Protecting Access to SNAP for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care: Critical Strategies for State Implementation

Young people play an important role in shaping our society and contributing to their families, their communities, and our collective future. Policies that promote their health, wellbeing, and stability can help ensure young people are able to pursue and achieve their goals and set us all up for success. Unfortunately, in a step backward last year, the budget reconciliation bill added significant hurdles for young people accessing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), our nation’s single most important anti-hunger program which helps millions of individuals and families buy groceries every month. As states look to implement the law, it is critical they look for opportunities to help young people access SNAP—particularly young people who have experienced the greatest systemic barriers.

For more detail and recommendations related to these strategies to support state implementation, please see the related brief, and the accompanying advocacy guide, developed in partnership with Food Research & Action Center, iFoster, National Homelessness Law Center, Think of Us, and Youth Law Center.