►
From YouTube: Committee on Children and Youth 6-21-2022
Description
The Committee on Children and Youth of the Council of the City of Philadelphia held a Public Hearing on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, at 10:00 AM to hear testimony on the following items:
220239
An Ordinance amending Chapter 21-1800 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Foster Care,” to add new provisions related to screening and application for benefits for foster youth; limiting the use of Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, Veterans or other various benefits; and providing notice to the foster child for certain actions taken with respect to Social Security and other benefits; all under certain terms and conditions.
B
B
Due
to
the
current
public
health
emergency
city,
council
committees
are
currently
meeting
remotely
we're
using
microsoft
teams
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and
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committees
are
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in
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hearing,
notices
that
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published
in
the
daily
news,
inquirer
and
legal
intelligence
here
prior
to
the
hearings
and
can
also
be
found
on
phlcouncil.com.
B
Everyone
has
been
invited
to
the
meeting.
To
testify
should
be
aware
that
the
public
hearing
is
being
recorded
because
the
hearing
is
public.
Participants
and
viewers
have
no
reasonable
expectation
of
privacy
by
continuing
to
be
in
the
meeting
you're
consenting
to
being
recorded
additionally
prior
to
council
member
gim
recognizing
members
for
the
questions
or
comments
they
have
for
witnesses.
B
A
A
B
Bill
number
220239,
an
ordinance
amending
chapter,
21
1800
of
the
philadelphia
code
entitled
foster
care
to
add
new
provisions
related
to
the
screening
and
application
for
benefits
for
foster
youth,
limiting
the
use
of
social
security,
supplemental
security,
income
veterans
or
other
benefits,
and
providing
notice
to
the
foster
child
for
certain
actions
taken
with
respect
to
social
security
and
other
benefits.
All
under
certain
terms
and
conditions.
A
A
I
want
to
thank
the
public
for
watching,
and
I
want
to
especially
thank
my
colleagues
for
their
consideration
of
this
important
legislation
to
transform
the
way
we
as
a
city
manage
foster
youth,
social
security
benefits
and
funds.
Today,
we're
here
to
write
something
that
has
been
you
know
going
wrong
for
for
a
period
of
time.
Each
year,
an
estimated
10
to
20
percent
of
philadelphia's
of
youth
in
philadelphia's
foster
care
system
are
entitled
to
over
1.3
million
dollars
in
federal
benefits,
including
survivor
and
social
security
disability
benefits.
A
Now,
historically,
the
city
of
philadelphia
has
collected
these
benefits
without
notifying
the
youth
or
their
families
and
place
them
into
the
city's
general
fund
to
cover
the
standard
cost
of
care
for
foster
youth.
Now
this
practice
occurs
widely
all
across
the
country.
It
is
encouraged
by
the
state
of
pennsylvania's
own
practices,
but
thanks
to
our
advocates
and
to
a
diligent
media
investigation.
A
This
practice
is
now
under
question
and
there's
no
more
important
time
than
now
to
correct
things.
That
should
have
been
corrected
long
ago.
These
federal
disability
and
survivor
benefits
are
specifically
designated
to
these
young
people
and
are
critical
resources
for
foster
children
and
their
families.
They
come
from
loved
ones
who
didn't
want
their
children
to
have
to
face
the
challenges
of
this
world,
whether
it
was
dealing
with
housing
or
education
or
mental
health
care
alone.
A
Ensuring
that
these
young
people
receive
the
benefits
that
are
due
to
them
is
essential
for
their
long-term
well-being.
This
bill,
the
stronger
futures
for
foster
youth
act,
does
three
primary
things.
First,
it
ensures
that
notice
is
provided
to
the
child
or
their
attorney
or
guardian
of
any
decision
related
to
the
child's
benefits.
This
includes
notifying
the
child
of
their
eligibility
for
these
benefits,
or
that
an
application
for
eligibility
was
sent
on
their
behalf.
A
Two.
It
ensures
that
children
are
screened
to
determine
if
they
are
eligible
for
federal
benefits,
and
it
will
ensure
that
eligible
children
can
receive
these
important
financial
resources
and
three.
Lastly,
it
will
we
will.
We
are
working
towards
seeing
seeing
that
these
social
security
benefits
are
actually
set
aside
into
individual
accounts,
so
that
these
benefits
can
be
preserved
for
foster
youth
on
their
transition
out
of
foster
care
or
can
be
drawn
down
during
care.
A
Several
states,
such
as
maryland,
illinois
and
nebraska
have
already
established,
or
in
the
process
of
establishing
similar
programs
to
preserve
benefits
for
foster
youth
and
additional.
Additionally,
several
cities,
such
as
new
york
and
los
angeles,
have
made
commitments
to
do
something
similar.
Just
last
week.
Council
members
in
washington
dc,
for
example,
introduced
similar
legislation
to
preserve
benefit
funds
for
foster
youth
and
individual
accounts.
A
A
D
Thank
you,
madam
chair
and
good
morning.
Everyone.
I
just
wanted
to
commend
you
for
this
bill.
I
think
when
something
is
when
government
is
doing
something
wrong,
and
this
was
a
practice
that
is
wrong,
people
in
government
have
to
be
brave
enough
to
call
it
out
as
wrong
and
then
to
go
further
to
rectify
the
wrong.
So
I
commend
you
as
well
as
commissioner
ali.
D
You
know:
vanessa,
garrett,
harley
and
other
folks
in
the
administration
for
recognizing
this
as
a
as
a
practice
that
was
harmful
to
our
foster
youth
and
doing
something
to
to
change
it,
and
I
also
wanted
just
to
commend
resolve
philly.
This
is
one
of
the
clearest
examples.
I've
seen
why
it's
very
important
to
have
an
independent
and
strong
media
to
bring
injustice
to
light.
So
thank
you
so
much
and
I
look
forward
to
participating
in
today's
hearing.
C
Good
morning,
chairperson,
helen
kim,
and
vice
chairperson
isaiah
thomas,
I
am
kimberly
ali
commissioner
of
the
city
of
philadelphia.
Department
of
human
services
with
me
today
are
nadine,
parisi,
chief
financial
officer
for
the
office
of
children
and
families,
jonathan
houlin,
chief
deputy
city,
solicitor
of
the
city
of
philadelphia
law
department,
child
welfare
unit,
as
well
as
other
members
of
my
dhs
leadership
team.
We
appreciate
this
opportunity
to
provide
testimony
and
response
to
bill
number
220239
council,
member
gim.
C
Thank
you
for
your
work
on
the
subject
and
for
your
collaboration
with
dhs
to
work
out
a
solution
that
will
help
children
and
families
with
achieving
financial
stability.
I
am
pleased
to
talk
about
dhs
for
formwork
in
this
area.
While
we
agree
in
principle
with
many
of
the
aspects
of
the
bill,
some
portions
pose
challenges
that
we
are
working
to
overcome.
C
I
can
assure
you
that
my
team
is
committed
to
improving
this
system
and
making
positive
change
for
the
children
and
families
that
we
serve.
I
would
like
to
provide
you
with
an
overview
of
the
actions
we
are
taking
to
be
more
transparent
with
families,
streamline
our
practices
and
explore
the
setting.
Aside
of
these
funds
for
young
people,
as
you
all
know,
dhs
receives
a
combination
of
city,
state
and
federal
funds.
C
Therefore,
state
law
requires
all
counties,
including
philadelphia,
to
attempt
to
collect
federal
benefits
that
a
child
is
receiving
at
the
time
they
enter
dhs
custody.
The
law
requires
that
this
federal
funding
be
applied
towards
the
cost
of
care
for
a
child.
It
is
dhs
practice
to
only
collect
old
age
survivors
and
disability
insurance,
also
known
as
osdi
benefits,
also
referred
to
as
survivor
benefits.
These
are
benefits
that
a
child
receives
due
to
a
disabled
parent
with
a
work
history
or
a
parent
who
is
deceased.
C
Dhs
does
not
receive
social
security
benefits
for
children
who
have
disabilities
themselves.
These
funds
are
suspended
during
the
time
that
a
child
is
in
the
custody
of
dhs,
while
the
social
security
administration
is
responsible
for
and
does
notify
families
when
dhs
files
to
collect
the
oasdi
benefits.
Dhs
believes
that
we
should
also
be
informing
families
of
this
action.
Therefore,
we
are
finalizing
a
letter
to
send
to
parents
and
the
child's
attorney
to
inform
them
that
dhs
has,
pursuant
to
legal
obligation,
requested
to
become
the
representative
payee
and
receive
the
benefits.
C
The
letter
also
states
that
the
benefits
are
used
for
the
cost
to
care
for
the
child
when
in
dhs
custody.
In
addition,
the
letter
provides
the
parent
and
child
attorney
with
the
social
security
administration
phone
number
for
further
information
on
how
to
apply
to
become
the
payee
for
the
benefits.
A
parent
or
other
family
member
may
contact
the
social
security
administration
to
request
that
they
become
the
representative
payee.
C
We
are
also
working
with
social
security
administration
to
ensure
that
the
social
security
administration
is
notified
in
a
timely
way
when
children
leave
care
so
that
parents
or
new
caregivers
can
then
go
to
social
security
and
arrange
to
receive
the
benefits
again
without
delay.
We
recognize
that
this
process
needs
to
be
improved
and
we
are
working
to
ensure
that
a
gap
does
not
exist
in
this
area.
We
recognize
that
providing
notice
to
families,
while
very
important,
does
not
address
the
more
complex
and
important
proposed
provisions
about
the
conservation
and
use
of
children's
benefits.
C
However,
let
me
describe
dhs's
work
in
this
area,
as
I
noted
above
state
law
requires
philadelphia
in
all
counties
to
collect
these
benefits
and
to
apply
the
funds
to
its
budget.
We
have
engaged
the
state
to
determine
if
there
is
a
way
for
the
city
to
replace
the
federal
portion
of
the
cost
with
city
dollars.
We
are
in
active
discussions
with
the
state
and
hope
to
have
a
final
resolution
on
this
issue
soon
simultaneously.
C
We
are
working
to
determine
the
legal
and
financial
mechanisms
to
retain
the
funds
individually,
while
the
children
are
in
our
care
so
that
the
funds
can
be
returned
while
the
child,
when
the
child
is
discharged
from
our
care.
We
understand
that
the
funds
can
be
a
lifeline
for
those
aging
out
of
foster
care
who
have
increased
rates
of
housing
and
security,
poverty
and
food
insecurity.
C
As
the
children's
advocacy
institute
in
san
diego
noted,
these
funds
could
be
the
difference
between
a
security,
deposit
and
couch
surfing.
Finally,
regarding
the
portion
of
the
bill
that
would
require
dhs
to
apply
for
benefits
for
children.
We
are
examining
this
issue
as
well.
We
are
very
concerned
that
creating
an
elaborate,
widespread
process
of
evaluating
all
children
in
care
for
disabilities
will
exacerbate
the
existing
racial
disproportionality
that
exists
for
children
in
the
child
welfare
system.
C
We
do
not
want
to
create
further
labeling
for
children
in
care
that
may
follow
them
for
the
rest
of
their
lives.
As
such,
we
are
carefully
looking
at
ways
that
we
can
address
this
portion
of
the
bill
without
having
unintended
negative
consequences
and
look
forward
to
further
discussions
in
this
area.
We
hope
that
by
taking
these
steps
and
examining
our
past
practices,
dhs
can
better
meet
the
needs
of
children
and
families
and
support
and
strengthen
families
in
need.
Thank
you
for
your
interest
in
this
issue.
I
welcome
your
questions.
A
A
That
is
the
correct
council?
Member
again,
and
you
know
I
know
he
had
discussed
the
concerns
around
screening
and
what
it
would
mean,
but
I
think
our
focus
is
on
ensuring
that
young
people
are
screened
for
eligibility
for
what
they
would
be
qualified
for,
as
opposed
to
kind
of
probing
for
things.
You
know
that
that
may
be
outside
of
the
of
the
agency's
normal
course
of
responsibility.
F
A
Would
you
agree
that
that
would
be
a
good
place
for
us
to
to
agree
upon?
Oh,
yes,
councilmember,
again
yeah
and
then
could
you
tell
us
you
know.
I
know
that
one
of
the
things
that
we
decided
to
do
was
to
give
you
know
the
agency
time
this
summer
to
work
on
implementation,
particularly
in
your
negotiations
with
the
state.
Can
you
talk
a
little
bit
about
how
things
are
advancing
at
the
state
level
and
where
state
dhs
has
been,
because
I
know
it's
not
just
us
in
philadelphia.
A
F
Sure,
thank
you.
Thank
you,
council
member.
Yes,
the
state
ocyf,
the
office
of
children,
youth
and
families
has
been
incredibly
supportive,
going
through
legislation
figuring
out
the
best
way
for
us
to
continue
to
invoice
and
be
in
compliance
and
unofficially,
to
this
point,
they
have
been
very
supportive
of
this,
with
the
understanding
that
we
would
have
to
supplant
these
funds
with
county
funds
in
order
to
move
forward
and
be
in
compliance
with
invoicing.
A
A
B
G
G
H
G
G
G
G
Faced
out
during
covet-
and
that
was
an
even
more
difficult
process,
because
a
lot
of
things
were
no
longer
the
norm-
the
norm
especially
found
in
stable
housing.
As
a
result,
I
didn't
have
stable
housing
when
I
aged
out.
Things
went
worse
for
me
since
I
aced
out
in
poland,
and
there
were
a
lot
of
restrictions
and
resources
no
longer
available.
G
I
G
Center's
youth
advocacy
program
who
aged
out
before
coping
experienced
experience
in
homelessness
and
households
for
a
while
and
lost
access
to
a
lot
of
resources
when
they
aged
out.
This
should
not
be
the
case
it
is.
It
is
already
so
hard
for
us
and
when
we
don't
have
a
good
plan
or
savings,
it
impacts
our
life
when
we
are
left
to
go
off
on
our
own.
If
people
had
access
to
funds
like
ssi
during
this
time
in
a
better
exit
plan,
maybe
this
could
have
changed
their
life.
G
So
when
we
leave,
we
don't
face
many
challenges
being
on
our
own,
like
being
homeless
or
house
hopping,
or
losing
access
to
health
care
and
being
able
to
just
meet
our
basic
needs
being
in
care,
impacting
my
impact
in
my
education
and
my
peers
and
maybe
having
these
benefits
or
knowing
that
youth
can
receive
these
benefits.
If
you
need
them,
couldn't
help
us
with
things
like
our
educational
needs
and
help
us
to
feel
more
secure.
G
If
I
was
eligible
for
benefits
and
had
a
savings
account
set
aside
for
me
until
I
ached
out,
it
would
have
helped
me
and
so
many
other
youth.
We
don't
really
have
much
money
put
aside
and
save
to
help
us
unless
we're
working
and
doing
it
on
our
own.
I
think
you
should
have
their
own
personal
account
where
their
money
is
being
sent
every
month
to
ensure
they
have
favors
to
take
care
of
themselves
before
they
age
out
and
when
they
finally
do.
G
H
H
I
also
learned
that,
because
of
my
mother's
service
in
guantanamo
bay
during
her
time
in
the
navy,
I
was
eligible
for
more
benefits
such
as
veterans
or
survivor's
benefits.
I
felt
like
I
had
hoped
that
there
were
funds.
I
could
use
to
help
me
heal
from
my
trauma
and
to
put
aside
to
help
me
once
I
had
a
care,
but
that
hope
was
eventually
crushed.
H
The
fear
of
having
my
benefits
taken
is
not
uncommon,
as
most
foster.
Youth
currently
receiving
ssi
and
oasdi
benefits
are
having
their
money
be
taken
by
state
agencies,
and
most
of
them
really
don't
know
it.
The
government
accountability
office
reported
in
june
of
2021
that
of
foster
children
receiving
these
benefits.
The
state
was
a
representative
payee
for
nearly
82
percent
of
these
children.
A
B
A
Before
we
continue,
you
know
again,
I
just
want
to
thank
anahi
and
ian
both
for
your
deeply
personal
experiences
going
through
the
foster
care
system.
I
know
it's
not
easy
to
kind
of
talk
about
personal
experiences
that
some
of
which
are
extremely
painful
or
very
deeply
private,
and
we
can't
thank
you
enough
for
doing
that
in
order
to
ensure
that
this
city
and
the
system
see
some
change,
so
we're
just
really
honored
to
have
you
here
and
everything
that
we're
gonna
do
we'll
be
thinking
about
both
of
you
and
many
others.
A
E
Thank
you,
madam
chair.
I
just
want
to
take
a
moment
to
actually
echo
exactly
what
you
said.
I
listening
to
the
testimony
is
very
emotional,
but
more
than
anything
I
have
a
family
filled
with
folks
who
are
foster
children
who
have
been
adopted.
So
on
a
certain
level.
I
can
relate
to
and
understand
what
you're
saying,
but
on
another
level
you
know,
I
don't
know.
E
So
I
I
appreciate
this
panel
specifically
because
what
they
have
communicated
today
and
what
we
are
trying
to
do
is
historic
in
nature
and
it's
important
for
the
young
people
who
often
are
put
in
situations
that
they
didn't
ask
for
they
didn't
choose
to
be
in,
but
more
or
less
is
the
hand
that
they've
been
getting
that
they've
been
dealt
based
on
the
decisions
of
adults.
So
thank
you,
madam
chair,
and
thank
you
to.
More
importantly,
that
last
panel,
because
that
was
very
powerful.
A
I
G
I
A
I
Yes,
hi
how
you
doing
how's
everybody
doing
this
morning,
yeah!
Well,
you
know
I
was
concerned
about
the
the
benefits
I
when
I
first
found
out.
I
wasn't
aware
that
my
kids
was
even
eligible
or
you
know,
in
any
kind
of
way
of
the
survivor's
benefits,
and
the
only
way
that
I
found
out
is
that
you
know
they
cut
off
my
my
my
ebt
card
and
said
that
they're
not
eligible
for
snaps
anymore,
and
so
actually
I
had
took
a
great
exhibit
at
a
doctor
appointment.
I
I
I
I
had
no
idea
that
this
was
coming
from
the
system
itself,
that
they
were
holding
their
money,
and
was
this
money
wasn't
hitting
my
home
to
help
me
with
my
kids,
and
you
know-
and
I
had
no
idea,
so
I
struggled
a
lot
with
xavier
for
this
kid.
Two
major
surgeries
on
his
head
and
back
and
forth
to
the
doctors
I
mean
like
it
was
like
absolutely
no
help
really
and
when,
when
I,
when
I.
G
I
H
I
A
I
I
I
A
A
I
H
I
So
what
happens
to
their
money?
You
know
when
I
was
taking
care
of
them,
the
other
three
years
like
why
they
just
paying
them.
When
I
adopted
them
like
they
giving
me
money,
it's
not
for
me.
It's
for
the
boys,
just
like
vadiante
he's
finished
school
he's
going
to
the
miat
techno
college
of
technician
in
michigan,
and
I
signed
up
for
festival.
I
you
know
they
helped
out,
but
still
I
have
to
come
out
my
pocket
with
the
rest
of
the.
H
I
I
A
Right
and
I
think
your
story
underscores
the
importance
of
the
screening
and
the
notification
more
than
anything
else,
because
I
think
if
we
had
both
screened
and
notified,
you
would
have
been
immediately
made
aware
and
the
city
would
not
have
held
on
to
survivors
benefits
long
after
you
know
we're
even
legally
entitled
to
so.
We,
I
think
because
of
this
story,
you
know,
certainly
returned
the
money,
but
you
you
highlight
the
importance
of
this
work
in
terms
of
screening
notification
and
include,
as
well
as
the
set-aside
funds.
I
A
Thank
you
so
much
and
again
we're
looking
to
make
change,
for
you
know
not
just
our
city
but
across
the
state,
and
you
know.
I
think
that
there
can
be
a
move
to
see
this
change.
We
hope
nationally,
because
it's
not
it's
all
of
our
children,
and
we
just
want
to
thank
you.
So
much.
Are
there
any
last
questions
for
this
panel
for
members
of
the
committee.
I
Well,
I
I
have
a,
I
have
a
lot
to
say,
but
you
know
I
was
you
know.
Was
you
know
hoping
that
you
know?
Y'all
have
some
had
questions
for
me
or
something,
but
you
know
I
don't
want
to
take
up
too
much
of
your
time,
but
I
I
think
it's
a
great
deal
for
you
know
somebody
to
step
up
now
and
and
open
up
this
can
of
worms,
because
it's
just
not
right.
It's
just
not
right.
I
If
there's
so
many
kids,
that's
not
aware
of
what's
going
on
and
these
orphans
they
deserve
everything
and
in
the
world
I
mean
some
of
them,
some
of
them.
Yes,
they
are,
you
know
challenging,
but
you
know
they
just
hit
and
they
just
need
structure
so
this
program.
This
is
great.
I
hope
everything
worked
out
and
you
know
I
just
pray
that
it
works
out
for
the
best
for
these
kids.
A
D
I
don't
have
a
question.
I
just
wanted
to
thank
mr
jackson
for
being
willing
to
share
his
story
both
with
the
media
and
with
this
committee
today.
I
also
read
that
that
article
and
was
just
horrified-
and
so
thank
you
so
much
for
just
laying
this
all
out
for
us,
and
I
definitely
don't
think
we
should
be
making
it
harder
for
people
like
you
who
are
stepping
up
to
take
in
foster
children
to
take
care
of
those
children
and
we
shouldn't
be
making
it
harder
for
those
children
to
have
stable
futures.
I
A
A
Good
morning,
everybody
thank
you
so
much
for
joining
us.
Our
time
is
a
little
bit
tight.
So
if
we
can
keep
your
remarks
relatively
tight,
we
have
all
of
your
testimony
in
front
of
us.
So
thank
you
so
much
for
joining
us
and
if
you
could
be,
if
you
could
just
state
your
name
for
the
record
and
proceed
with
your
testimony
in
the
order
in
which
you
were
called.
B
Thank
you,
madam
chair
members
of
the
committee.
My
name
is
daniel
hatcher,
I'm
a
law
professor
at
the
university
of
baltimore.
My
background
is
in
my
written
testimony
the
the
the
best
real
experts
have
already
testified
in
the
last
panel,
so
I
can
keep
this
very
brief.
I
do
want
to
say:
I've
worked
with
a
lot
of
legislative
staff
at
the
federal
state
and
local
level
over
the
years,
and
this
has
been
some
of
the
most
impressive
staff
that
I've
worked
with.
So
I
thank
them
as
well.
B
That's
the
pennsylvania
supreme
court
briefly
mentioning
screening.
I
will
add
that
our
child
welfare
agencies
across
the
country
should
already
be
screening
for
healthcare
needs
and
needs
for
based
on
disabling
conditions
under
both
the
epsdt
under
medicaid,
and
the
idea
under
educational
needs
for
special
educational
needs.
Again.
The
entire
reason
that
our
child
welfare
agencies
exist
is
to
serve
the
best
interests
of
children
in
their
care.
Again
more
detail
is
in
my
written
testimony,
so
I
submit
based
upon
that
testimony.
B
B
J
Attorneys
is
a
grave
deprivation
of
rights.
So
this
bill
would
would
undo
that
protect
these
children,
give
them
knowledge,
certainly
where
we
saw
with
the
parent
who
spoke
today
and
ian
where
they
where
at
times
they
didn't
even
know
the
money
was
available
to
them.
This
will
give
them
that
option
the
ability
to
act
again,
youth
who
age
out
they're
faced
with
homelessness.
J
There
often
don't
have
a
high
school
degree.
They
don't
have
they're
disconnected
for
family
supports,
having
fun
set
aside
for
them,
for
their
futures
would
give
them
a
great
step
up
and
help
create
a
buffer
in
the
financial
pitfalls
that
happen
as
youth
age
out.
So,
as
a
result,
we
for
these
reasons,
child
first
children
first,
is
asking
city
council
to
support
this
bill
and
to
vote
for
it,
and
we
thank
all
who
have
co-signed
and
presented
on
this
bill.
Thank
you
very
much.
A
F
F
The
stronger
futures
for
foster
youth
act
as
a
crucial
step
in
supporting
youth
in
the
child
welfare
system.
Taking
life-sustaining
benefits
from
youth
in
foster
care
is
a
policy.
That's
pennywise
and
pound
foolish
governments
like
philadelphia,
don't
recoup
very
much
money
while
that
same
small
amount
of
money
in
the
hands
of
individual
youth
can
be
transformative.
F
Conserving
benefits
for
youth
can
mean
the
difference
between
homelessness
and
being
able
to
pay
a
security
deposit
or
down
payment
on
your
first
home.
This
bill
shifts
the
focus
to
make
sure
that
children
and
youth
have
the
financial
resources
they
need
to
thrive
and
ensures
that
their
benefits
are
being
handled
in
accordance
with
social
security,
administration
regulations.
F
Community
legal
services,
youth
justice
project
provides
holistic,
community-based
civil
legal
services
to
youth
16
to
24.
through
our
individual
legal
representation,
the
leadership
of
our
youth
action
board
and
advocacy
with
our
partners.
We
have
witnessed
the
devastating
effects
of
youth,
exiting
the
foster
care
system,
with
insufficient
resources
to
survive
and
thrive.
F
F
First,
social
security
benefits
are
an
essential
resource
for
youth
and
preparing
to
exit
foster
care.
We
know
that
many
youth
leaving
foster
care,
face
high
rates
of
homelessness,
joblessness
and
poverty.
Nearly
half
of
all
children
in
foster
care
have
chronic
medical
problems
and
up
to
80
percent,
have
serious
emotional
problems,
which
means
many
will
need
the
support
of
disability
benefits.
Some
point.
F
F
Second,
this
bill
would
improve
outcomes
for
youth
by
spending
social
security
benefits
on
what
individual
youth
need,
instead
of
uniformly
paying
for
the
routine
costs
of
foster
care.
Anyone
who
serves
as
a
representative
payee,
including
an
organizational
payee,
must
decide
how
to
use
resources
in
the
beneficiary's
best
interest,
which
requires
looking
at
each
individual's
circumstances
and
goals
for
our
clients.
F
Finally,
this
bill
recognizes
that
youth
needs
support
if
they
are
going
to
successfully
access
and
maintain
social
security
benefits.
As
advocates
to
assist
youth
in
navigating
bureaucratic
systems,
we
see
our
clients
discouraged
by
confusing
social
security.
Letters
and
rules
are
shut
out
from
social
security's
offices
simply
because
the
phones
don't
work.
We
know
firsthand
that
having
an
advocate
can
make
the
difference
between
an
approval
or
denial
of
benefits.
F
We
appreciate
the
build
mandate
for
hands-on
support
for
youth
in
and
exiting
care
who
otherwise
would
navigate
this
complex
system
alone
rather
than
foot
the
bill
for
their
own
foster
care.
Youth
should
have
the
opportunity
to
use
their
benefits
for
the
needs
they
identify
because
they
are
the
experts
in
what
those
needs
are
based
on
what
I
know
about
the
mission
of
the
child
welfare
system
to
set
up
youth
to
be
as
successful
as
possible.
F
B
K
K
Most
importantly,
under
no
circumstances
should
the
government
be
be
taking
money
from
kids,
you've
heard
over
and
over
again
you're,
not
just
taking
from
their
present
when
you
take
that
money
you're
taking
from
their
future
the
decision
to
apply
for
these
benefits
the
decision
to
be
considered
disabled
for
purposes
of
federal
law,
the
decision
to
receive
funds
and,
ultimately,
the
use
of
the
funds.
These
are
decisions
that
belong
to
the
child
and
to
the
family,
not
the
government.
K
Finally,
the
scope
of
the
program
in
philadelphia
remains
unclear
and
in
particular,
whether
that
important
trust
has
been
violated
in
the
past.
While
we
appreciate
the
forward-looking
perspective
of
the
current
initiative,
we
also
need
to
understand
what
happened
in
the
past
respectfully.
We
still
need
to
know
the
record
of
payments
received
on
behalf
of
children
in
past
years,
based
on
their
survivorship
or
their
disability,
otherwise
we're
all
complicit
in
essentially
waiving
the
rights
of
those
children
to
whatever
benefits
those
rights
might
have
entitled
them.
K
A
Thank
you
so
much,
mr
cervone,
for
your
work
too,
and
your
tremendous
advocacy
and
also
keeping
us
very
focused
on
what
we
need
to
be
doing
through
this
process.
In
part,
we
are
taking
the
summer
to
ensure
that
we
can
move
diligently
and
to
cover
all
of
our
bases
before
the
bill
gets
passed.
We
actually
want
something
that
changes
existing
practices
and
not
you
know
just
pass
a
law
just
to
pass
a
law.
A
We
we
need
to
see
a
dramatic
shift
in
behavior
outreach
to
young
people
and
families,
and
I
think,
as
you
noted,
a
real
change
in
in
response
and
assuming
responsibility
for
this
work.
So
thank
you.
Thank
you
for
everybody's
advocacy
for
this
panel.
Colleagues.
Are
there?
Is
there
anyone
who
would
like
to
ask
any
questions
for
this
panel
currently.
A
A
There
be
no
further
questions
from
members
of
the
committee
and
no
other
witnesses
to
testify.
I
want
to
thank
all
of
the
all
of
the
individuals
and
all
of
our
panels
and
witnesses
for
your
participation
today.
Your
testimony
moves
us
to
action
and
we
deeply
value
all
of
your
work.
I
now
invite
all
panels
and
witnesses
to
please
disconnect
before
we
go
into
our
public
meeting.