Maternity Group Homes Fact Sheet

Issue History

The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, passed in 1974, authorized the Transitional Living Program (TLP), which enabled community-based organizations to operate short-term, emergency shelters to provide crisis care to runaway and homeless youth (RHY) not already receiving services from the child welfare or juvenile justice systems. Congress created the Transitional Living Program for Older Homeless Youth as amendments in 1988. Today, the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) funds the Maternity Group Home Program as part of the Transitional Living Program, under the provisions of the Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-378).

Program History

FYSB-funded Maternity Group Homes promote long-term, economic independence for homeless parenting youth and ensure the well-being of their children. The Maternity Group Home Program (MGH) supports community-based, adult-supervised, transitional living arrangements for homeless pregnant or parenting young people between the ages of 16 and under 22, as well as their dependent children. Services are provided for up to 21 months or until a young person turns 18 years old if they enter a program at age 16. MGH grantees are required to teach young people parenting skills as well as child development, family budgeting, health and nutrition, and other skills.

Services

Maternity Group Home grantees are required to offer the following services, either directly or by referral:

Extended Residential Shelter

• Group homes
• Maternity group homes
• Host family homes
• Supervised apartments

Transitional living plan

• Help moving from supervised participation to independent living or another appropriate living arrangement

Basic Life Skills Resources and Counseling Services

• Money management, budgeting, consumer education, use of credit
• Parenting skills
• Interpersonal skill-building
• Educational advancement
• Job attainment skills
• Individual or group counseling and parent/child counseling
• Referral to social and health care services,
• Leisure activities, aftercare, and, as appropriate, child care, and child nutrition

Service Coordination Plan

• Referral to social services, law enforcement, educational services, vocational training, legal services, health care programs, and affordable child care or child education programs

Outreach Plans

FYSB requires grantees to incorporate elements of Positive Youth Development (PYD) and trauma-informed care (TIC), which suggest that the best way to prevent risk and trauma is to help young people achieve their full potential. Youth development strategies focus on leadership, trauma counseling, skill-building, and community involvement.

Grant Award Process

FYSB funds the Maternity Group Home Program under the provisions of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-415), most recently reauthorized by the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2018 (Public Law No: 115-385). As of FY2020, FYSB funds 18 Maternity Group Home programs for up to a total of $4 million.

FYSB solicits applications for the Maternity Group Home Program by posting funding announcements on Grants.gov and on the funding page in the National Clearinghouse on Homeless Youth and Families. Applications are competitively reviewed and successful applicants receive three-year grants.

Contact Us

National Clearinghouse on Homeless Youth and Families
4340 East-West Highway, Suite 1100, Bethesda, MD 20814
Telephone: (833) GET-RHYi (833-438-7494) 
Fax:  (301) 828-1506

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