Kids in foster care from across the city gathered Friday afternoon in the Lewis Auditorium at Hunter College to watch Speak for Yourself, a passionate documentary which describes the challenging lives of New York City foster youth and clarifies their legal rights. The film, produced by Friends of Foster Youth, will be publicly released within the next two weeks.
The film emphasizes ten of the basic rights afforded to foster youth. For example, foster youth can request to go home to their biological parents; they can suggest who should be their foster parent, such as a family member, a friend’s mom, or neighbor; they can fire their attorney; and they cannot be discharged to a homeless shelter at age 21.
After the film concluded, audience members were able to question a panel of attorneys, advocates, and an Administration for Children Services worker, Dominique Jones, who appeared in the film. The overwhelming concern of the foster youth in the audience was housing. Many youth were worried that they would become homeless when they turn 21, the year they age out of the foster care system.“We cannot discharge a person to a homeless shelter when they turn age 21,” said Dominique Jones from ACS. “There are a range of housing opportunities.” At age 18, students can begin to apply for Section 8 housing subsidies. Students must have a part-time job to qualify. There is also “supportive housing,” which provides extra resources for youth who are not ready to live independently. Lastly, students have the right to remain in the foster care system until age 23 if they are attending a post-secondary college and live on-campus.To obtain a copy of the film, check out Friends of Foster Youth’s website. Information regarding distribution will be up soon. To learn more about foster youth and their rights, check out youthsuccessnyc.org or call Alice Rosenthal, at Advocates for Children 212-822-9539. In June, Rosenthal will release a report focusing on education and foster youth. “Only 50 percent of students in foster care graduate high school,” she said. “For those that do graduate, one to eight percent graduate with a four-year-college degree.”
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