Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner has stood out in the new Trump administration, making headlines for leading prayers before White House cabinet meetings. His Christian faith is what also compels him to push for new solutions for youth who fall through the cracks after aging out of foster care.
*** ‘Blessed Is the Nation Whose God Is the Lord’: First Trump Cabinet Meeting Opens with Prayer
Turner says 20,000 young people age out of foster care each year. Without families to call their own, many of these teens have no place to go. An estimated 25 percent of them will experience homelessness within four years.
Under Turner’s direction, HUD is taking action to help these children have a safe and smooth transition from foster care to living on their own. CBN News White House Correspondent Kelly Wright recently interviewed Turner about HUD’s investment of five million dollars for youth aging out of foster care to help prevent homelessness among this vulnerable population.
Kelly Wright: “What can you tell me about the foster care program that HUD is involved in, and how you proactively help children who are in foster care?”
Secretary Turner: “The first lady and I, her team and our team here at HUD, have partnered to provide $25 million to Foster Youth to Independence initiative. And we’re very excited about this. About 20,000 youth age out of foster care every year in our country, and about a quarter of those are at risk or already homeless. And so we want to make sure, that with this investment from HUD, and partnering with the first lady, that our youth that are aging out of the foster care system have a secure and a safe landing place working with our local (teams), to provide, a place for them to stay, so that they can concentrate on their education, so they can concentrate on their careers and workforce. You know, having a safe place, a home, to live is a start. But we’re looking at this from a holistic standpoint to help, really, the next generation of leaders, as they land on their feet, aging out of foster care.”
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Wright: “You know, that’s so important because there is such a tremendous need for children who age out of foster care with no place to go. This assurance that you’re giving them, are you hearing from some of them who will be the beneficiaries of this plan?”
Turner: “Yes, Kelly, we have, many stories of those that have been impacted by the foster care or the Foster Youth Initiative. And we’re happy to share some of those stories in the days ahead. My predecessor and my dear friend and mentor, Doctor Ben Carson, started the youth initiative, Foster Youth Initiative, back in 2019. Since then, there’s been $95 million invested into our youth aging out of foster care. Over 5,000 youth have been served since 2019. And so we’re very proud of that. But you know what? That’s just the beginning. We’re going to continue to serve these young men and young women who are the next generation of leaders in America. And so I’m grateful for Doctor Ben Carson and his vision at HUD so that we can continue to invest, in our youth going forward.”
Wright: “What’s your message to America about this foster care youth program that takes care of the youth who are aging out, and the significance of you and the first lady doing this for America’s youth?”
Turner: “Thank you. You know, first I would say, how blessed are we to have a first lady who has a heart for foster youth and wants to make this a priority and partner with HUD and with other administration officials to make sure that we’re taken care of and invested in our foster youth. What I would say to the listeners of your program is, you know, oftentimes we look at young men and young ladies that are graduating from high school and going to college, you know, and our concentration is there, which it should be.
We should concentrate on that part of our society. But also these foster youth oftentimes are overlooked because they’re not in the public eye or they’re not, you know, of top priority to many general families that our kids are. And so I would encourage people to get educated on foster youth, get educated on where they are, what their desires are.
Even if God calls you to to maybe take one of these young men and young ladies and take them under your arm and mentor and disciple them, you know, because Kelly, one of my dear friends, Pastor Tim Johnson, who was a dear father in the Lord to me, played for the Redskins. I lived with him my rookie year (at the Redskins).
So I was like, I was a youth, you know? And he was a veteran. He said, you know, if you change your life, you change a generation. And he has poured into me for these last 30 years, and my life has dramatically been impacted because of his intentionality. And so I would say, lastly, that I would encourage the people of America to be intentional about pouring your life into the next generation, as God calls you to do.”
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