Supporting Higher Education Success for Youth with Experience in Foster Care and Homelessness: A Briefing on Four Legislative Proposals that Can Make a Difference

The need to remove barriers to higher education access and success for youth with experience in foster care and homelessness has never been more urgent. Lawmakers have responded by introducing several exciting bills that can have a significant and positive impact on the lives and futures of young people. This webinar, hosted by Schoolhouse Connection, John Burton Advocates for Youth and the Youth Law Center was led by young people with lived experience in the foster care system and with homelessness and highlighted the need for:

•  The Higher Education Access and Success for Homeless and Foster Youth Act (S 3616/HR 6666)(Murray, Portman, Clark, Young); 
•  The Fostering Success in Higher Education Act (HR 6669/S3605) (Davis, Krishnamoorthi, Casey, Brown, Smith); 
•  Helping Foster and Homeless Youth Achieve Act (S 3350)( Portman, Rosen) and 
•  The Fostering Postsecondary Success for Foster and Homeless Youth Act (HR 2028) (Kildee, Bacon). 

The briefing also called attention to the need for reform in the areas of the Chafee Education and Training Voucher Program and the Satisfactory Academic Progress requirement for federal financial aid.