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Each year, thousands of U.S. youth run away from home, are asked to leave their homes or become homeless. Through the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program (RHY), FYSB supports street outreach, emergency shelters and longer-term transitional living and maternity group home programs to serve and protect these young people.
Through the Street Outreach Program (SOP), FYSB supports work with homeless, runaway and street youth to help them find stable housing and services. SOPs focus on developing relationships between outreach workers and young people that allow them to rebuild connections with caring adults. The ultimate goal is to prevent the sexual exploitation and abuse of youth on the streets.
Street outreach services include:
For more information, please see the Street Outreach Program Fact Sheet and Youth Profile. To find SOP grantees, please visit the FYSB map.
The Basic Center Program (BCP) helps create and strengthen community-based programs that meet the immediate needs of runaway and homeless youth under 18 years old. In addition, BCP tries to reunite young people with their families or locate appropriate alternative placements.
BCP provides the following services:
Please see the Basic Center Program Fact Sheet and Youth Profile for more details. To find BCP grantees, please visit the FYSB map.
Our Transitional Living Program (TLP) for Older Homeless Youth supports projects that provide long-term residential services to homeless youth. Young people must be between the ages of 16 and 22 to enter the program.
Living accommodations may include:
TLPs offer or refer for the following services:
For more information, please see the Transitional Living Program Fact Sheet and Youth Profile. To find TLP grantees, please visit the FYSB map.
The Maternity Group Homes for Pregnant and Parenting Youth (MGH) Program supports homeless pregnant and/or parenting young people, as well as their dependent children. Youth must be between the ages of 16 and 22 to enter the program.
In addition to standard TLP services, MGH programs offer an array of comprehensive services to teach:
MGH projects incorporate the principles of Positive Youth Development and administer services such as:
For more information, please see the MGH Program Fact Sheet. To find MGH grantees, please visit the FYSB map.
The National Runaway Safeline offers a crisis hotline and online services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to youth at risk of running away, those who have run away or are homeless, and their families. NRS helps in the following ways:
CALL: 1-800-RUNAWAY
CLICK: 1800RUNAWAY.org
TEXT: 66008
The National Clearinghouse on Homeless Youth and Families (NCHYF) is a free information service of the Family and Youth Services Bureau. Its purpose is to educate the family and youth services field—including FYSB grantees and aspiring grantees—about the research and effective practices that can improve the long-term well-being of families and youth.
Get more information by:
If you’re looking for advice on how to get your own ideas off the ground, try the tutorial videos, Start a Youth Program.
The Runaway and Homeless Youth Training and Technical Assistance Center (RHYTTAC) assists FYSB grantee agencies in:
Through the center, FYSB tracks trends in youth and family issues, identifies and shares best practices, sponsors conferences and workshops, and provides direct T/TA.