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Advocates back guaranteed cash stipend for youth aging out of foster care
Summary
Attorney General's office and youth advocates urged support for S.161, arguing that a guaranteed monthly stipend for youth transitioning out of foster care would reduce homelessness and improve stability; witnesses cited roughly 750 youth aging out each year and research showing a high risk of homelessness and poverty.
The Attorney General's office and young people with lived experience urged the joint committee to back S.161, legislation to provide a guaranteed cash stipend to youth transitioning out of foster care.
"We are here to express our strong support for Senate Bill 161, an act providing for a guaranteed cash stipend for young adults transitioning out of foster care," Liza Hirsch, director of the Children's Justice Unit in the Attorney General's office, testified. She emphasized the state's role as a guardian and safety net for youth who lose family supports at 18.
Hirsch said about 750 youth age out of foster care annually in Massachusetts and that one in four of those youth experience deep poverty and homelessness within their first year after exit. Young people who testified described how small, regular payments would help them secure housing and basic needs while pursuing education and employment. Reese Thompson, a youth advocate, told the committee the stipend could make the difference between finishing school and falling into poverty.
Witnesses linked the stipend to other tools for stability, such as the Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) housing vouchers, noting that a steady monthly payment would make it more feasible for voucher holders to maintain housing.
No formal cost estimate or program design was offered in the hearing testimony; advocates said details should be developed with youth input and urged the committee to report the bill favorably.
