On July 10, 2024, five federal programs that directly impact youth experiencing homelessness were included in the FY25 funding bills that passed House committees.
- Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (HHS) program funding stayed the same at $146.28 million.
- McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth (ED) program funding stayed the same at $129 million.
- Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (HUD) funding DECREASED to $47 million + up to $10 million for technical assistance (down from $72 million).
- Youth Homelessness System Improvement grants (HUD) funding stayed the same at “Not less than $25 million”.
- Emergency Solutions Grants (HUD) funding stayed the same at $290 million.
These bills do not provide nearly enough funding for services and supports that go to serve youth, young adults, and young families experiencing homelessness. The $25 million decrease in YHDP funding will be felt particularly by local Continuum of Care (CoCs), impacting their ability to implement effective strategies for young people and reduce the number of youth experiencing homelessness.
The Senate appropriations committee will now move their FY25 funding bills, which are likely to be different than in the House. To become law, both chambers have to pass identical legislation, which means future action will need to be taken by both the Senate and House appropriations committees, with a continuing resolution likely to pass later on this year.
Please join us in taking action by filling out NN4Y’s Take Action form to email your representatives, particularly your Senators, advocating for increases to these critical funding requests.
We also encourage you to call and/or schedule an in-person or virtual meeting with all of your elected officials to ask them to support these funding and report language requests. We have resources available online to help you schedule in-person or virtual meetings with all of your elected officials.
NN4Y would like to thank the providers and young people across the country who joined us for appropriations meetings this year. Without your advocacy, the outcomes for youth homelessness programs could have been much worse.
We will continue to advocate for increased funding in FY25 appropriations. Our policy priorities are developed by our National Youth Advisory Council, young people who have experienced multiple forms of homelessness throughout the US, and our 300+ community-based youth service provider members and affiliate network.