Question 1

What happens when you age out of foster care in Arizona?

Accepted Answer

Five things exist. Extended foster care keeps housing and a caseworker until 21. The tuition waiver covers tuition at public colleges until 23. The Education and Training Voucher pays up to 5,000 dollars a year for school and living costs until 26. A federal housing voucher covers most of your rent for up to 36 months until 25. And four universities run campus support programs, including Grand Canyon University Fostering Futures, which covers tuition, fees, and year round room and board but requires that you signed the extended foster care agreement at 18.

Question 2

Can you go back into foster care in Arizona after you turn 18?

Accepted Answer

Yes. If you left care at 18 or older you can re-enter at any time until you turn 21. Ask a child safety worker for the voluntary extended foster care agreement.

Question 3

Does turning down extended foster care at 18 affect anything later?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Signing the voluntary extended foster care agreement at 18 is a condition of the Grand Canyon University Fostering Futures scholarship, which covers 100 percent of tuition, fees, and year round room and board. Declining at 18 closes that door before you ever apply to a college. You can also re-enter extended foster care at any time until you turn 21.

Question 4

Do these Arizona foster care benefits all end at the same age?

Accepted Answer

No, and this is the part people get caught by. Extended foster care ends at 21, the tuition waiver at 23, the housing voucher at 25, and the Education and Training Voucher at 26. Four different clocks.

What it is	What it is worth	Who decides	Closes at
Extended foster care	Continued out of home care, a case plan, and a caseworker, from 18 through the day before you turn 21.	The Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS). A child safety worker, other Department staff, or a tribal social services representative makes the referral.	You have to sign the agreement between your 18th birthday and your 21st birthday.
The tuition waiver	Tuition and certain mandatory fees at any Arizona public university or community college. It pays last, after your other grants.	The Arizona Board of Regents at the three public universities, and each community college district at its own colleges. In practice you apply through the financial aid office at the school you attend.	You have to be under 23.
The Education and Training Voucher	Up to $5,000 per academic year, for up to 5 years of funding. The 5 years do not have to be consecutive.	The Arizona Department of Child Safety funds it. Applications are administered through the Education and Training Voucher program contractor.	Your 26th birthday, and the 5 year funding cap, whichever comes first.
The housing voucher	Rental assistance for up to 36 months. You pay roughly 30 percent of your monthly income toward rent and the housing authority pays the rest.	Your local public housing agency issues the voucher. The child welfare agency has to provide a written certification first, so both have to act.	Your 25th birthday.
Campus support programs	Named staff, peer mentoring, and help with admissions and financial aid at every campus. At Grand Canyon University, 100 percent of tuition, fees, and year round room and board. At Northern Arizona University, tuition and fee support plus year round housing and a laptop.	Each campus runs its own program and sets its own intake. You contact them directly. You do not need a referral from the Department.	Most have no age limit, but Grand Canyon University Fostering Futures is decided long before you enroll: you have to have been in state care at 17 and to have signed the extended foster care agreement at 18.

What Arizona owes you, and the dates that matter

Four clocks, running at different speeds

What exists, what it pays, and who decides

One date in, your year out

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