Thursday, the House Health and Social Services Committee passed House Bill 27 sponsored by Representative Les Gara (D-Anchorage). The bill seeks to improve the lives of foster youth in Alaska by getting them into permanent loving homes, so they don’t keep suffering damage and neglect caused by bouncing between multiple temporary foster homes and schools. Rep. Gara thanked the members of the Health and Social Services Committee for their work on the bill.
“Foster youth deserve stability, love, and the same chances as all other children,” said Rep. Les Gara, who grew up in foster care. “Forty percent of our foster youth end up homeless or couch surfing. 24% end up in jail after the damage caused by an unstable upbringing. We are the legal guardians of these vulnerable youth and we must do a better job of caring for them.”…