Foster Care

More than two-thirds of San Franciscan children who enter foster care are placed outside of San Francisco County - more out-of-county placements than anywhere else in the state of California. When this happens, young people are stripped of their communities, and the likelihood of reunification with their family significantly decreases. Many youth would rather live on the streets than lose their community, which is partially why 31% of people who have spent time in foster care report experiencing homelessness at least once by age 26.

Given the affordability crisis in our city, it's difficult to find people who can afford to take in additional children. I will fight for federal resources to provide an additional stipend to foster families and group homes within San Francisco so we can give youth experiencing foster care a better chance at reunifying with their families, keep kids in their communities, and reduce their risk of becoming homeless.

But we need to go further and support youth experiencing foster care who want to pursue higher education. Although 93% of these young people want to attend college, only 8 to 12% end up with a college degree. Federal money exists to help these youth through school, but that funding has not kept pace with inflation, can be difficult to access, and does not always follow students across state lines if they choose to enroll in college out of state.

I will fight to raise the cap on federal educational and training vouchers for youth with experience in foster care, remove roadblocks to accessing the funds, and make funds accessible across state lines. We can help this vulnerable population receive the higher education that they deserve.