Follow-Up Letter to Senator Husted's Office

Good morning, 

The Overcoming Hurdles in Ohio Youth Advisory Board is a statewide organization of young people, ages 14-24, who have experienced foster care. The OHIO YAB exists to be the knowledgeable statewide voice that influences policies and practices that impact youth who have or will experience out of home care, including foster care, kinship care, adoption, and group homes.

We have the utmost respect and appreciation for Senator Jon Husted:

• He supported one of our youth leaders in sharing her voice during 2023 Foster Care Month
• He launched a statewide Adoption and Foster Care Portal
• He and his wife continue to support FosterHub’s work to create transitional housing and life skills preparation for foster youth in Appalachian Ohio 
• He has always been incredibly supportive when it comes to connecting Ohio youth with education and workforce opportunities

We also deeply appreciated meeting with him in person recently, as part of 2026 Three Days on the Hill. 

While our conversation initially focused on Chafee and ETV, one of our participating youth leaders came up with a proposal that would be entirely cost-neutral:

• Raven proposed an amendment to the 2018 Fostering Connections to Success Act, which would change Exit Plans from taking place 90 days prior to emancipation to taking place 180 days prior to emancipation.

• Raven has served as a Youth Ambassador for the Overcoming Hurdles in Ohio Youth Advisory Board (OHIO YAB) for six years. She recently participated in the Jim Casey Initiative 25th Anniversary Convening.

• In her role, Raven has spoken with fellow foster youth throughout the nation, and heard from many that 90 days is simply not long enough. Doubling the amount of time will make it possible to make referrals earlier, and better set up today’s foster youth for tomorrow’s success. 

We’d love to stay in touch about Raven’s proposal, if it is of interest to the Senator. We care and understand that now is a busy time, but just as Senator Husted has always retained his care and focus on foster and adopted youth, we remain dedicated to improve outcomes for our brothers and sisters of the foster care system.

We also wanted to add one more note of thanks: Out of every legislator and federal decision-maker whom we spoke with in DC, including the Administration for Children and Families, Senator Husted was the one person who took the time to check in with individual young people and ask how they were doing in pursuit of their life goals. 

This truly reflected his sincerity and care for our population. 

Follow-Up Letter to the Leadership Team of HUD

Assistant Secretary Ben Hobbs, 

Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with us while we were in Washington D.C. 

Here is a link to more photos of our time together: 

• 2026 meeting with HUD

HUD’s dedication to our population was exemplified in that our meeting was initially with four staff members, but we ended up connecting with twelve. And that you and your team listened to and elevated Alexys Madero’s suggestion. Thank you with all of my heart. 

Upon our return home to Ohio, we met with Director Kara Wente of the Department of Children and Youth. We shared out about our time in DC, and she and her team offered support to us in reaching our goals on a statewide level. 

We would love to stay in touch with your team to continue to support FYI voucher access. It will be wonderful and helpful to have FYI information available on the HCV dashboard again, and we can provide an example of what we meant in terms of a What to Say When to address misinformation about FYI vouchers.

Please know that you have our heartfelt appreciation, utmost dedication and ongoing support. 

Follow-Up Letter to the Administration for Children and Families

Ryan Hanlon,

Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with us while we were in Washington D.C. 

We deeply appreciate your time, and the thoughtfulness you demonstrated by connecting by phone with one of our youth leaders who had forgotten to bring his Real ID. 

Our time in DC was truly rewarding, including our meeting with HUD, during which our meeting was initially with four staff members, but we ended up connecting with twelve. This exemplifies HUD's commitment to our population. They value and remember the role of Ohio foster care youth and alumni in designing FYI vouchers.

Upon our return home to Ohio, we met with Director Kara Wente of the Department of Children and Youth. We shared out about our time in DC, and she and her team offered support to us in reaching our goals on a statewide level. It is wonderful to have such local support - and the dedication that she and her team demonstrates is why Ohio spends down our Chafee and ETV allocations for the benefit of transitioning youth. 

Please let us know if we can be helpful to you and your work. We would love to encourage other states to share Ohio’s sense of urgency when it comes to spending down Chafee and ETV allotments. It is vitally important for every state in the nation to prioritize measurable, long-term youth outcomes in housing stability, financial literacy,  and career pipelines rather than allowing funds to get caught in bureaucratic stagnation.

Likewise, as A Home for Every Child moves forward, we will be working within our state to ensure robust training for foster parents, including and especially specialized training for foster parents who focus on ages 12-17. We have been laying the groundwork for years: 

• Life Skills: Essential Elements of Interdependence – A Learning Pathway for Resource Families was created by the Ohio University Consortium for Child and Adult Services (OUCCAS), in collaboration with the Overcoming Hurdles in Ohio Youth Advisory Board (OHIO YAB) and ACTION Ohio.

• Courses and activities within this professional development pathway are designed to help foster parents and kinship caregivers gain necessary knowledge and skills to assist youth skill development, which will promote a successful transition to interdependence.

• Youth voice has been, and remains, key in the creation and continued development of the Life Skills Pathway, including identifying the Essential Elements of Interdependence, mapping out Essential Resources for each category, designing badges for each category and creating a menu of Life Skills Activities for caregivers to share with youth at home. 

• Ohio youth leaders have also been empowered to review trainings within this pathway to offer feedback and suggestions. One of the young people you met in D.C. (Raven Grice) helped build this pathway, and is now writing curriculum of her own as a certified statewide trainer through the Ohio Child Welfare Training Program. 

Thanks once again for your time. 

Three Day on the Hill

Administration for Children and Families:
We met with Ryan Hanlon, Associate Commissioner of the Children's Bureau, to talk about Broken Adoptions, Life Skills and Safeguarding Youth From Abuse, including when it comes to national implementation of the Home for Every Child Act. We deeply appreciate his willingness to connect with one of our group members via FaceTime, since entry into ACF requires a Real ID. 

HUD: 
Our meeting was initially with four staff members, but we ended up connecting with twelve. This exemplifies HUD's commitment to our population. They value and remember the role of Ohio foster care youth and alumni in designing FYI vouchers. We spoke with HUD Leadership, including Assistant Secretary Ben Hobbs,to share ideas to support FYI voucher access and including the voices of those with lived experience as trainers regarding this provision. 

During the meeting, Alexys shared an idea which is being elevated to the First Lady. More on that to come...

Legislative Visits:
During our time in DC, we met with the offices of :

• Congressman Max Miller
• Congressman David Joyce
• Congressman Mike Turner
• Congressman Mike Carey
• Congressman Greg Landsman
• Senator Jon Husted

Our legislative visits focused on recommendations related to ETV and Chafee. The only exception was when we met with FSHO champion Congressman Mike Turner and shared our BROE proposal. We deeply appreciated the personal connection that Senator Jon Husted made, by inviting each participating young person to share their goals and accomplishments. 

We were unable to meet with Senator Bernie Moreno or Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, but stopped by both of their offices to deliver materials. 

Here are links to additional photos from our:

• 2026 meeting with ACF
• 2026 meeting with HUD
• Legislative Visits
• DC: Day One
  
• DC: Day Two 
• Journeys and Preparation

During our visits, it always makes our hearts happyto connect with foster care alumni who now work in DC. Such was the case during this trip, when our paths crossed with Tashia Roberson-Wing, Senior Legislative Assistant of Congressman Greg Landsman's office. 

DC taglines: 

• Lived It. Leading It. Ohio foster youth aren't just voices to be heard, they are partners whose lived experience can inform stronger systems and resources, better policy provisions, and better outcomes for the young generation who come after them. 

• Putting a Face On the Population They Serve: We made an impact; they now know who we are and we put a face to the population they serve. We are more than just numbers - we are a united voice who get together to make change. 

Thinking about the Overton Window of Political Possibility

When it comes to politics, the Overton Window of Political Possibility reflects that what seems impossible now might be possible later, with the upcoming changes in state leadership.

Foster care is a bipartisan issue, but not every politician understands it or understands the importance of investing to improve outcomes for former foster youth.  

Ohio elections will impact the the range of ideas the public and politicians are willing to accept as mainstream policy. The true test of willingness will occur after the election.

Right now, the political focus when it comes to Ohio foster care is about how much placements cost:

• The highly publicized Vinton child abuse case has brought attention to foster care.
• But some groups are focusing solely on the fiscal cost of caring for vulnerable youth. 
• There is an entire bill being dedicated just to that (HB 184).

2026 NILA Conference

The 38th Annual National Independent Living Conference took place from August 18-21, 2026 in Reston, VA. On Tuesday, August 18th, an FYI Symposium was held from 9 am - 5 pm. Doris Edelmann and Jamole Callahan of ACTION Ohio presented. 

Ruth Anne White of the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare received the first annual FYI Pioneer Award.

Jamole gave Deric Cobb a shout-out from the state.

The Franklin County Youth Advisory Board did a wonderful job of networking with other states. 

2026 Leadership and Life Skills Summit

Link to photos.

On Tuesday, June 9, 2026, the OHIO YAB and ACTION Ohio facilitated a Leadership and Life Skills Summit for Current and Former Foster Youth, to inform and empower Ohio teens and young adults with a foster care history (ages 14-24).  This event was made possible thanks to the support of the Ohio Children’s Alliance, the Department of Children and Youth, and The Ohana Project.

103 youth and young adults from the following counties participated: Allen, Butler, Champaign, Cuyahoga, Erie, Franklin, Geauga, Hamilton, Highland, Hocking, Jefferson, Licking, Lorain, Miami, Montgomery, Pickaway, Sandusky, Stark, Washington and Wood.