Secretary Ben Carson Announces New Foster Youth Housing Vouchers for Nine States
23 Vouchers Awarded to 9 States

WASHINGTON - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson today announced nearly $200,000 in the most recent round of grants for HUD's Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) Initiative. Nine housing authorities will receive this funding continuing HUD's efforts to assist young adults transitioning out of foster care.

Since the initiative was launched in July of 2019, 26 states have received FYI funding, equating to 677 individual vouchers, totaling over $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 without a home to go to.

"The Foster Youth to Independence program furthers President Trump’s commitment to our underserved communities with opportunities for success and self-sufficiency by providing youth who are aging out of foster care with a safe and decent home," Secretary Carson said. "With this newest round of vouchers, we are providing young men and women with independence to pave their own way and create a better life for themselves. That is something we can all be proud of."

"In just under a year, HUD has awarded over 600 Foster Youth to Independence vouchers across the country," said R. Hunter Kurtz, Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing. "These 11 new grantees all face different challenges housing foster youth in their local communities. I’m proud that the Office of Pubic and Indian Housing has been able to help so many foster youths and provide housing authorities a new tool to overcome youth homelessness."

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 approximately 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 will 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:

• Administer a Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program;
• Enter into a partnership agreement with a Public Child Welfare Agency (PCWA);
• Accept young people referred by their partnering PCWA; and
• Determine that the referred youth are eligible for HCV assistance.

The following states are receiving funding: