State Advisory Council Chafee Recommendations
John H. Chafee Foster Care Program provides approximately $186 million per year in federal funding to help former foster youth transition to adulthood. This funding includes $43 million for the Chafee Education and Training Voucher (ETV) program.
These funds help former foster youth who frequently experience greater economic hardships, housing instability, and difficulties acquiring the education and job-related skills needed to live independently.
The Chafee program could be improved by addressing the following challenges:
Underutilized Chafee Funds: Despite fewer than half of eligible youth receiving Chafee-funded services, a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) study found that some states have been returning some Chafee and ETV funds unspent.
Limited Eligibility: Broader eligibility for Chafee services could heighten the program's impact.
Education: Fewer foster youth graduate from high school in four years compared to their peers. Fewer still graduate from college.
Work Readiness: Former foster youth experience substantially higher unemployment than their peers.
Housing Instability: Former foster youth are more likely to experience homelessness or housing instability.
The following consensus-based federal recommendations would help strengthen these services for children and youth.
Underutilized Funds
Peer Mentorship: Provide optional, flexible funding to states for peer mentorship to help youth discover and navigate Chafee resources.
Mental Health Peer Support: Provide additional optional, flexible funding to states for peer-led support groups for older foster youth to be used at the state’s discretion.
Case Planning: Incentivize existing case planning requirements so that, beginning at age 14, states are encouraged to ensure youth and caregivers are regularly informed of Chafee program services and the Education and Training Voucher (ETV) program.
Chafee Eligibility
Chafee Formula Modifications: Modify the federal formula for allocating Chafee dollars so that new funds may be based, not on the total number of foster children in each state, but on the number of youth 14 and over in that state, both in care and out of care, who are eligible for Chafee services. Include hold-harmless provisions to maintain current funding for states that would otherwise receive lower support under any new formula.
Raise the Chafee Upper Age Limit: Extend Chafee eligibility for all qualifying youth through age 23 at the state’s discretion.
Lower the Chafee Lower Age Limit: For both the Chafee and ETV programs, lower age eligibility to youth adopted or placed in a guardianship at or after age 14 at the state’s discretion.
K-12 Education
High School Educational Support: Provide additional optional, flexible funding to states to deliver high school educational supports such as tutoring, remediation, educational coaching, and advising.
GED Prep: Make additional optional, flexible federal funding available for GED tutoring and preparation under the Chafee program.
Education and Training Vouchers (ETVs)
Expand Eligibility for ETV funds: Adjust qualification requirements so that state tuition waivers do not disqualify youth from receiving ETV funds for other education-related costs such as housing, groceries, and books.
Increase ETV Payments: Increase the maximum allowable ETV payment to better reflect the current cost of school attendance, and increase total ETV funds allocated to the states.
Academic Progress Grace Periods: At the state’s discretion, establish one-year grace periods in ETV for students who are struggling academically to meet satisfactory academic progress (SAP) requirements, thereby allowing students to continue receiving ETV funds during that period.
ETV Extended Eligibility: Provide additional federal funding to extend ETV eligibility to six years at the state’s discretion.
Drivers Licenses
Increase Funding for Driving-related Expenses: Provide additional federal flexible funding to states to cover the cost of driver’s education, driver’s license fees, insurance testing, gas stipends, auto repair, and other costs associated with obtaining a driver’s license.
Housing and Transitional Living
Remove the 30% Cap on Room and Board: Remove the 30% cap on room and board payments under Chafee to better support youth exiting foster care.
FYI Voucher Program: Provide federal funds to both HUD and the Administration for Children and Families to administer the FYI program and its coordination between the agencies. Align HUD expectations for Public Housing Authorities that are administering the Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) Voucher Program with expectations established for child welfare agencies.
Job Readiness and Career Support
Coordination between Chafee and WIOA: Incentivize workforce boards to prioritize Chafee-eligible young people to improve coordination between Chafee and workforce development programs, specifically the youth programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).
Funding for Career Readiness: Provide additional optional, flexible funding to states for one-on-one career coaching sessions, job application assistance, professional clothing for interviews and uniforms for jobs, and wraparound supports that may include housing, transportation, and childcare.
Financial and Technology Literacy: Provide additional optional, flexible funding to states for financial and technology literacy training for Chafee youth, at the discretion of the state.
Approved as of 12/5/25
–– o ––
About the Council: The State Advisory Council is a convening of state adoption and permanency directors and other public agency staff from 46 states assembled by Voice for Adoption to develop consensus-based federal recommendations on adoption and permanency issues affecting children and youth in foster care.
