WILSON
January 15, 2025
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January 16, 2025 2:45 a.m.
WA SB 5082 proposes housing funding for foster children aging out of the system
OLYMPIA – Jonas Rios entered foster care at 17 years old and was put in eight different placements before turning 18. He entered the Extended Foster Care program that attempted to cut off support a month before his 21st birthday, forcing him to jump from hotels to college dormitories. He then couch-surfed for six months until he was granted a housing voucher from the Foster Youth Independence Program and received stable housing for the first time at 22.