This is pretty amazing…

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump signs executive order on supporting older youths transitioning out of foster care.

It focuses on bolstering support for older youth (typically ages 14–21) aging out of the U.S. foster care system—around 20,000 young people annually.

The order directs federal agencies (including the Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, Housing and Urban Development, and Treasury) to collaborate with public- and private-sector partners to expand resources. Its main aims include:

- Education and Workforce Development: Increasing access to scholarships, Education and Training Vouchers (ETVs), credentialed training programs, and career pathways, with a focus on high-demand fields like technology and computer science to promote financial independence.

- *mHousing and Financial Stability: Enhancing housing vouchers through the Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) program (building on a prior Trump-era initiative), with a new $25 million FY 2026 budget allocation for supportive housing. It also mandates roundtables to address barriers to financial literacy and homeownership.

- Digital and Resource Access: Launching an online "Fostering the Future" platform as a one-stop hub for personalized transition plans, connecting youth to federal grants, job resources, and self-sufficiency tools. A pilot program will donate decommissioned federal laptops to bridge the digital divide.

- Reducing unnecessary foster care entries via family preservation efforts, expanding trauma-informed training for caregivers, and boosting kinship care and guardianship options.

Overall, the order seeks to create sustainable pathways to adulthood for foster youth, addressing systemic gaps through targeted federal action and partnerships, with implementation starting immediately via agency directives.