The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced the allocation of $51.1 million in Youth Homelessness System Improvement (YHSI) Grants to 38 communities across 26 states, Puerto Rico, and Guam. Additionally, HUD has released a $72 million funding opportunity for the FY 2023 Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) and supportive services programs.
These initiatives aim to provide rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, host homes, and wrap-around services such as education, health, and workforce support to help youth access and maintain housing. The announcement was made by HUD Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development Marion McFadden alongside local and tribal leaders in Bemidji, Minnesota.
"We know that preventing and ending youth homelessness takes a full community effort that requires support from all of our partners,” said HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman. “HUD’s YHDP and YHSI grants will provide communities with necessary funding to address this issue head on and help build more seamless systems to help youth find stability, opportunity, and success.”
The YHSI grants are designed to create systemic change by improving or creating response systems for youth at risk of or experiencing homelessness. These grants fund projects that include creating Youth Action Boards, establishing regional committees across multiple systems like education and justice, collecting data on at-risk youth, developing community leaders, and improving coordination of homeless assistance projects.
“HUD and our partners have been listening to youth across the country who are homeless or struggle with housing insecurity," said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary McFadden. "One thing that emerged is frustration and confusion young people experience when navigating the many agencies, sectors, and services available to support them."
The FY23 YHDP Notice of Funding Opportunity supports coordinated community approaches in select communities by providing direct assistance for tailored housing interventions for youth experiencing homelessness. This approach aligns with a December 2022 plan by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness: All In.
This is the eighth round of funding under YHDP. Through previous rounds, HUD awarded funding to 110 communities totaling $440 million aimed at preventing and ending youth homelessness. The funds have supported innovative projects such as Host Homes models, Permanent Supportive Housing for youth, peer navigators with lived experience of homelessness guiding program participants through complex care systems.
Both YHSI Grant recipients and selected YHDP communities will receive technical assistance to support their planning processes. Technical assistance materials shared on the HUD Exchange are available broadly to disseminate promising practices learned through these grants.
