For young people transitioning out of foster care, access to food should never be in question. Yet recent federal policy changes have created new uncertainty around the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Assistance like SNAP provides a vital safety net to young people when family supports are unavailable - like the dinners at home, care packages, and occasional grocery runs many families can provide for young adults in transition to adulthood. 

Until recently, young people with foster care experience were exempt from work requirements to receive SNAP benefits when they were in the category of “Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents” or ABAWDs. Now, those protections are shifting — and young people are feeling the impact.

To better understand what’s happening on the ground, FosterClub launched rapid-response roundtable discussions with transition-age youth (TAY) in September of 2025. These conversations, combined with follow-up interviews, provide a real-time picture of how policy changes are affecting daily life.

FosterClub is using these insights to:

• Equip young people with clear, timely information about their benefits
• Inform policymakers and advocates about the realities facing foster youth
• Guide funders toward investments that stabilize food access
• Support state agencies and child welfare professionals with youth perspectives

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Barriers and Concerns

Limited Awareness of SNAP Benefits

Too often, youth only learn about SNAP by chance, not through formal systems.

• “Before I was in foster care, my biological parents were on and on and off most of my childhood. So that's how I learned about it to start with,” said Raven.
   
• “I was in college when I first found out,” said Izzy. “My social worker told me I should apply. My family was on and off of it, but I had no clue what it was really.”
   
• Serena, a young mother in Florida, said: “In the specific group home that I was placed into, they showed me how to apply and helped me apply at the age of 17, just a few months shy of turning 18.”
   
• “I was in a homeless shelter in Urban Peak out here in Denver, Colorado. I first learned about the food stamps when I got connected through Mile High United Way,” recalled D’borah. “I barely had food when it was time to go to work, or when I had to leave for the day and go to school. The staff helped me be able to have breathing room when it felt, like, unstable.”

These stories underscore the critical role of trusted adults and programs in proactively connecting youth to benefits.

The Challenge of Paperwork and Documentation

One of the most consistent barriers to SNAP benefit application is documentation. Many young people aging out of foster care simply don’t have what they need to apply.

• “I learned about SNAP after aging out through a local advocacy center,” said Shane. “I remember it being really confusing and needing way too much paperwork.”
   
• “It was actually quite stressful, because I didn't have documents. My old foster mom wouldn't give me my documents,” recalls D’borah. “Being homeless, I didn't have documents. They asked for residency or pay stubs. Normally, when you go into the actual office to actually get your food stamps, I barely even had my backpack, let alone paperwork. So, you know, the process really was just overwhelming."
   
• “For me, at a young age, paperwork is very confusing, and I, I don't like it,” said Aries. “The Independent Living Program Manager would help me with the paperwork that I needed to do, like filling out applications or applying for benefits.”
   
• “An individual from our agency is from a family that is not from our country,” says Serena. “Everyone from the agency has had a hard time trying to get [an individual from our agency’s] documents, so he has now aged out…. and that is going to affect individuals with this now new law stating that they have to work, there's no school. So with him, he's not able to get the job because he has no documentation.” Many immigrant young people who age out of foster care have been granted Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, but are awaiting a green card as they transition out of foster care. While in the country legally, they are likely ineligible for SNAP benefits and will not have the safety net of family to rely on.

Although federal law requires states to provide youth with vital documents before they exit care, enforcement is inconsistent, leaving many young people without the basics needed to access food assistance.

Confusing Rules, Inconsistent Policies

Although SNAP is a federal program, the rules can be complicated and hard to understand. In addition, states interpret and implement policies differently, creating confusion.

• “In Minnesota, every county does things differently. There are 87 counties and 87 different ways of applying the rules,” said Izzy. “I was denied at first as a full-time student, even though foster youth are supposed to be exempt... But I was denied.”
   
• Emma from Pennsylvania added: “I got denied because of my Independent Living stipend. Later, when I was staying with someone, their income was counted against me — even though they weren’t helping with my food.”

While foster youth were exempt from general work requirements of Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWD), those who are students must meet separate work requirements that can be difficult to navigate. These inconsistencies leave many youth discouraged and distrustful. Often, a single denial results in permanent disengagement from the program.

Balancing Work, School, and SNAP Requirements

Recent changes tying SNAP eligibility to work requirements are especially concerning. Youth described feeling forced to choose between education and employment.

• “It feels like I have to pick—do I go to school and get Independent Living funds, or do I work to keep SNAP?” said Serena.
   
• Charissa reflected: “Our incomes fluctuate so much at this age — part-time jobs, side gigs, school schedules. Having to reapply every time you make a little more money makes food security feel impossible.”
   
• “I realized that school doesn’t count toward the productivity requirements. I thought it did, but now I see it doesn’t. That was a big surprise,” said Cobey, a young leader from Oregon.

Criminal records (due to young people in the child welfare system disproportionately being charged and prosecuted compared to peers for similar activities), lack of transportation, and unstable housing further complicate compliance with work requirements.

Further Considerations from FosterClub

Not All Young People Start From the Same Place

At FosterClub, we believe in the power of work. We also believe in the power of support. For young people aging out of foster care, these two ideas must go hand-in-hand — not stand in opposition.

• Charissa explained: “I’m in school full time, paying $1,700 in rent and covering my own car insurance. When I lose benefits or get laid off, there’s no safety net—it feels impossible.”

Research shows that many foster youth have unemployment or under-employment rates that are substantially higher than their peers. For example, in some studies of youth aging out of foster care, unemployment rates have been reported as high as ~70%, compared to ~10% for youth generally This disparity isn’t due to a lack of motivation or talent. It reflects a long history of systemic disinvestment, instability, and trauma. While some young people can lean on family to help write their first résumé, lend a car to get to work, or make introductions in their network, foster youth often start with none of that.

Work should be an opportunity, not an ultimatum. If we want foster youth to thrive in the workforce, we must first address the barriers that block access to it.

Young People from Foster Care Haven’t Recovered Yet from the Impact of the Pandemic  

The aftershocks of the COVID-19 pandemic are still reverberating for young people in and from foster care. Many experienced school disruptions, mental health strain, and increased housing instability — without the family support that buffered other young adults through crisis. 

COVID-19 disruptions magnified the challenges already faced by young people who age out of foster care, leaving vulnerable young adults without the safety nets their peers depend on. Adding new work requirements to SNAP only widens this divide.

Healing and Belonging Are Critical For Productivity

Healing, connection, and permanency are needed to support and sustain workforce readiness. Before we can expect a young person to show up for a job, they need to know someone will show up for them. They need to feel safe, believed in, and guided. They need space to recover from trauma and build the kind of trusting relationships that fuel confidence and motivation.

• “It’s like you have to fight just to eat,” said Emma.

Chapin Hall research affirms this: young people need belonging and trusted relationships before productivity mandates can be realistic.

Youth-Informed Recommendations

The effectiveness of requiring work to access food or housing for youth with family support is open for debate. But for young people who age out of foster care, who often lack what their peers take for granted, it’s a recipe for more instability.

We don’t advocate for eliminating expectations; we advocate for fair and informed expectations. Expectations that meet youth where they are and walk with them toward where they want to go.

Foster youth don’t need tougher mandates. They need stronger relationships. More compassionate systems. And the kind of scaffolding that transforms survival into success.

FosterClub offers three priority recommendations for policymakers and child welfare leaders:

1. Reinstate the federal exemption from work requirements for former foster youth.

FosterClub calls for reinstating the provision that exempts young people from foster care from SNAP work requirements for Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs) that was included in the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023.
 

2. Reaffirm and enforce child welfare’s responsibility to provide vital documents prior to aging out.

Despite long-standing federal law requiring states to provide youth with essential documents, implementation remains inconsistent. Stronger oversight is needed to ensure every youth leaves care with the identification and records required to access benefits.
 

3. Require transition planning to include youth-friendly information on benefits and support application.

Policy shifts must be clearly communicated to young people. States should outline the programs and activities that youth in and from foster care may already be involved in which can meet the student work requirement. Agencies should be required to develop and deliver training, tools, and plain-language resources; these should be shared not only with caseworkers but also with caregivers and community organizations most likely to stay connected to youth after they exit care. Agencies should require staff and caseworkers to assist young people in applying for and navigating benefit eligibility requirements.
 

Let’s shift the narrative (and public policies) away from punishment and toward possibility. Join the young people of FosterClub in advocating for systems that see, support, and empower foster youth — especially those most in need.

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A special thanks to the following Lived Experience (LEx) Leaders of FosterClub for their important contributions to this brief:

Serena Aguilar, 5+ years in Florida foster care

Daniesha Brown, 6 years in New York City foster care

Cobey Giesler, 8 years in Alabama and Oregon foster care

Emma Grimm, 5 years in Pennsylvania foster care

D'borah Israel, 18 years in Colorado and California foster care

Charissa Keebaugh, 10 years in Washington foster care

Amal Kharoufi, 15 years in New York foster care

Aries Nason, 1 year in Oregon foster care

Ash Palos, 5 years in Oregon foster care

Shane Read, 10 years in Minnesota foster care

Izzy Wagner, 2 years in Minnesota foster care

Abi Winter, 3 years in Oregon foster care

Raven Wolfe, 4 years in Ohio foster care

An additional thank you to Jenny Pokempner, Youth Law Center, for providing FosterClub staff with technical assistance on this brief.