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Under Kemp, Georgia has a “child welfare system that has paid little attention to the housing needs of families and children.”
In new reporting from WABE, the Kemp administration’s mismanagement of the federally-funded Foster Youth to Independence program has left many former foster children vulnerable to homelessness once they turn 18.
In Georgia, approximately 500 former foster children each year are eligible for federal housing assistance under the 2019 program; in the five years since the program launched, Kemp’s administration has facilitated only eight total applications.
“Governor Kemp allowing young Georgians to graduate out of the foster system and into preventable homelessness isn’t just a policy failure, it’s a moral failure,” said DPG Executive Director Tolulope Kevin Olasanoye. “The federal government has offered to help house, feed, and cover the health care costs for children, and yet the Kemp administration continues to leave the most vulnerable Georgians suffering on their own.”
Eight applications in five years ranks Georgia 45th in the country, only ahead of significantly smaller states. According to WABE and ProPublica, under Governor Kemp, Georgia is running a “child welfare system that has paid little attention to the housing needs of families and children.”
Despite citing “inadequate housing” as the reason for removing 20% of children from their parents, previous reporting from WABE showed the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services has deprioritized housing assistance for families in recent years.
Read the story from WABE below:
WABE: Former foster youth are eligible for federal housing aid. Georgia isn’t helping them get it.
Stephannie Stokes; 6/11/2024
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