People Serving People Supports Passage of Survivor Benefits Bill 

What is the link between Fosters and homelessness?

According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, nationally 22 to 30% of foster youth who age out of care become homeless during their transition to adulthood. 

The link between homeless and foster care is so interconnected that “if you tried to create a Venn Diagram showing the intersection of Fosters and homelessness, you would get a circle because the intersection is so complete,” according to Hoang Murphy, CEO of People Serving People, and founder of Foster Advocates.  

About the Survivor Benefits for Fosters Bill

The bill, S.F. No. 4635, rights a wrong that harms foster youth well into adulthood—the unjust taking of their federal SSI and SB funds. These are funds to which Fosters are legally entitled, and are necessary for their success, as they enter a world void of family or community support at age 18.

In Minnesota, as in most states, local agencies routinely gain control over a child’s Social Security survivor and disability benefits by applying to be their financial representatives (known as “representative payees”) with the federal Social Security Administration. Federal law requires these financial representatives to act in the best interests of the foster children, yet the money is frequently taken without foster youths ever knowing it.

Foster Advocates estimates that Minnesota counties routinely seize federal SSI and SB funds from approximately 1,400 children who have experienced foster care. This totals to roughly $6-11 million annually in funds intended to support them, which is seized without notice, consent, or reimbursement.

Under the Senate bill, these funds would be preserved for Fosters, which they could then access when they turn 18.

Why Survivor Benefits matter

This bill would stop exacerbating the economic hardships that many Fosters face and prevent Fosters from experiencing or re-experiencing homelessness. Almost half (47%) of youth and young adults with a foster care history first experienced homelessness with their birth families, compared to 6% of their general population peers. (Source: Annie E. Casey Foundation) 

It’s imperative that agencies that are intended to set Fosters up for success, actually do so instead of taking the very money that would help Fosters have a successful start in life. 

What you can do to support Fosters

1. Get involved, learn more, and advocate 
   • Explore Foster Advocates website, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn channels. There you’ll find out how to ensure that everyone involved in the state’s foster care system has the same access to opportunities and outcomes as their peers. 
     
2. Contact your state representative
   • Find your state representatives, and signal your support for Fosters. 
     
3. Support organizations like People Serving People
   • Support nonprofit organizations who are working at all ends of the housing continuum, from advocating for systems change that will prevent the experience of homelessness (like this bill), to caring for families—many of whom are parented by Fosters—from crisis to stabilization.