[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 169 (Tuesday, November 17, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S8023]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KAINE (for himself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Schatz, and Mrs. 
        Murray):
  S. 2289. A bill to modernize and improve the Family Unification 
Program, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, 
and Urban Affairs.
  Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, children raised in loving and supportive 
households grow up to become more productive individuals, benefiting 
both the individual child and society at large. However, housing 
instability is linked to poor outcomes for children. Unsafe housing 
conditions and homelessness can threaten a child's safety. These 
conditions are often the reason for an investigation by the local child 
welfare agency, out-of-home placement, or a delay in family 
reunification.
  Homelessness can also lead parents to voluntarily place their 
children in foster care while they search for housing. Families may 
also be separated because of shelter policies that exclude teenagers, 
especially boys. Further, youth aging out of the foster care system are 
particularly vulnerable to homelessness because they must make the 
transition to adulthood without support, financial or otherwise, from 
parents or other trusted guardians.
  In Virginia, the Governor's office reported that as of September 2015 
there were 5,140 total children in the Virginia foster care program. 
For fiscal year 2015, the average annual cost of foster care in 
Virginia was almost $47,000. Further, in 2013 Virginia had 
approximately 550 youth age out of the foster care system at age 18 
without being connected to families. Nationally, over one-fifth of 
children who age out of the foster care system will experience 
homelessness at some time after age 18.
  The Family Unification Program, FUP, an interagency collaboration 
between the Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD, and the 
Department of Health and Human Services to provide housing vouchers to 
youth aging out of foster care and families involved with the child 
welfare system. Some of these vouchers also include supportive 
services, such as money management skills, job preparation, educational 
counseling, and proper nutrition and meal preparation. Research has 
shown that housing vouchers, coupled with supportive services, promotes 
family stabilization and reduces youth homelessness.
  While these vouchers have yielded some success, the connections 
between HUD and HHS are often inadequate to provide effective 
assistance. Further, no dedicated source of funding is available for 
the supportive services promised, and too often families and youth are 
left without the help they need.
  That is why I am pleased to introduce with my colleagues Senator 
Collins, Senator Schatz, and Senator Murray, the Family Unification, 
Preservation and Modernization Act. This legislation modernizes and 
improves FUP vouchers, as well as creates and provides supportive 
housing for at-risk youth and families involved with the child welfare 
system. By utilizing a housing first model, similar to the one used to 
combat veterans' homelessness, this legislation will ensure safe and 
stable housing for youth and families. This bill also strengthens the 
connections between local public housing agencies and child welfare 
agencies to promote family stabilization and reunification, replaces 
the arbitrary 18-month time limit for youth vouchers with a more 
workable 36-month time limit, expands youth eligibility to those who 
are 18 to 24 who have left foster care at age 14 or older or will leave 
foster care within 90 days and are homeless or at risk of becoming 
homeless, provides competitive grants for supportive services 
specifically targeted to FUP recipients, and promotes self-sufficiency 
by providing incentive payments to successful, data-driven 
interventions that improve outcomes.
  My wife Anne and I have been long-term supporters in improving our 
child welfare system. When I served as Governor, we worked together to 
reform Virginia's foster care system. I am proud to introduce this 
commonsense, bipartisan legislation that will ensure family 
preservation and reduce youth homelessness.

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