HUD Announces $72 Million to Help End Youth Homelessness in America

HUD Announces $72 Million to Help End Youth Homelessness in America

Funding will support actions to end youth homelessness by expanding housing opportunities supportive services in 11 states

WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced $72 million to fund youth homelessness housing across 14 communities, including five rural communities. This funding, through HUD's Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP), will support various housing solutions, such as rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, and host homes. Since day one, the Biden-Harris Administration has been tackling the nation's homelessness crisis with the urgency it requires, prioritizing new resources and programs to help communities quickly reconnect people experiencing homelessness to housing.

"Young people across our country deserve a stable home and a supportive community," said HUD Agency Head Adrianne Todman. "We are leading the charge in partnering with communities, our federal partners, and youth who have experienced homelessness to increase the housing supply for those among the most vulnerable in our communities and make significant strides in the fight to prevent and end youth homelessness."

Communities will use funding from HUD to create opportunities that are specialized to support youth experiencing homelessness. This includes rental assistance for affordable housing units and wrap-around services to improve overall health and wellness in an effort to obtain and maintain stable housing.

Funding announced today will support selected communities in the development and implementation of a coordinated community plan to prevent and end youth homelessness. More than a dozen youth partnered with HUD to assess the applications submitted for funding consideration, ensuring that their lived experience informed the types of proposed projects that would maximize impact for youth at risk or experiencing homelessness. All YHDP communities establish Youth Action Boards, in which young people with lived experience lead the community effort to design, implement, and improve programs and policies to end youth homelessness in their communities. Awardees are uniquely positioned to design solutions that match the needs of their respective communities, with special attention on creating equitable strategies to assist vulnerable homeless youths, including BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and differently abled persons.

"I'm proud to share that this is the eighth round of YHDP funding to be awarded," said Marion McFadden, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development. "Including these awards, to date, HUD has awarded YHDP funding to 124 communities, representing a $512 million investment to prevent and end youth homelessness and pave the way to ensure that everyone has access to safe, stable housing."

Today, HUD announced funding awards to the following communities:

The YHDP awards build upon previous work by HUD to support young Americans who are transitioning out of foster care and experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness. This September, HUD allocated $15.4 million to the Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) program and another set of non-competitive funds to help prevent homelessness among young adults and eligible youth. Earlier this year, the Department also announced $51 million in funding for the Youth Homelessness System Improvement (YHSI) grants to support communities in either improving an existing response system for youth homelessness or establishing and implementing a new youth homelessness response system. Additionally, HUD announced the availability of $3.6 billion for organizations to apply to provide supportive services and housing programs for people experiencing homelessness. The deadline to apply is October 30th, 2024. To learn more, please visit the Continuum of Care (CoC) Program Competition webpage.