Deaths over past two weeks of former foster kids receiving supports reinforces need to reverse cuts: NDP

The Support and Financial Assistance Agreements (SFAA) program, which supports young people who grew up in government care to transition to independence is being cut by Premier Jason Kenney and the UCP Government and the eligible age for SFAA supports will be reduced from age 24 to 22.  (File Photo: Jason Kenney/Facebook)

EDMONTON – The NDP Official Opposition is calling for the UCP Government to reverse its cruel and heartless cuts to supports for former foster children after learning at least two young people have died in the past 11 days.

Sources have indicated a third young person has died as well and all three deaths came as a result of suicide.

Two of the deaths have been reported on the Government of Alberta’s website, as required by law, and they occurred Nov. 17 and Nov. 20.

The Support and Financial Assistance Agreements (SFAA) program, which supports young people who grew up in government care to transition to independence is being cut by Premier Jason Kenney and the UCP Government and the eligible age for SFAA supports will be reduced from age 24 to 22.

NDP Children’s Services Critic Rakhi Pancholi said the tragedies reinforce the vulnerability of young people who grew up in care.

“We call on the Minister to confirm these three deaths and the circumstances surrounding them,” Pancholi said. “They reinforce the vulnerability of young people who grew up in care and that programs and support for these young people should not be cut. In fact, they should receive increased support.”

All told, effective April 1, 2020, about 500 former foster kids will lose transition supports they had previously been counting on.

“The Minister’s claim that these young people can apply for other government programs is false,” Pancholi said. “There is no equivalent support.

“All we have gotten from the Premier and the Minister are excuses. They are willingly turning a blind eye to the desperate situation of these young people in the interest of ‘efficiencies’, while giving $4.7-billion in handouts to big corporations.

“The budget hasn’t passed, Premier Jason Kenney and his Cabinet still have time to do the right thing and reverse these terrible, cruel cuts.”

Also, on Tuesday, the Child and Youth Advocate released a special report on the deaths of six young people who had SFAAs. The report recommends improving policy and practice guidelines, providing more training and safe housing options for young people transitioning out of care. It also states that young people should be linked with adult services before their SFAAs terminate.

“These recommendations are based on the current system of providing supports from age 18-24 – it suggests putting forward more funding to assist these young people, not less.,” Pancholi said. “There will be so much more pain and suffering should those supports be cut.”

Wallis Kendal, a longtime outreach worker, co-founder of the iHuman Youth Society and founder of the Moving the Mountains project to help at-risk Indigenous women, joined the Official Opposition at the Legislature for a second time Tuesday to call for cuts to SFAAs to be reversed.

“This Government is playing Russian roulette with the youth they are charged to provide the care of a parent to,” Kendal said.

NDP Children’s Services Critic Rakhi Pancholi, advocate and outreach worker Wallis Kendal and SFAA recipient Jasmine Nepoose will all be available for interviews at the Legislature prior to afternoon business at roughly 1:30 p.m.