Young people aging out of foster care often struggle to adjust independent living, which is why the state of New Mexico created a program years ago to help them. Now lawmakers are looking to expand eligibility for those services.
The Fostering Connections program offers support for young people who are aging out of foster care so they can successfully transition to adulthood.
However, Democratic Senator Michael Padilla, himself a former foster kid, said the original program leaves behind those children who were fostered in another state, had incomplete cases, or were removed from the system at any point. That's why he's sponsoring .
"You could be the wealthiest child in New Mexico and when you turn 18 you don鈥檛 know anything. If you are the poorest child or a foster kid in New Mexico and you turn 18 could you imagine having 0 safety nets. So a lot of these kiddos wind up in trouble and this actually helps to fix that," said Padilla.
of the bill noted that according to the federal Administration for Children and Families, youth aging out of foster care experience considerable challenges. Those include higher rates of homelessness and incarceration, early parenthood, and struggles to find jobs.
Padilla said SB6 is a comprehensive bill that would provide resources like housing, transportation, health care, higher education access, and legal support.
He also touted the success of similar legislation in a handful of states.
"Those states have seen a reduction of about 77% of their kids going into foster care, when the young adult was a former foster kid. So very positive for New Mexico" Padilla said.
The bill passed the Senate with an amendment expanding eligibility up to age 22, and it passed its first House committee on Friday. Next stop is the House Judiciary Committee.
The legislative session runs through March 22 at noon.
