Congress passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 spending bill, in the form of an omnibus. Omnibus bills are simply packages of budget measures and policy changes.

NN4Y advocates for increased funding for programs targeted to youth experiencing homelessness. Congress has not funded these programs at the levels we have requested. We will not give up but continue to work collaboratively with you to ensure ending youth homelessness is a priority of U.S. Congress.

Top Five FY22 Youth Homelessness Budget Items

1. HHS: Runaway and Homeless Youth Act- funded at $140.28 million (+ 3.5 million from FY21)
2. ED: McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth- funded at $114 million (+$7.5 million for FY21)
3. HUD: Youth Homeless Demonstration Program – $82 M, of which up to $10 million is for technical assistance
4. HUD: Youth Homelessness System Improvement Grants – $25 million
5. HUD: Housing Vouchers for Foster Youth – $25 million

Health and Human Services (HHS)

RHYA report language:

Runaway and Homeless Youth

The agreement urges ACF to be flexible with current grantees to avoid reducing the availability of safe shelter and housing for young people.

National Communications System, National Runaway Safeline.

The agreement encourages ACF to coordinate with the Department of Education to increase outreach efforts at schools and community-based organizations to raise awareness of the resources provided by the National Runaway Safeline to connect homeless children and youth and those at risk of homelessness with services.

Other provisions:

• Such sums may be necessary for a study to assess the availability and accessibility of housing and services for individuals experiencing homelessness or housing instability who are survivors of trafficking or at risk of being trafficked. 
• Congratulations to the youth homelessness service providers to receive community project funding/congressionally directed spending (the new “earmark” funding)

Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Other provisions:

• $200 million in new incremental voucher assistance for both rural and urban areas – HUD Secretary will determine the formula which may include such factors as a severe cost burden, overcrowding, substandard housing for very low-income renters, homelessness, and administrative capacity.
• Over $13 billion for project-based rental assistance.

HUD report language:

• Youth Homeless Demonstration Grants (YHDP):
  • “to demonstrate how a comprehensive approach to serving homeless youth, age 24 and under, in up to 25 communities with a priority for communities with substantial rural populations in up to eight locations, can dramatically reduce youth homelessness.”
  • $10 million for YHDP “technical assistance to communities, including but not limited to the communities assisted in the preceding proviso and the matter preceding such proviso, on improving system responses to youth homelessness, and collection, analysis, use, and reporting of data and performance measures under the comprehensive approaches to serve homeless youth, in addition to and in coordination with other technical assistance funds.”
  • Continuum of Care (CoC) program funding in this bill and “any remaining unobligated balances from prior Acts may be used to competitively or non-competitively renew or replace grants for youth homeless demonstration projects under the Continuum of Care program, notwithstanding any conflict with the requirements of the Continuum of Care program.”
  • “encourages HUD to include Tribes and tribally designated housing entities as eligible recipients in the fiscal year 2022 YHDP NOFO. “
• Youth Homelessness System Improvement Grants “to support communities, including but not limited to the communities assisted under the matter preceding this proviso, in establishing and implementing a response system for youth homelessness, or for improving their existing system.”
  • Directs HUD to ensure that sufficient technical assistance resources and equal consideration for youth homelessness system improvement grants are provided to rural areas. 
  • The agreement encourages HUD to incorporate the following components when awarding youth homelessness system improvement grants: youth collaboration in project design and implementation, including establishment of local youth advisory boards; quality data collection, management, utilization, and evaluation; direct coordination and communication with service providers; cross-system partnerships including juvenile justice, child welfare, and education systems; and prevention and diversion strategies. 
  • The agreement prohibits youth homelessness system improvement grants from being used for services or housing. 
• YHDP + CoC:
  • “Youth aged 24 and under seeking assistance shall not be required to provide third party documentation to establish their eligibility under subsection (a) or (b) of section 103 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11302) to receive services.”
  • “Unaccompanied youth aged 24 and under or families headed by youth aged 24 and under who are living in unsafe situations may be served by youth-serving providers funded under this heading.”
• For CoCs:  
  • “Persons eligible under section 103(a)(5) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act may be served by any project funded under this heading to provide both transitional housing and rapid rehousing.”
  • “That for all matching funds requirements applicable to funds made available under this heading for this fiscal year and prior fiscal years, a grantee may use (or could have used) as a source of match funds other funds administered by the Secretary and other Federal agencies unless there is (or was) a specific statutory prohibition on any such use of any such funds.”
  • “Amounts made available for the Continuum of Care program, not less than $52,000,000 shall be for grants for new rapid re-housing projects and supportive service projects providing coordinated entry, and for eligible activities that the Secretary determines to be critical to assist survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking.”
  • “Directs H.U.D. to provide information on successful youth transitional housing models on its website.” 
  • “Encourages H.U.D. to facilitate collaboration between CoCs and specialty partners that provide mental health services, including suicide prevention, for youth experiencing homelessness.”
  • “Encourages H.U.D. to inform grantees of methods to strategically provide educational and outreach resources to secure the necessary mechanisms and technologies to assist youth in confidentially accessing mental health services in times of crisis.”