Lawsuit claims Alaska isn’t providing enough money for food, necessities for older foster youth

A lawsuit filed in state court by advocates for foster youth is challenging Alaska’s foster care system, highlighting a gap in state care for older foster youth who are not living with foster families. Those foster youth live in other housing, like shelters and dorms, and struggle to access state funds to cover basic living expenses, the lawsuit says.

The lawsuit filed by the non-profit advocacy organization, Facing Foster Care in Alaska, says the state should provide the same monthly living stipends to older foster youth for basic necessities, as they do to foster families with youth in their home.

“For youth in these alternate settings, there’s no foster care payment going anywhere,” said Amanda Metivier, executive director of Facing Foster Care. The organization is arguing that without these living stipends, the state is failing its duty of care for older foster youth in state custody, and are asking the court to require the state to distribute living stipends directly to all older foster youth.

The Office of Children’s Services, housed within the Alaska Department of Family and Community Services, runs the state’s foster care system. It provides a “cost of care” stipend to foster families for each foster youth in their home to pay for essential items like food, clothing, toiletries and school supplies.

But there’s no stipend for foster youth living independently, in shelters, college dorms or other housing. Instead, the department provides vouchers and small grants for living expenses, but advocates say it’s not enough — and call it a failure of the state to uphold its constitutional duty in the lawsuit.

(READ MORE - alaskabeacon.com)