[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 7754-7755]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             RECOGNIZING MAY AS NATIONAL FOSTER CARE MONTH

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 9, 2014

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as one of the original co-sponsor of 
the resolution recognizing May as National Foster Care Month, I rise to 
recognize the selfless foster families who open their hearts and their 
homes for children in need and to all of those individuals and 
organizations that work to ensure that every child has an opportunity 
for a brighter future.
  I am honored to be a founding member of the Congressional Caucus for 
Foster Youth, a caucus that allows Members to gain a better 
understanding of the current state of foster care throughout the nation 
and identify potential federal policy modifications that could improve 
outcomes for the children in our country's foster care systems.
  Mr. Speaker, currently there are over 463,000 children living in 
foster care. These children have been placed in homes on the account of 
the physical, sexual and emotional abuse they have endured with their 
biological caretaker.
  My state of Texas currently has more than 69,000 children and young 
persons in foster care.
  Nearly two of every three (65%) of children who are not placed in a 
permanent home emancipate themselves from the system often left 
unemployed, without a place to live and resorting to homeless shelters.
  Less than 3 percent go on to college and emancipated females end up 
four times more likely to receive public assistance compared to the 
overall population of the United States.
  Mr. Speaker, it is vital that we continue to create more programs, 
events and activities that will enlighten citizens of the United States 
on stories of children successfully placed in permanent homes, debunk 
myths about the process and acknowledge the thousands of children who 
could potentially become a part of these statistics.
  Through these efforts we can increase the rate of adoption, decrease 
the rate of homelessness among the youths in this group and help 
develop future leaders and innovative thinkers of tomorrow.
  I would like to take a moment to recognize the families who have 
opened their hearts and homes to foster children. Foster parents play a 
critical role in the lives of some of the most vulnerable youth in 
Texas and across the country.
  They help hold our nation's social fabric together by ensuring that 
thousands of young people in this country stay on track towards 
successful futures. This month, we celebrate you and your efforts to 
change the lives of these children.
  National Foster Care Month is an appropriate time to recognize and 
commend all

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those who are helping to improve the lives of children in foster care.
  But it also serves as a reminder that more must be done. These 
children deserve to grow up in a loving home that is safe, happy, and 
most importantly one they can call their own.

                          ____________________