News Articles
Former foster kids tell Congress what policies they needed
Gabriel Vasquez (Former Staff), In The News
Child Abuse & Neglect Housing & Homelessness Poverty & Family EconomicsBy Lois M. Collins
8/20/16
When Vaneshia Reed was 15, she was removed from the home of her mother, who abused her. But instead of going to live with a grandmother she loved and who wanted her, she was placed in foster care with a stranger.
Her grandmother was one of her strongest supporters, a role model and source of strength, but she was not eligible to provide kinship care for Reed because more than 15 years earlier she’d been convicted of a crime.
“Despite her flawless completion of parole, outstanding citizenship in the ensuing years, financial stability and demonstrated ability to provide a safe and permanent home for me, my grandmother’s perceived status as …