth, and a requirement that high school seniors in foster care receive assistance applying for financial aid, one of the strongest predictors of college enrollment and completion.
While this progress is significant, California has not incorporated these measures into the California Child and Family Services Review (C-CFSR), the primary accountability system used by the state to measure county performance.
Senate Bill 1421, authored by Senate Pro Tem Emeritus Mike McGuire (D-North Coast) would address this gap by adding both measures to the C-CFSR. Specifically, the review would track the number of foster youth who receive the FYTC and who complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
