SACRAMENTO, Mar 11, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A bill now before the California
Legislature would allow young people to remain in foster care to the age of 21
instead of "aging out" at 18.
At a rally Monday in Sacramento, former foster children supported the
legislation, the San Jose Mercury News reported. They described the experience
of being left on their own suddenly with no one to rely on.
Kanisha Green, who was left on her own at the age of 14 when her grandmother was
no longer able to take care of her, is now a student at San Jose State College.
That makes her unusual among children who have been through the foster-care
system.
"You would think age 18 would be the time to celebrate being a young adult, but
for foster youth it's not a time to celebrate at all," she said. "You go into
worrying mode, and that affects your schooling, it affects your whole mind frame
-- some people just give up."
The bill has bipartisan support and the backing of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
While California is dealing with a massive revenue shortfall, new federal aid to
provide transition for foster children would make it affordable, backers say.
URL: www.upi.com
Copyright 2009 by United Press International