Statement of Sonja Matheny, Student
North Carolina Central University; and
Center of Keys for Life Program, Temple Hills, Maryland

Testimony Before the House Committee on Ways and Means
Subcommittee on Human Resources

Hearing on Foster Care Independent Living

May 13, 1999

Good Morning, my name is Sonja Matheny and it is a great honor to speak on behalf of older foster youth. I am nineteen years old and I attend North Carolina Central University, where I am a third year Business Administration major. I have been a ward of the District of Columbia since I was two years old.

Being in the foster care system is difficult for most children. At a young age, we know the day will come when we lose all of our financial and emotional support. We have to work twice as hard and quickly to be prepared to take care of ourselves at a very young age. When we turn eighteen most of us are terminated from the foster care system; a few lucky ones like me receive some support until they turn twenty-one.

Most of us are terminated before we are ready. Throughout our years in care, there has been inadequate support from foster families, group homes, social workers, and people around us do not understand how hard it is not having a family and home of your own. Many of my peers lose confidence in the system and do not believe that programs like independent living can help them get ready to be on their own. Growing up is a daily process and short term programs like Independent Living can't make up for the years of not having any guidance towards adulthood.

In my case, I have been luckier than many of my peers. At sixteen I became part of the Keys for Life Independent Living Program located here in Washington D.C. This program has encouraged me to strive for success. While I was in high school, it offered me tutoring, life skills training, S.A.T preparation, college preparation, and internship opportunities. In preparation for college, the program sent me on local and out-of-state college tours, paid for some of my college application fees, and helped me find financial aid.

Keys for Life was there to assist me with each step of the college enrollment process. I do not know if I could have done all the things necessary to go to college without them. It is difficult for a 17 or 18 year old to keep track of all the details and deadlines, especially when your life might chaotic. Many foster teens live in group homes that are noisy and have lots of people coming and going, they have no private space to keep important papers and the adults in the home may not encourage or support their goals.

Keys for Life helped guide me through the federal financial aid process and they introduced me to the Orphan Foundation of America. The Orphan Foundation provides scholarships to young people in foster-care. Their staff consists of volunteers and their funding comes from the direct contributions of people concerned about young people in foster care. This year I will receive a $5,000 from the Orphan Foundation but they can not afford to help everyone who wants to go to college. I will be using their money to pay for room and board. When a foster youth has goals they need to be helped by many different groups of people like the Orphan Foundation.

Unfortunately, my brother who was also in foster care has not benefited from an Independent Living Program. It is important people understand that when the system lets kids down too many times they stop having faith in it. This happen often, kids just want out of the system and some realize too late that they do need the help of a independent living program. But unlike my friends at college who have families that take them back --- foster kids can=t return.

Although my brother has worked hard pursing his college degree, he has to pay for everything himself. He was terminated from the system without any transition plan and had to move from the foster home before he had the opportunity to finish school. Overnight he became fully responsible for all of his expenses. He is now twenty-four years old and still trying to fulfill his dream of finishing college.

Although Independent Living Programs definitely provide many benefits, I would like to recommend five improvements that need to be made.

1) The programs should be available to any foster teen who is 14 or a freshman in high school. If students become part of the program in ninth grade, they will have a better chance of realizing that staying in school and getting good grades is the key to having options as an adult. I hear a lot of people in the program say they could have done much better in school if they had started the independent living program sooner. From age sixteen to twenty-one, is not enough time to fully prepare someone for a successful life.

2) There should be a transitional support plan for every foster youth before they age out. This transitional plan would help young adults put in place the stable living conditions necessary to finish college or training school or get a job.

3) For the foster youth who are in college, independent living money should be available to pay room and board at school. Living on campus provides students with a stable environment so the student can focus more on their studies.

4) All foster youth should have health care coverage until they complete school or job training. Part of the transitional plan should include being able to join a health insurance plan when Medicaid expires.

5) Lastly, more civic organizations and businesses should be encouraged to become involved with foster youth. All children should have relationships with people outside of the foster care system that help them feel like they belong to society.

In conclusion, I want to thank you for increasing the funding for independent living programs to $140,000,000 and ask you to make sure that states spend the money in ways that will truly help more foster youth gain independence and live prosperous lives.

Thank you