Since the initiative was launched in July 2019, 26 states have received FYI funding, equating to 677 individual vouchers, totaling more than $5.4 million in funds to prevent or end homelessness among young adults under the age of 25 who are in, or have recently left, the foster care system, according to HUD.
“Just a little over a year ago, the Foster Youth to Independence program was a mere idea spurred from an impactful conversation I had with youth who had experienced the trials of aging out of the foster care system firsthand,” Carson said in a news release. “Today, it was incredible to see the great success the state of Ohio has had in utilizing the FYI program to help young folks who are starting out on their own.”
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) estimates that more than 20,000 young people age out of foster care each year.
The National Center for Housing and Child Welfare (NCHCW) estimates that 25 percent of these young people experience homelessness within four years of leaving foster care and an even higher share are precariously housed.
HUD’s Foster Youth Initiative housing vouchers go to public housing authorities that do not participate in HUD’s Family Unification Program. To be eligible for FYI funding, public housing authorities must:
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