Today, HUD announced Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) in Notice PIH 2019-20 (HA). FYI is a new initiative targeting housing assistance and supportive services to young people with a child welfare history who are at-risk-of or experiencing homelessness.
The Voices of Youth Count, a national survey of unaccompanied youth ages 13-25 who have experienced homelessness, found that nearly one third of the youth had some level of involvement with the child welfare system in their lives. The stark reality is that youth all over the country, in both rural and urban areas, who have a child welfare history are struggling to find safe, affordable housing, leading to experiences of homelessness and housing instability.
FYI offers a new opportunity for local public housing authorities (PHAs) that do not participate in HUD’s Family Unification Program (FUP) to request Tenant Protection Vouchers (TPV), a tenant-based housing voucher, for eligible young people ages 18-24. The housing assistance will be available to youth for up to 36 months, and through partnerships with the local public child welfare agency (PCWA), youth will have access to supportive services to help them remain stably housed and reach successful independence.
FYI is an important new strategy aimed at helping communities reach the federal goal of preventing and ending youth homelessness outlined in Home Together: The Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness. FYI and the partnership of local PHAs, PCWAs, and Continuums of Care (CoC), will assist communities in ensuring that every young person who has had experience with the child welfare system has access to safe, affordable housing where they are supported to reach self-sufficiency by working toward their education and employment goals. More information on FYI is available on the Tenant Protection Vouchers for FYI Initiative page.
Register Today: FYI Initiative Webinar – August 6, 2019 – 3:00 - 4:15 PM EDT
Please join HUD and the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) to learn more about the new opportunity FYI can bring to your community. The webinar will cover:
- FYI eligibility for PHAs and for young people
- Details on how to request vouchers under the new initiative
- Tips on partnering with your local PCWA and CoC
- Strategies for targeting Foster Youth to Independence Tenant Protection Vouchers (FYI-TPV)
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