HARRISBURG, PA — A bipartisan bill that would prevent Pennsylvania agencies from using Social Security benefits intended for foster youth to offset the cost of their care advanced unanimously from a state House committee, moving the proposal closer to a full House vote.
House Bill 151, sponsored by state Reps. Rick Krajewski, D-Philadelphia, and Sheryl Delozier, R-Cumberland, would require survivors benefits and other eligible Social Security payments received by foster youth to be placed into savings accounts that become available when they leave the foster care system.
The legislation follows a December directive from the federal Administration for Children and Families instructing states to stop intercepting benefits intended for foster youth. According to the bill’s sponsors, 10 states have already enacted similar protections.
“These are funds that for many could mean the difference between homelessness and stable housing, between needing to work multiple jobs and having time to attend college, between lacking healthcare and receiving necessary treatment,” Delozier said. “These youth are not asking for handouts, they’re asking for what’s already theirs.”
Supporters argue the measure would give young adults leaving foster care greater financial stability at a time when many face heightened risks of homelessness, unemployment and other challenges.
“What makes up a fraction of our state’s spending could make a huge difference in the lives of foster youth, who often face high rates of homelessness, addiction and depression,” Krajewski said. “This is about fairness and the protection of our kids. Just as other foster children do not pay for their own costs of care or other county services, children who receive public benefits shouldn’t either.”
Krajewski highlighted the proposal during a Capitol news conference in April alongside former foster youth and advocates.
Former foster youth Antonio Gonzalez-Dennis recounted learning that more than $500 per month in benefits intended for him had been intercepted while he struggled to afford basic necessities, including equipment needed to participate in school sports.
“If I had access to my benefits, I wouldn’t have had to lean so heavily on teachers, friends, and caregivers,” Gonzalez-Dennis said. “Passing H.B. 151 is a real chance to make sure DHS is accountable to the children it’s supposed to serve.”
Krajewski first introduced the legislation during the 2023-24 legislative session after reports that Philadelphia had not conserved foster youth benefits despite a city ordinance prohibiting the practice.
The bill now advances to the full Pennsylvania House of Representatives for consideration.
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