SB1508 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 05807 KTG 15838 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
SB1508

Introduced 2/4/2025, by Sen. Sara Feigenholtz

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

20 ILCS 505/46 new

Amends the Children and Family Services Act. Requires the Department of Children and Family Services to, no later than July 1, 2026, establish the Office of Alumni Support (Office) to provide assistance, guidance, and support to any former youth in care needing or requesting assistance, guidance, or support. Provides that the Office shall link former youth in care to existing supports, determine what additional supports are necessary to improve outcomes for former youth in care based upon identified needs, including researching existing evidence-based and evidence-informed practice models of providing assistance to former youth in care, and implement necessary changes to provide the additional supports. Provides that current and former youth in care shall provide input, guidance, and direction on the establishment and operation of the Office. Sets forth a list of stakeholders the Department shall engage with when developing the Office. Creates the Former Youth in Care Crisis Support Services Program for the purpose of providing former youth in care in crisis immediate funds to address urgent needs, including, but not limited to, emergency housing, healthcare, food, transportation, and items urgently needed to maintain the former youth in care in a work or educational setting. Provides that the Office of Alumni Support shall manage and operate the program. Requires the Department to submit quarterly progress reports to the General Assembly on the establishment of the Office. Requires the Auditor General to conduct a performance audit to determine if the Department is meeting the requirements of the amendatory Act. Provides that the performance audit shall be conducted 2 years after the effective date of the amendatory Act. Effective immediately.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning State government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Children and Family Services Act is amended by adding Section 46 as follows:

(20 ILCS 505/46 new)

Sec. 46. Office of Alumni Support; Former Youth in Care Crisis Support Services Program.

(a) Legislative findings and intent. The General Assembly finds that:

(1) Youth in care experience multiple traumas prior to exiting care. They suffer abuse, neglect, or abandonment causing them to be placed in care, trauma from being removed from their families and communities, and many suffer additional trauma while in care, including multiple placement changes, delayed access to necessary treatment, and maltreatment while in care.

(2) Research has shown that former youth in care statistically have worse outcomes than their peers in the general population across a broad range of measures of well-being, including housing, employment, and education. These outcomes lead to homelessness, unemployment, incarceration, and psychiatric hospitalization, causing former youth in care to utilize costly State-funded programs and social supports at higher rates than their peers.

(3) According to U.S. Census Data from 2023, approximately 57% of men and 54% of women ages 18 to 24 live in their family home with their parents. For former youth in care who were removed from their families, living with their parents is often not an available or stable option. When youth exit care, they are expected to live entirely independent from not only financial support from the State, but also from the guidance, encouragement, role modeling, and mentoring that they received from caseworkers, foster parents, child care staff, and other adults during their time in care.

(4) Evidence-based programs have shown that assistance and support provided to former youth in care can improve outcomes in target areas, including leading to increases in employment and earnings, increased housing stability, increased economic well-being, and significant impacts on health and safety outcomes for the youth.

(5) It is the intent of the General Assembly to direct the Department of Children of Family Services to create, with the guidance, direction, and involvement of current and former youth in care, an Office of Alumni Support to provide assistance and support to former youth in care by (i) helping former youth in care navigate existing supports, (ii) determining what additional supports would be beneficial to former youth in care, including researching existing evidence-based and evidence-informed practice models of providing assistance to alumni of the child welfare system, and (iii) implementing any additional supports to improve outcomes for former youth in care.

(b) Office of Alumni Support. No later than July 1, 2026, the Department shall establish the Office of Alumni Support to provide assistance, guidance, and support to any former youth in care needing or requesting assistance, guidance, or support.

(c) The Office of Alumni Support shall link former youth in care to existing supports, determine what additional supports are necessary to improve outcomes for former youth in care based upon identified needs, including researching existing evidence-based and evidence-informed practice models of providing assistance to former youth in care, and implement necessary changes to provide the additional supports. The Office of Alumni Support shall be established and operated with the input, guidance, and direction of current and former youth in care and shall include such input and direction in all aspects of its work.

(d) At a minimum, the Office of Alumni Support shall provide assistance to former youth in care by linking young adults to existing supports or providing additional supports in all of the following areas:

(1) Housing support, including, but not limited to, referrals to funded housing sources specifically targeted to former youth in care.

(2) Educational support, including referrals for assistance accessing post-secondary education and financial aid available to former youth in care, including, but not limited to, assistance with housing during school breaks.

(3) Vocational support, including referrals for job training programs and financial support.

(4) Peer-mentoring from former youth in care to guide other youth through the transition to adulthood.

(5) Connections to family support and relationships including assisting former youth in care with connecting with siblings and other family members.

(6) Public benefits support, including assistance with qualifying and applying for federal and State benefits as the youth may be eligible.

(7) Support for former youth in care who are parenting, including referrals for assistance for childcare and necessary infant and child safety items.

(8) Medical and mental health coverage supports, including assistance with navigating insurance coverage and providers.

(9) Emergency funds, through the Former Youth in Care Crisis Support Services Program.

(10) Technology services through a mobile application developed by a third-party vendor with expertise in developing mobile applications with the input from youth in care and former youth in care. The mobile application shall be designed to be downloaded by youth prior to exiting care to store documents necessary for adult living and other critical personal information in a secure cloud-based environment, provide linkage to resources as needed, and send notifications to youth about resources and opportunities.

(e) To develop the Office of Alumni Support, the Department shall actively engage with stakeholders, including, but not limited to:

(1) At least 4 representatives from the Statewide Youth Advisory Board, including at least one youth in care from every region.

(2) At least 2 representatives from the Foster Care Alumni of America - Illinois Chapter.

(3) Representatives from private sector service providers currently providing alumni services to former youth in care.

(4) The Director of the Department of Children and Family Services, or the Director's designee.

(5) The Cook County Public Guardian, or the Cook County Public Guardian's designee.

(6) Representatives from the managed care organization providing health care coverage to current and former youth in care.

(f) The Former Youth in Care Crisis Support Services Program.

(1) There is created within the Department the Former Youth in Care Crisis Support Services Program. The purpose of the Former Youth in Care Crisis Support Services Program is to provide immediate funds to address urgent needs to former youth in care in crisis.

(2) Eligibility and application.

(A) Former youth in care between the ages of 18 and 30 may access immediate monetary funds to address urgent needs, including, but not limited to, emergency housing, healthcare, food, transportation, and items urgently needed to maintain the former youth in care in a work or educational setting.

(B) The Department shall not require former youth in care to apply for funds through a single point of contact, but instead shall accept requests for monetary support made directly by the former youth in care or by a child welfare agency or other community services provider on behalf of the former youth in care.

(C) The Department shall also consider reimbursement requests from child welfare agencies and other community service providers who provided funds to address urgent needs of former youth in care prior to submitting an application on behalf of the former youth in care to prevent a crisis.

(3) The Office of Alumni Support shall manage and operate the Former Youth in Care Crisis Support Services Program.

(g) Reporting. The Department shall report to the General Assembly on the Department's progress in establishing the Office of Alumni Support on a quarterly basis for the first year with reports due on December 1, 2025, March 1, 2026, and June 1, 2026. At a minimum the report shall address:

(1) how the Department is engaging current and former youth in care;

(2) what evidence-based practices and evidence-informed practices the Department has identified as potential models for alumni support;

(3) what supports are currently implemented in Illinois;

(4) what is needed to overcome identified barriers; and

(5) whether there is available federal funding for services and additional support to be provided.

(h) Performance audits. Two years after the effective date of this Amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly, the Auditor General shall commence a performance audit of the Department to determine whether the Department is meeting the requirements of this Section. Upon completion of each audit, the Auditor General shall report its findings to the General Assembly. The Auditor General's reports shall include any issues or deficiencies and recommendations. The audits required by this Section shall be in accordance with and subject to the Illinois State Auditing Act.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.