NYC foster kids would get luggage for belongings instead of trash bags under new bill - Gothamist

Published Nov 11, 2024 at 7:00 a.m. ET

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Published Nov 11, 2024 at 7:00 a.m. ET

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Like so many parents, New York City Councilmember Rita Joseph said she will never forget those first moments with her children. But as a foster parent, who eventually adopted the two boys who came to her home over a decade ago, a part of that early memory has always troubled her. Her sons arrived carrying their belongings in trash bags.

"Trash bags represent trash,” said Joseph, who chairs the Council’s education committee. “Here’s my whole existence going into a black trash bag. And that bothered me so much.”

Last month, Joseph introduced legislation that would require all foster youth to receive luggage to transport their belongings from home to home. “It would give foster youth humanity, compassion [and show them] that we see them,” she said.

According to statistics from the Administration for Children’s Services, there were 6,337 children in foster care at the end of 2023.

“Ensuring a smooth transition for children and youth entering foster care or changing foster care placements is critical, and ACS expects every child and their belongings to be handled with the utmost care and respect. We are committed to providing children entering foster care or moving foster care placements with appropriate luggage including suitcases, overnight bags and duffel bags,” agency spokesperson Stephanie Gendell said in a statement. “We will continue to provide more supports and resources so no child ever needs to utilize a garbage bag. We appreciate Councilmember Joseph’s commitment to this very important issue and look forward to discussing this legislation.”

Councilmember Gale Brewer, who said she fostered around 30 children from the 1970s to the 1990s, supports the bill. “These young people really do travel around with trash bags full of clothes and other belongings,” she said. “It’s hard enough to be a foster child without the added stigma and stress of moving your things that way.”

Maryland and Texas have passed legislation requiring luggage for foster care children, and bills are pending in other states and cities.

The cost association with Joseph’s legislation has not yet been determined.

Joseph said one of the first things she did for her two boys was buy them luggage. “The very next day we went shopping, bought the boys suitcases,” she said. Eventually, she adopted them.

The boys were brothers. Her older son, who was 13 when he arrived, is now 24 and in college. Her younger son, who was just 1 when he entered her home, is now 14 and attending high school.

But she said the image of those black trash bags stuck with her. “Once I became a councilmember, it was one of my missions,” she said.

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Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nation’s largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email [email protected]

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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