Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship
Rep. Jubilee McGill, D-Addison-5, experienced poverty and homelessness when she was not yet a legal adult. She wrote, sponsored and introduced H.657 last session to help homeless youth avoid similar obstacles she faced.
The bill is focused on “unaccompanied homeless youth,” or children ages 16 or 17 who aren’t in the custody of a parent or guardian. H.657 would allow them to get a certification from the Department for Children and Families granting them access to certain services — such as medical care, dental care and mental healthcare — without an adult’s consent.
But the bill’s path has been tumultuous.
Originally introduced in 2025, H.657 came back into conversation this session, passing through five different committees.
Advocates for the bill, which has 22 co-sponsors and cross-committee support, said they have high hopes it will finally pass this year.
Two supporters from the Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union spoke to the House Committee on Human Services on March 10 to share how they’ve seen homelessness affect their students.
Trisha Wright is a family engagement specialist. She told the committee that her district has over 27 actively enrolled unaccompanied homeless youth. Twenty of those students are high schoolers, and a few of them are in elementary school.
“For our unaccompanied youth, barriers show up in places most of us never think about,” Wright said. “Securing employment can also become cumbersome when students don’t have access to those personal documentations, such as birth certificates or Social Security cards.”
“Most of our students are paying for food, transportation, clothing and even a place to stay. And without access to these documents, the simple act of trying to work and become more stable is another barrier placed on them,” she said later.
Nicole Aversano, a family engagement specialist for Mount Anthony Union High School, works alongside Wright. She serves as the district homeless youth liaison and works closely with many students who struggle with homelessness or housing insecurity.
“If I had to describe the unaccompanied youth that I work with in a single word, it would be resilient. And this student is truly the embodiment of that trait,” Aversano told the committee, in reference to one of her students who she kept anonymous.
Aversano said that the student’s mother died, and after moving around, the student ended up living in a volatile situation with their father. When the student turned 15, they took driver’s education, learning to drive with no parental guidance. But the student never received their driver’s license because their legal guardian refused to sign the paperwork or provide a copy of their birth certificate, Aversano said.
“What should have been a proud moment became a moment of loss for this teenager,” she said. “Imagine the message this sends to a young person: You can do the work, you can pass the test and you can follow every rule and protocol. But because of a signature from an adult who’s not even present in your life, your progress is void.”
Aversano said that the systems in place make it difficult for these students to build stable futures. She said she hoped that stories like her student’s could be prevented if H.657 passes.
“We are simply making sure that protections are put in place, and resiliency is not the only thing unaccompanied youth have to rely on,” she said.
But some people are not completely sold on H.657.
Adam Necrason, a lobbyist from the Vermont Association for Justice, shared his concerns with the House Committee on Judiciary on March 19.
He told lawmakers that they need to ensure that all certifications from DCF are valid.
“How do we know if the form is valid or not? You should make a phone call to whoever signed it and say, ‘Did you sign this form?’” he said. “When we immunize negligence, you’re telling an actor they can be unreasonably careless, cause injury, and their insurance company will not be accountable… do we intend that?”
Kate Bailey, a senior policy advocate for Voices for Vermont’s Children, an advocacy organization for Vermont kids, shared national statistics about homeless youth to paint a broader picture for legislators.
“Disabled foster youth and those who have lost a parent have compounded barriers to safety, security and wellbeing across the lifespan,” Bailey told the House Committee on Human Services on March 10. “They are over-represented in the foster care system, and they are less likely to experience permanency through reunification through adoption or permanent custody.”
Bailey said youth who age out of the foster system face serious challenges, including homelessness. She cited data showing that fewer than 3% go on to get college degrees, and 43% are unemployed by age 21. More than two-thirds of young women who age out of foster care end up pregnant by age 21, Bailey said.
Bailey said passing H.657 would be an important step in helping homeless youth across the country.
H.657 is being discussed on the Senate floor. If passed by Gov. Phil Scott, the bill would take effect on July 1.