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In 2025, 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.
AB 791 (Berman): Improving Cost of Attendance Budgets & Adjustment Policies for Student Success
Authored by Assemblymember Marc Berman and sponsored by JBAY, the UC Student Association and CSU Student Association, AB 791 will require postsecondary institutions in California to maintain accurate and transparent Cost of Attendance (COA) budgets and adjustment policies, ensuring students can more easily access sufficient financial aid. Research shows that over half (53%) of colleges and universities in California utilize COA budgets that are lower than regional costs, leaving students with financial aid packages that underestimate their actual living expenses.
AB 791 will help prevent financial aid shortfalls by requiring colleges to align housing costs with local rental data, disclose COA calculations, and allow students to request COA adjustments without unrealistic deadlines or limitations. These changes are especially crucial for low-income students, including those who have experienced foster care or homelessness, as they often lack family support to cover gaps in financial aid and face a higher risk of food and housing insecurity—challenges that can lead to excessive debt, reduced course loads, or disenrollment altogether.
SB 624 (Caballero): Reducing Poverty by Increasing Access to the California Foster Youth Tax Credit
The California Foster Youth Tax Credit (FYTC) provides up to $1,154 to eligible current and former foster youth who file their state taxes. While the FYTC alone is impactful in the monetary benefit it provides current and former foster youth, the power of the FYTC as a poverty reduction tool is borne out in the incentive it provides to file taxes.
When youth file, they also benefit from other state and federal tax credits. In 2024, FYTC filers received an average of $1,370 in their total tax return for single filers and $5,265 for head of household (parenting) filers. This increased their Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) by 8% for single filers and a full 57% for head of household filers.
As of 2024, the second year the FYTC became available, approximately 16% of eligible youth are receiving it. Given the tremendous benefits of this new tax credit and the high vulnerability for homelessness among youth from foster care, institutionalizing education and outreach at the local level is critical to increase uptake.
SB 624 would require county child welfare agencies to mail information about the FYTC and tax filing to all nonminor dependents and would require the state to provide guidance to county child welfare agencies on FYTC implementation best practices.
