Foster youth gain more access to services
By Seth Ronquillo
Jan. 7, 2011 12:45 a.m.
Under Assembly Bill 12, which went into effect on Jan. 1, foster youth in California will now be able to retain access to state services, like financial support, until age 21, instead of 18.
Prior to the law, foster students have been eligible for financial aid, grants and loans like most other students, said Nancy Coolidge, coordinator for student financial support for the UC system.
However, foster youth have been restricted from receiving support from state funds, so the UC system had to provide resources to fill in the gap, she added.
“Since I was formerly in foster care, I understand the necessity to have that financial support,” said Pauline Dinh, a third-year international development studies student. “Foster youth will be able to get started with that assistance as adults and then will be able to invest that in their future and the state’s future.”
However, some are still unsure of the benefits the law would provide. For one, foster students who are older than 21 would not benefit from AB 12.
“The only reason I was able to get here for my first year is through a private donor,” said third-year sociology student Renee Tate, a foster student who will turn 21 before the law is fully set in motion.
Tate has gone through her UCLA career by means of grants, loans and a job. When winter break and summer come around, she stays on campus working, having nowhere to go. Next year, Tate will be a senior with hopes of going to graduate school, but getting financial support for her senior year alone will be difficult.
“I just wish that (the state would) extend foster care for students until they graduate from college,” Tate said.
She added that with the current situation, foster students with college aspirations would face the same dilemma that she is now struggling through.
“Many of the things the law stipulates are already done in UCLA,” said Paolo Velasco, UCLA Guardian Scholars program coordinator.
Velasco said it is still unclear exactly how the law will be implemented, and it still needs time to be understood.
Housing is also a big issue for foster students that could potentially be addressed by AB 12.
Retaining state services includes making adequate housing available to foster youth, an issue that AB 12 could resolve, said Eric Heng, a policy and program analyst for student affairs at the University of California Office of the President. But like Velasco, Heng is still uncertain of the full extent of the law.
“In general, there is still a lot to be worked out in details,” Heng said. “(But) all over the UC system, services are available to foster youth.”
