14-Day Deadline for RHYA NOFOs Puts Programs at Risk – Street Outreach Eliminated as Standalone Program

On the evening of July 9, the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) released the long-awaited Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) program’s Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) on Grants.gov—but with harmful changes and an unrealistic deadline.

NOFOs for the Basic Center Program (BCP), Transitional Living Program (TLP), and Maternity Group Home (MGH) are due by Wednesday, July 23 at 11:59 PM Eastern. This gives providers just 14 days to submit the complex federal grant application, a process that is usually awarded 60 days.

Critically, no NOFO was released for the Street Outreach Program. Instead, outreach services have been collapsed into the other RHYA grants, representing a major shift in the federal youth homelessness strategy and interpretation of RHYA’s statute.

• Award range: $199,999 – $350,000 (higher award amount is to accommodate street outreach services).
• May propose street outreach services for up to 10 bonus points.

• Award Range: $100,000 – $350,000 (higher award amount is to accommodate street outreach services).
• Grant award period is down to three years.
• Same street outreach and law enforcement MOU requirements as TLP.

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 NOFOs include many changes from the FY2024 versions, including shifts in ideology, new reporting requirements, new MOUs, and the consolidation of street outreach services.

The Street Outreach Program (SOP) is no longer a standalone grant. Instead, street outreach services are required for TLP and MGH applicants and optional for BCPs (including street outreach will earn BCP applications up to 10 bonus points). Programs that engage youth through street outreach must ensure they have 24/7 access to emergency shelter or safe, stable housing; if the program doesn’t provide it directly, they must have an MOU or letter of understanding with an age-appropriate shelter that can do so.

This major shift disregards the importance and expertise of standalone street outreach programs. It requires TLPs and MGHs who don’t already conduct outreach to hire full-time outreach staff, invest in infrastructure, programming, and new partnerships, but comes with no extra time or support to do so.

TLP and MGH applicants are now required to include a signed MOU with a local law enforcement agency—such as city police, county sheriff, or transit police—detailing roles, communication protocols, referral procedures, joint outreach strategies, and safety measures. Applicants must also describe joint training plans, referral systems, data-sharing protocols, and steps for returning youth who are missing from the legal jurisdiction or placement of juvenile justice or child welfare systems. These agreements typically take months to develop and undergo legal review, making them virtually impossible to secure within the 14-day application window.

All TLP and MGH programs are now required to educate youth on the benefits of marriage for long-term economic success, responsible parenthood within marriage, the developmental advantages of two-parent households, and practical relationship skills. This curriculum is mandatory for all youth—including minors—regardless of its relevance to their circumstances or their personal trauma histories. This requirement promotes a specific ideological framework rather than aligning with trauma-informed, youth-centered care, raising concerns about its appropriateness and potential harm to young people who have experienced unstable or unsafe family environments.

TLP and MGH guidance place a significantly stronger emphasis on family of origin reunification, shifting from a recommendation to a mandate. While previous language suggested that assessments should prioritize reunification when safe and appropriate, the new requirement states that reunifying youth with their families of origin must be the program’s primary goal. This blanket approach ignores the complex realities many young people face—such as histories of abuse, trauma, or families living in entirely different states—and risks pushing youth back into unsafe or unstable environments.

As expected, the NOFOs remove any language about promoting equity, and prohibit applicants from using RHYA funds to promote DEI initiatives. It prohibits applicants from violating federal anti-discrimination laws, and from participating in “discriminatory equity ideology,” as defined in the Executive Order, Ending Radical Indoctrination in K–12 Schooling.

Further, the BCP NOFO prohibits using RHYA funds for “treatment or referral to treatment that aims to change someone’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.” Limitations on gender identity and gender expression are not explicitly included in TLP or MGH NOFOs.

TLP and MGH applicants must include a new budget narrative section that details how the program is an efficient use of taxpayer dollars, what measures are in place to prevent “waste, fraud, and abuse,” and what the program’s plan is for “gradually reducing dependence on federal funding upon program completion.”

Date Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Time 1:30 – 3:00 PM Eastern (12:30 PM Central, 11:30 AM Mountain, 10:30 AM Pacific)

We are hosting a members-only webinar in partnership with the National Homelessness Law Center to navigate this uncertain and time-sensitive moment.

This session will:

• Clarify changes from previous NOFOs, including the consolidation of Street Outreach into other RHYA programs.
• Provide a legal analysis of the new requirements in the NOFOs.
• Offer space for peer sharing to explore strategies for alignment without compromising your program’s values.
• Live Q&A to help you address specific questions before the July 23 deadline.

Registration is required to confirm membership and receive the join link. For any questions, contact member@nn4youth.org.

At a time when youth homelessness is rising, the federal government must support, not sabotage, the programs working on the frontlines. The current RHYA NOFO rollout puts too much at risk for youth, for providers, and for the future of this vital federal program.

Let us know if your program is being impacted—we are actively documenting provider challenges for our advocacy work, and will keep you anonymous. Email trinady.maddock@nn4youth.org to share.