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community/classified ads
february21
2019
Foster Youth Seek Child Welfare Reform in 2019 Legislative Session
Columbia County, OR Seeks:
Case Aide
Deadline: 3/8/2019
Corrections Deputy
Deadline 5/6/2019
Corrections Technician
Deadline 3/8/2019
Parole and Probation Officer I/II
Deadline 3/8/2019
Chief Deputy
Deadline: 02/28/2019.
See website for details:
www.co.columbia.or.us. EOE
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We know tax time isn’t always
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• Conservation programs are now in
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• Much work is done yearly to improve
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• Bald eagles in Oregon went from 65
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. C
r
D
starting at age 12 (2015), and a Foster
Children’s Sibling Bill of Rights (2017).
About Oregon Foster Youth Connection
Oregon Foster Youth Connection (OFYC)
is a statewide, youth led advocacy group
of current and former foster youth be-
tween the ages of 14 and 24. Members
shape every aspect of what OFYC is,
how it is structured, which policies to
focus on, and what activities to partici-
pate in. Through peer support and adult
mentorship, members have the opportu-
nity to build community with other foster
youth and grow as leaders by develop-
ing solutions for Oregon’s foster care
system. Learn more at www.ofyc.org.
About Children First for Oregon
Children First for Oregon (CFFO) is a
statewide, nonprofit organization whose
mission is to empower communities
to advocate for kids so all children in
Oregon thrive. Since 1991, CFFO has
worked across the state to galvanize
community support for children and
inform decision-makers about the so-
lutions kids need. CFFO convenes and
engages communities through four pro-
gram areas: legislative solutions, foster
youth advocacy, child abuse preven-
tion, and research and data. Learn more
at www.cffo.org.
State Taxes are for the
Birds… and Other Wildlife
DM
CLASSIFIED
ADS
ter Youth Connection (OFYC) Policy
Conference, where current and for-
mer foster youth from across the state
worked together to identify pressing is-
sues within the foster care system and
develop concrete solutions. Out of the
10 policy recommendations formed
by foster youth, several others will be
considered during the 2019 legislative
session. In addition to ILP expansion,
OFYC policy recommendations includ-
ed in Governor Kate Brown’s proposed
budget include increasing funding for
CASAs, foster parent support and train-
ing, a peer-led Healthy Relationships
Education Program for foster youth,
and housing transition support. OFYC
is a program of Children First for Or-
egon and celebrated 10 years of advo-
cacy, activism, and leadership in 2018.
Foster youth will continue to
advocate for expanding ILP services
during the 2019 legislative session. If
passed, the bill will be OFYC’s ninth
legislative concept to become law.
OFYC youth leaders have successfully
passed: assistance obtaining driving
privileges (2009), a tuition waiver for
foster youth entering community col-
lege or state university (2011), a Foster
Child Bill of Rights & Foster Child’s
Ombudsman (2013), access to ongo-
ing extracurricular activities (2015),
the ability to open a saving accounts
an
A group of current and for-
mer foster youth from across Oregon
met with lawmakers on January 28 in
Salem to lobby for child welfare re-
form. Their priority is to expand Or-
egon’s Independent Living Program
(ILP), which prepares foster youth
for their transition into adulthood.
While living independently as an
adult is a challenge for any young person,
youth experiencing foster care are more
likely to lack the long term relationships
and resources needed to successfully
complete high school, gain employ-
ment, and live on their own. According
to a data brief released by the Annie E.
Casey Foundation, 71 percent of young
people in Oregon aged out of foster care
without being reunited or connected to
a family in 2016, compared to 51 per-
cent of foster youth nationwide. Many
young people transitioning from foster
care struggle with instability, are less
likely to finish high school, have chal-
lenges accessing and maintaining higher
education, and face disproportionate lev-
els of unemployment and homelessness.
Hannah Royal is a former foster
youth who utilized ILP services and is
advocating for the bill. “ILP helped me
get a jump start into my adult life by
providing funds for me to pay rent and
pay for every day expenses,” she said.
“I’m advocating for expanding these
services so that other current and former
foster youth can benefit from them too.”
Foster youth identified expand-
ing ILP services as a legislative priority
for 2019 due to the challenges of aging
out of foster care without permanency
or supportive relationships. ILP services
help youth in foster care make the tran-
sition to self-sufficiency as adults by
providing training, classes, stipends for
living expenses, and one-on-one sup-
port. Youth learn about topics such as
budgeting, applying for a job, and look-
ing for their first apartment, while build-
ing community with other young people
preparing for the transition out of care.
“This program did more than just
help provide me with living expenses —
I learned important skills that will help
me for the rest of my life,” continued
Royal. “Legislators should pass this bill
so that foster youth who want to be teach-
ers, doctors, businessmen or women, or
any other profession, can do so without
the obstacles of not being able to pay
rent, not being able to buy groceries, or
not having the skills to successfully live
independently standing in their way.”
The legislative concept was
developed by youth at the Oregon Fos-
e rm
Oregon falls short in
preparing all foster youth
for adulthood, foster youth
propose a solution
s
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How to donate:
You need to submit a “Sched-
ule OR-donate” form along with your
Oregon State Tax Form 40. The Non-
game Wildlife Fund charity code is 19.
You’ll be helping support 88 percent of
our state’s wildlife that are not hunted,
trapped, or fished.
Thanks for your support and
visit
www.oregonconservationstrat-
egy.com to learn more about Oregon’s
strategy for protecting and enhancing
fish and wildlife.
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