Committee hears short-form H15 raising college room-and-board support for youth exiting foster care

Representative Anne Donahue introduced H15, a short-form bill focused on a narrow gap for young people transitioning from DCF custody into adulthood: scholarship support often covers tuition and fees but not room and board for students who lack family housing.

Donahue said Vermont previously extended limited supports for young people remaining with foster families while attending school but that many young people who lack family housing cannot use scholarship awards if they have no place to live. H15 would authorize financial assistance for room and board for transition-age youth but, as a short-form bill, does not specify funding amounts or a funding source.

Committee members and witnesses discussed the broader set of issues facing youth exiting state custody, including summer housing gaps during academic breaks, the small stipend currently provided when youth leave foster care, and whether existing foster-care funds could be reallocated toward room-and-board support. Committee member Scott and others suggested the committee pursue a comprehensive review of bills addressing transition-age youth, noting similar proposals have appeared each year.

Members noted program design questions: how many youths would be eligible, whether colleges could be persuaded to include housing in scholarship packages, and whether funds used to support foster families could instead follow the youth to pay for room and board when living offsite. No appropriation or final language was adopted in committee; members asked staff to consider grouping related bills into a single package for more comprehensive review.