Panel Hears Testimony for Foster-to-College Scholarship Act as Advocates Cite High Housing and Completion Gaps

Supporters of House Bill 25 told the House Workforce and Higher Education Committee that the measure would remove financial and administrative barriers that keep many foster youth from completing postsecondary education.

Rochelle Toth, president of the Junior League of Columbus and a community outreach engagement manager at Ohio State University, urged lawmakers to back "wrap around services, financial aid covering the full cost of tuition, and a state run navigator program" to improve retention. "Did you know that 50% of our foster care alumni will experience homelessness by age 26 and 70 percent will rely on public assistance?" she told the committee, citing statistics she said underline the bill’s urgency.

Chaka Wilson, who manages the RISE initiative in Ohio State’s Fostering Achievement Network, said roughly 1,000 Ohio youth emancipate from foster care each year and that only about 435 students received Chafee Educational Training Vouchers (ETV) last year — "that's only about 10%," she said. Wilson told members that, even when students assemble Pell, Chafee and other aid, gaps remain: "it still come up $11,500 short of covering the cost of attendance at Ohio State," she said, arguing HB 25 would allow colleges to include housing and other living expenses as part of cost-of-attendance calculations.

Several former foster youth and foster parents gave personal testimony about homelessness, interrupted enrollment, and the limits of current campus supports. "I was emancipated while in Dayton trying to pursue higher education…this was my first episode of homelessness," said Jaleesa Brown, who described long delays in obtaining a degree and urged the committee to make postsecondary education more accessible. Student witness Janae Boone told the committee that foster youth often hold full-time jobs while in school and still lack housing and transportation support.

Members pressed witnesses on program design and overlap with existing federal and institutional aid. Representative Williams noted the Every Student Succeeds Act requires school districts to appoint foster-care liaisons and asked how HB 25’s liaison language differs; witnesses and bill proponents said the bill emphasizes enforcement of liaison duties while adding navigators — trauma-informed staff focused on students after they turn 18 — paid from the scholarship appropriation.

Proponents described the bill as a pilot with monitoring and a two-year outcomes review; sponsors and advocates said they would use an interested-party process to work through operational questions raised by members. No committee vote on final passage occurred during the hearing; members were asked to review written testimony and follow up with sponsors.

The committee heard written and oral proponent testimony and indicated staff would hold follow-up meetings to clarify implementation details.