Foster youth advocates tell House panel lack of consistent food assistance is harming stability, schooling and health

Representatives from Michigan’s Children and Park West Foundation testified to the House Oversight Subcommittee on Child Welfare System that foster youth in Michigan face repeated and prolonged interruptions in food assistance when they move between placements.

Dr. Heather Baumstau, vice president of programs and policy at Michigan’s Children, introduced youth advocates from Park West Foundation and FYTech, who described gaps between the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services’ Children’s Services Administration (CSA) and the Economic Stability Administration (ESA) that leave many youth without access to nutrition support.

“Young people who grow up in foster care have reported anxiety about not knowing how and when and what to eat in different people’s homes,” Saba Gabri of Park West Foundation told the committee. Several youth witnesses described repeated denials, confusing eligibility rules and application delays that in some cases left children and young adults without benefits for one to three months.

Key recommendations from witnesses - Issue individual Bridge Cards: Provide a Bridge Card in each foster child’s name (ages 0–26) and align issuance with foster‑care medical coverage so benefits transfer smoothly across placements. - $250 emergency food allotment: Provide a one‑time $250 food assistance deposit the day a child is placed in a new home or moves into semi‑independent/independent living. - Exemptions from work requirements: Use Michigan’s 15 percent SNAP exemption to exempt foster youth ages 18–26 (and other high‑need groups such as veterans and people experiencing homelessness) from SNAP work requirements when they cannot secure employment. - Create a specialized MDHHS team and clearer eligibility guidance: Witnesses said a trained team could reduce repeated denials and application delays between CSA and ESA.

Foster youth accounts from advocates - Shari Hastings, a FYTech member and full‑time college student at Michigan State University, said she was repeatedly denied food assistance because she could not meet work requirements while taking 16–20 credits and internships. “Students who are full time should not be penalized for pursuing education,” Hastings said. - Elena Markham and other youth described multiple applications and denials across placements, occasional approvals for very small monthly amounts (Markham said she was once approved for $17 a month), and removal from benefits when employment or housing situations changed.

Data and impacts cited in testimony Witness presenters cited internal survey results and third‑party studies: 74 percent of Michigan foster youth reported food as their top urgent need in a survey the presenters summarized; the panel was given figures showing a 39 percent foster‑youth graduation rate in Michigan versus 82 percent for peers; presenters also cited a 47 percent unemployment rate among foster youth and research from Harvard/Annie E. Casey Foundation claiming foster youth experience trauma at rates comparable to or higher than some veteran populations. Committee members asked MDHHS staff and presenters about how federal SNAP and state ESA rules interact with proposed changes.

Committee response and next steps Representatives praised the youth advocates’ testimony and asked presenters to work with MDHHS staff. Dr. Baumstau and Park West representatives said they had engaged MDHHS ESA and CSA over the past two years on administrative fixes but called for statutory or procedural changes to create a durable statewide solution.

Ending Witnesses urged the committee to consider legislative and procedural options to ensure foster children and young adults have uninterrupted access to food; committee members asked for data and paperwork to inform potential next steps.