June 29, 2019
California has sent a strong message to the children of California. On Thursday, Governor Newsom signed his first budget, which provides a significant investment in the young people of our state, including those in the foster care system. With the overwhelming support of the Legislature, the budget includes a $54 million boost to dependency counsel funding (made up of state general funds and federal reimbursements). This historic increase represents a critical step towards ensuring children in foster care have access to high-quality legal representation.
In addition to the increase for dependency counsel, below are some of the other budget items that will have a direct benefit on our clients and other children experiencing foster care throughout the state. We thank Governor Newsom and the Legislature for their leadership and commitment to bettering the lives of the children we serve!
- $5 million for housing navigators to assist transition age foster youth in identifying appropriate and stable housing • $8 million for Transitional Housing Placement Plus Program (THP-Plus), which will provide 300 additional housing slots for former foster youth ages 18-24
- $15 million one-time funds/$30 million annually thereafter to create a Family Urgent Response System (FURS) to promote foster placement stability by providing on-demand support for foster youth and caregivers when challenging situations arise
- $10 million boost to the state’s Emergency Childcare Bridge Program, which prioritizes trauma-informed childcare for caregivers of young children who have entered the foster care system