CONNECT Act

The CONNECT Act would modernize the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood, which provides supportive services to youth aging out of foster care. The bill would update the program's stated purposes to emphasize the importance of helping foster youth develop and maintain sustained, supportive relationships with adults, mentors, and peers. It would clarify that Chafee funds may be used for services that help youth build lifelong connections and support networks, as well as to help youth participate in their own permanency planning and transition to independence. The bill would also require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue guidance to states and tribal child welfare agencies within one year on how to implement these updated purposes, including examples of eligible services and best practices for supporting peer connections and mentoring. If enacted, the bill would refocus an existing federal program that currently provides housing, education, employment assistance, and life skills training to approximately 444,000 eligible youth annually, with the new emphasis on relationship-building as a key component of successful transition to adulthood.