Young people who have spent time in foster care at age 14 or older would gain expanded education, job-training, and housing support under changes to the federal John H. Chafee Foster Care Program, which helps foster youth transition to adulthood. The maximum yearly Education and Training Voucher would more than double, from $5,000 to $12,000, and could be used for college, apprenticeships, GED programs, remedial education, and short-term job-training programs that qualify for the new Workforce Pell Grant program. States could spend their Chafee grant funds on housing supportive services — such as financial counseling, lease and rental-insurance help, security deposits, utility connection fees, and moving costs — for eligible youth receiving Section 8 Family Unification housing assistance, up to age 26. Other changes lower the age some services begin from 16 to 14, let youth in remedial education stay in the program for up to 6 years instead of 5, add legal counseling access, and connect expectant and parenting youth to home-visiting services under Section 511. The Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Housing and Urban Development would have to issue joint guidance to states within one year, and HHS would have to report to Congress within three years on how many foster youth receive federal housing assistance and their housing and homelessness outcomes.
Transparency & Accountability
- Reporting to Congress — HHS must report foster-youth housing and homelessness outcomes within 3 years
- State plan certification — States must certify they weigh legal issues in case planning
- State plan certification — States must certify youth get home-visiting program information
Congressional Summary
Foster Youth Housing Opportunity ActThis bill expands states' permissible uses of federal funds under the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood (Chafee program) to include supportive housing services.The Chafee program is administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Children's Bureau and provides funding to support youth and young adults who are in, or were formerly in, foster care with their transition to adulthood. The program is funded through formula grants awarded to child welfare agencies in states, certain territories, and participating tribes.The bill allows states to use such funds to provide supportive services (e.g., financial counseling) for youth up to the age of 26 who are seeking to obtain or retain housing and who have experienced foster care and receive assistance under the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section 8 Family Unification Program. Additionally, HHS and HUD must jointly develop and issue guidance to state public child welfare agencies and public housing authorities to improve alignment and coordination of housing supportive services.HHS, in consultation with HUD, also must report information about foster youth who are receiving federal housing assistance and the outcomes for such youth, including the extent to which such youth are able to access stable housing and the rates of homelessness. The report must include findings from any evaluations of state programs and recommendations for improving coordination between public child welfare agencies and federal housing programs.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Reported to House
- Action Date
- 2026-05-11
- Date Added
- 2026-05-15
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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