California Senate designates May as Foster Youth Awareness Month

The California State Senate on a unanimous roll call adopted Senate Resolution 10 (SR 10) designating May as Foster Youth Awareness Month and urging greater attention to the needs of youth who have been in the foster care system.

Senator Wahab, the resolution's author, told colleagues that “in 2022, in California, there was roughly about 46,000 foster youth at any given time in the system,” and said foster youth face disproportionate challenges including low college completion rates and housing instability. “We owe them stable homes, access to education, mental health care, and real opportunities to thrive as adults,” Wahab said.

The resolution frames foster youth as a population at risk of homelessness and involvement in the criminal justice system and calls for legislative and programmatic attention. Wahab cited a statistic she attributed to state data — that fewer than 3 percent of foster youth obtain a college degree — and said foster youth are overrepresented among people experiencing homelessness.

Senator Ashby, speaking in support, said half of the people experiencing homelessness in some contexts identify as former foster youth and noted bipartisan work to make college debt free for former foster youth. Senator Dr. Wilbur Pearson, a coauthor, warned that closures in foster-care services could leave children with “nowhere to go,” describing the trauma and long-term harms of unstable placements.

The resolution received a roll call vote recorded in the chamber as Ayes 33, Noes 0 and was adopted.

SR 10 is a legislative resolution recognizing awareness and urging support; it does not itself allocate funding or create a new program.