Federal Policy Brief | 12 Aug 2009

People experiencing homelessness often remain on the streets or in temporary shelter or transitional residences because affordable housing options are scarce. Ending youth homelessness, much like ending homelessness for single adults and families with children, requires policy and resources to ease access to permanent, affordable housing opportunities. This page is designed to provide a framework of the Alliance's national housing policy agenda and to provide housing resources for the homeless youth population. Please continue to visit this page for updates.

A National Youth Housing Policy Agenda

To help increase national awareness and resources to expand housing resources, the Alliance has created a new framework for ending youth homelessness. The new policy initiative proposes assisting 50,000 homeless youth through a spectrum of housing programs that are targeted to specific demographics. To learn more about the Alliance's framework and its solutions to youth homelessness, please review the resources below.

• Federal Policy Agenda: Housing for Homeless Street Youth
• Federal Funding for Affordable Housing, Including for Youth
• Federal Funding for Homelessness Assistance Programs, Including for Youth

Youth Housing Resources

For many youth, family housing or kinship care options may be the best opportunity for permanency, yet when families are abusive, neglectful, or experience breakdowns due to poverty, mental health disabilities, alcohol/chemical addiction, or domestic violence, youth should have access to alternative housing arrangements. Most communities desire a supply of youth housing programs that offer youth access to affordable housing via rental assistance and services to help with their positive development as they transition into their young adult years. The resources below will provide additional information on youth housing.

• Defining the Spectrum of Youth Housing
• Housing for Homeless Youth
• Presentation: Funding for Youth Housing Programs
• Presentation: Creating a Continuum of Youth Housing
• Presentation: Perspectives from Australia on Youth Housing
• Presentation: Framing New Policy for Youth Housing: Going to Scale to Meet National Demand
• Presentation: Perspectives on Youth Housing and Advocacy Efforts

HPRP Resources

The following resources provide information on how to provide housing for youth under the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) that was created as part of the federal stimulus package.

• New Funding for Homeless Youth Services and Housing
• Presentation: HPRP Guide for Homeless Youth

Helpful Links

HHS Fact Sheet: Transitional Living Program for Older Homeless Youth.
This fact sheet from the HHS Family and Youth Service Bureau discusses transitional housing funding for homeless youth.

HUD’s Homelessness Assistance Programs
This document provides an overview of grants and eligibility requirements for HUD's Homeless Assistance programs. It includes referrals to detailed guides and manuals.

Federal Funding for Homeless Youth Housing Programs
This Alliance fact sheet provides an overview of federally-funded programs for youth housing, including information on eligiblity, their purpose, their advantages, and their constraints.

Presentation: Multi-Source Funding for Supportive Housing Development and Operations
This PowerPoint presentation on housing planning, development, and funding is posted on HUD's website and was authored by the National AIDS Housing Coalition.

Financing Housing Supports for Youth Transitioning Out of Foster Care
To successfully transition out of the foster care system, youth need safe, stable, and affordable housing. Unfortunately, youth exiting foster care are often forced to face harsh economic realities -- a high rate of unemployment, a scarce number of jobs, and a narrow pool of housing options -- with limited support networks. This brief by Connected by 25, The Finance Project, and Youth Transition Funders Group explores the range of partners and resources that program and community leaders can engage to support housing services for youth aging out of the foster care system. It presents five financing strategies, highlighting key funding sources, stakeholders, and considerations for implementation.

Youth Supportive Housing and Housing Youth: Key Issues in Supportive Housing
This web page for the Corporation for Supportive Housing offers issues specific to permanent housing, with an emphasis on the nuts and bolts of designing and operating supportive housing targeted toward young people.

New Homes, Brighter Futures: Profiles of Housing Programs for Young Adults
This publication was prepared by the Corporation for Supportive Housing's New York Program and National Resource Center teams to present information on promising supportive and service-enriched housing models for young adults who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, or otherwise do not have a place to call home.