RHYA Awards Announced + Federal Government May Shut Down This Week

Beginning on September 27, some Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) applicants received notice that their new 2025 RHYA grants were awarded. Providers have received Basic Center, Transitional Living, and Maternity Group Home award announcements, and some have seen their new awards appear in the Payment Management System.

If you have not heard anything about your 2025 RHYA grant application by October 1, then your announcement could be delayed if the government is shut down. You can check in with your federal program officer, but keep in mind that if the government is shut down, they may be placed on temporary leave.

If you submitted an RHYA grant application this year, we want to hear from you. Please consider completing this very short, anonymous survey about your application and whether or not you received an award. This information is invaluable to our advocacy to maintain and improve RHYA!

A government shutdown could happen this week. At this time, we don’t know how long the shutdown will last, but you should begin to prepare for it now.

Every year by September 30, Congress must pass twelve bills to fund the federal government. If they don’t, the government shuts down until funding is approved. During a shutdown, many federal agencies—like Housing and Urban Development or Labor—pause most of their work, and thousands of federal employees are furloughed (temporarily sent home without pay). Essential services, such as national security and Social Security payments, continue.

If Congress does not agree on FY 2026 funding levels by midnight on the 30th, the government will shut down. During the shutdown, Congress will be negotiating to get the government up and running as soon as possible. This is not an easy process—there are major priority differences between Democrats and Republicans, the House and Senate, and Congress and the Trump Administration.

The impact on federal agencies and programs can vary, and what has been true in previous shutdowns is likely going to be different this time. Here is what you may be able to expect:

• You may be able to draw down federal funds if a federal employee doesn’t have to approve it.​​ For example, in the last long shutdown, RHYA providers were able to draw down their regular payments from the Payment Management System without external approval. However, draw-down payments must now be approved by several levels of federal employees, and most of them will be furloughed during a shutdown.
• You will not receive any new grant funding or new vouchers.​ During a shutdown, no new awards are issued. For example, if you’re waiting on the status of a new RHYA award and you haven’t heard anything by October 1, you will likely not hear anything and won’t receive payment until after the shutdown is over. If you are waiting on the status of a renewal, you may not hear until after the shutdown, either.

See this article for more information about what happened in previous shutdowns, keeping in mind that this shutdown will probably be different.

This shutdown may be different from previous ones, given the Administration’s significant shifts in how grants are awarded and paid out, as well as their mission to reduce federal agency staff.

• The new grant approval process may prevent regularly scheduled payments from going out.​​ The Office of Management and Budget and DOGE must approve all grant payments. If their employees are furloughed, they may not have the capacity to approve payments.
• The Administration has said they want to fire instead of furlough federal employees if the government does shut down.​ If this happens, it would significantly impact program operations during and after the shutdown, and could delay grant awards and reimbursements even further.
• If there is a shutdown, it’s difficult to say how long it will be. Negotiations are going to be tough, and even though it will be Congress’ only focus during the shutdown, they have significant barriers to break through to come to an agreement. The last government shutdown lasted 35 days, taking place during the last Trump Administration.

In order to end a shutdown, Congress needs to pass final funding bills, change the negotiating deadline, or a combination of both.

• Pass a continuing resolution (CR).​​ A CR is a temporary spending bill that level-funds the government and gives Congress more time to negotiate final funding levels. Generally, CRs do not include any major changes, like cutting a program.
• Pass some final funding bills and a CR for the rest.​ Congress could do a combination: Pass noncontroversial funding bills (like the one that funds the Legislative Branch) and a CR for the ones that need more negotiating time.
• Pass all final funding bills. This is the best-case scenario, but the least likely to happen.

There are things you can and should do right now to prepare for a shutdown.

• For Current Grants​ Submit your RHYA or other reimbursement requests for September so you can draw down your money before the shutdown. Do this today!
• For New Grants Prepare for a gap in funding—you won’t receive new grant award money during a shutdown.

We will continue to keep you updated as we learn more about the shutdown, how long it could be, and what programs will be affected. Please share with us any updates you receive—this is vital to our advocacy. We always keep you totally anonymous.