COVID-19 Update: Foster Care

April 24, 2020

(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Governor DeWine announced today that the state will cover the costs to keep more than 200 youth who are aging out of foster care in the foster care system until the COVID-19 pandemic ends.

“For many of these young people, their future looks uncertain because of COVID-19, whether their plan was to start a career or pursue higher education,” said Governor DeWine. “This program will provide these youth with a safety net during these unprecedented times and will ensure that no child leaves foster care during this pandemic without a safe place to call home.”

This option is also available for young people enrolled in the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services’ Bridges program, Ohio’s foster care to age 21 program, to help them maintain their housing, jobs, and education.

CURRENT OHIO DATA: 

There are 15,169 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in Ohio and 690 confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths. A total of 3,053 people have been hospitalized, including 920 admissions to intensive care units. In-depth data can be accessed by visiting coronavirus.ohio.gov.

Video of today’s full update, including versions with foreign language closed captioning, can be viewed on the Ohio Channel’s YouTube page.

For more information on Ohio’s response to COVID-19, visit coronavirus.ohio.gov or call 1-833-4-ASK-ODH.