February 2024Vol. 25, No. 1HHS Releases Guidance to Help Prevent Homelessness for Youth Who Have Transitioned Out of Foster Care

This January, the Administration for Children and Families within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued an Information Memorandum (IM) that provides new guidance to Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) grant recipients regarding the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) initiative, a program that provides rental assistance and supportive services to young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 who are experiencing or are at-risk of experiencing homelessness, who have previously been in foster care or are aging out of foster care. Importantly, this new guidance will help ensure eligible young adults gain access to these needed resources.

As youth who have aged out of the foster care system are at a particularly high risk of becoming homeless, it is critical that vital resources, such as the FYI program, be readily accessible to eligible youth. The new guidance emphasizes the need for RHY grant recipients and child welfare agencies to work collaboratively to do just this. By helping to ensure that stable and affordable housing is available, young adults are better able to work toward achieving self-sufficiency and independence.

For more information, view the IM and associated HHS press release.