History of FYSB

Early Youth Work

For three decades, the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) has worked with the youth services field to create a strong continuum of care for youth growing up in difficult situations and their families. FYSB believes that all youth can thrive if provided with positive family, school, and community support. This Positive Youth Development approach continues to be the cornerstone of all of FYSB’s programmatic activities.

FYSB’s grant programs and research projects are rooted in several pieces of Federal legislation that, over the years, have established and supported a network of services for youth. The first, the Runaway Youth Act of 1974, laid the foundation for much of FYSB’s early work. The Act allocated funding for Basic Centers, which provided shelter and other emergency services for young runaways outside traditional child protective services and juvenile justice agencies.

In 1977, the Act was amended to include services for homeless youth. This new mandate paved the way for the Transitional Living Program, which provided longer term services to older, homeless youth who were unable to return to their families. The Basic Center and Transitional Living Programs continue to be funded today under the Runaway, Homeless, and Missing Children Protection Act of 2003 (pdf).

Throughout the 1980s, FYSB continued to test new service delivery models to better meet the needs of youth and families. Through holistic, wraparound, and home-based programs, FYSB sought to streamline and simplify the way youth and their families accessed services. The Bureau also supported programs that encouraged self-sufficiency for youth and families through training and skill building.

By 1988, drug abuse was a growing problem among America’s at-risk youth. FYSB responded with two anti-drug abuse programs. The Drug Abuse Prevention Program for Runaway and Homeless Youth provided prevention resources to runaway and homeless youth through outreach, counseling, referrals to treatment, and aftercare. The Youth Gang Drug Prevention Program allocated additional resources to support communities in preventing youth involvement with gangs and drugs. FYSB provided technical assistance to these grantees through on-site consultations, materials development and distribution, community forums, and national conferences.

Recognizing that at-risk youth often need additional educational support, Congress created the Community Schools Youth Services and Supervision Grant Program in 1994 to provide funding for academic and workforce preparation in areas with high rates of poverty and delinquency. In implementing the program, FYSB hosted community forums across the country to solicit input from youth service professionals, community leaders, and young people.

Also in 1994, Congress established the Education and Prevention Services to Reduce Sexual Abuse of Runaway, Homeless, and Street Youth Program, through the Violence Against Women Act of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-322). That program created grants for the Prevention of Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (also known as the Street Outreach Program) to fund street-based outreach and education for runaway and homeless youth and youth on the streets who have been, or are at risk of being, sexually abused and/or exploited.

Responding to Expanding Needs

Over the past several years, FYSB has grown tremendously, expanding its efforts to infuse Positive Youth Development into a variety of youth and family services.

Since 2001, FYSB has provided funding for the Mentoring Children of Prisoners Program, which was authorized by the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Amendments of 2001. This program assists communities in providing mentoring services to children of incarcerated parents.

In 2004, administration of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Program was transferred to FYSB. Through this program, FYSB awards grants to State agencies, Territories and Indian Tribes for the provision of shelter to victims of family violence and their dependents, and for related services, such as emergency transportation and child care. Through the Family Violence Prevention and Services Program, FYSB also funds state coalitions, national resource centers, and a national toll-free hotline for victims of domestic violence.

Most recently, FYSB has assumed responsibility for oversight of the Title V Section 510 State Abstinence Education Program and the Community-Based Abstinence Education Program, formerly known as SPRANS. The purpose of these programs is to enable States and communities to support abstinence education, as well as provide mentoring, counseling, and adult supervision to promote abstinence among groups most likely to bear children out of wedlock.

Making Connections

As it continues to grow and support more programs, the Bureau has also expanded its national support network to help local agencies provide top notch services to young people and their families. FYSB now supports the National Runaway Switchboard, a confidential, 24-hour, toll-free hotline for runaway youth; funds the National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth (NCFY); and offers training and technical assistance through two national centers.

Along with its increasing responsibilities, FYSB has maintained its commitment to seeking out the most effective ways to deliver services to youth and their families. The Bureau has provided funding for more than 150 research, evaluation, and demonstration programs designed to explore specific issues, evaluate programs, and test new theories. Currently, FYSB funds nine State and Local Youth Development Collaboration projects to develop and support innovative youth development strategies through collaborations between State and local agencies.

FYSB and its local grantees will continue to reframe youth policies and redesign programs to promote the Positive Youth Development approach at the national, State, and local levels. In big cities, suburbs, small towns, and rural areas, community leaders are joining together to give youth the skills and opportunities they need to grow into successful, empowered adults.