CSH Guest Blog

HUD Releases FUP-FSS Demonstration to Help At-Risk Young Adults Transition to Adulthood

CSH Guest Blog by: Todd Lloyd, Senior Policy Associate, Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative; and Ruth White, Executive Director, National Center for Housing and Child Welfare

 

Recently, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released PIH Notice 2016-01, allowing Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) to participate in a demonstration program to test if combining stable housing through vouchers and financial capacity and asset building would improve outcomes for at-risk youth aging out of foster care. The demonstration would allow PHAs that operate an existing Family Self Sufficiency (FSS) and have Family Unification Program (FUP) vouchers serving eligible youth to extend the time limit from the 18-month statutory restriction to the length of the FSS contract (up to five years).

The demonstration, originally authorized in the final FY2015 Omnibus Appropriations Act, was developed by CSH and the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare (NCHCW) to give young adults leaving foster care an opportunity to access the Family Self Sufficiency (FSS) program. The FSS program can be a valuable tool to helping this population gain economic independence while they transition to adulthood.

The nearly 30,000 youth who age out of foster care each year are among those at greatest risk for becoming homeless. (1)

Indeed, the back door of the foster care system is the front door of the homeless system.

Although young people aging out of foster care may experience unstable housing without becoming homeless, housing instability can be an antecedent to homelessness, which is of particular concern because of the link between homelessness and various negative outcomes. Indeed, the back door of the foster care system is the front door of the homeless system. Just as responsibility ceases for one system, it begins for the other. Some observers describe foster care as a “pipeline” to homelessness.

Housing stability matters throughout life but may be especially important during certain developmental stages such as the transition to adulthood because of its relationship to self-sufficiency. A lack of stable housing can impede efforts to become self-sufficient. It is difficult for young people to pursue education and training or to find and keep a job if their housing is unstable. Conversely, young people are better able to continue their schooling and maintain gainful employment if they are stably housed.

The FSS program is a flexible resource that allows a participant to develop their own goals, encourages employment and builds self-empowerment while maintaining housing stability. The core piece of this demonstration is that the statutory 18-month time limit on FUP vouchers for young adults leaving foster care is extended for the length of the FSS contract.

Under the demonstration, HUD is not putting any restrictions on the number of PHAs that apply. The only two limitations are that a PHA needs to be currently administering FUP vouchers for young adults who have left foster care and have an existing FSS program. HUD is seeking applications from PHAs through July 15, 2016.

HUD is hosting a webinar on Thursday, January 28, 2016 at 2:00 pm EST for interested parties to learn more and you can sign up for the webinar here. HUD and the United States Administration for Children and Families (ACF) sent a joint letter to Child Welfare Directors, outlining the benefits of the FSS-FUP demonstration, which can be accessed here.

 


(1) The Midwest Evaluation found that by age 26, approximately thirty-six percent of former foster young people whose outcomes were known had reported at least one episode of homelessness. “Youths aging out of foster care are at high risk for becoming homeless during the transition to adulthood. Between 31% and 46% of our study participants had been homeless at least once by age 26 years. Running away while in foster care, greater placement instability, being male, having a history of physical abuse, engaging in more delinquent behaviors, and having symptoms of a mental health disorders were associated with an increase in the relative risk of becoming homeless.” Dworsky/Courtney, 2013 (NYTD). In FFY 2013, the NYTD survey asked 19-year-olds if they had experienced homelessness within the past two years. Nearly a quarter (24%) of 19-year-old youth who had exited foster care reported having been homeless at some point within the past two years. Among youth in foster care at age 19, only 10% reported experiencing homelessness in the past two years.

CSH & Partners Work to Strengthen Housing Continuum for Young Adults in CT

Connecticut providers from across the housing continuum joined CSH in early December for a statewide convening that included a focus on tailoring the supportive housing model for young adults and transition-aged youth (TAY) to promote positive youth development and facilitate a young person’s transition to adulthood.

Policymakers from the State Department of Housing (DOH), Department of Children and Families (DCF), and the Young Adult Services (YAS) division of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) engaged statewide intermediaries and providers on efforts to fill gaps along the housing continuum for TAY. Kathleen Durand from DOH announced her Commissioner’s decision to move forward with a competitive capital round of between $ 5 and 8 million dollars for young adult supportive housing in 2016 that could potentially include rental subsidies. This major commitment was reinforced when Amy Marracino from DMHAS YAS and Kim Somaroo-Rodriguez from DCF shared information on new endeavors to create more drop-in centers for youth as well as new crisis response services across the state.

The good news of a competitive capital round for young adult supportive housing set the stage for Dr. Eric Rice of the University of Southern California’s School of Social Work to share learnings from CT’s implementation of a pilot to identify homeless youth in Connecticut at most risk for long-term homelessness, and for CSH New England program staff to provide an overview on their work to assess the state of supportive housing for young adults in the state.

Dr. Rice’s presentation summarized the results of the Connecticut TAY Triage Tool pilot and provided recommendations to stakeholders on assessing youth and young adults for housing options and supportive services. The TAY Triage Tool is a youth-specific set of non-invasive questions that can be quickly delivered to determine whether a homeless young person is on a trajectory to experiencing five or more years of homelessness. The tool consists of a six point scale, with the recommendation that homeless youth with a score of 4 or higher should be prioritized for supportive housing.

For Connecticut, the tool provides a mechanism for collecting targeted data to inform how the state will prioritize young adults for new supportive housing projects that will come on-line in the future. To implement the tool in Connecticut, Dr. Rice suggested utilizing Orgcode’s Next Step Tool, which includes the six items which constitute the TAY Triage Tool. Additionally, the pilot found that youth and young adults who score higher on the TAY Triage Tool report higher levels of trauma and depression, meaning that mental health and possibly substance abuse interventions may be needed for youth and young adults who are placed into housing. Click here for a full summary of Connecticut's TAY Triage Tool Pilot.

From enhanced data collection efforts to new commitments for permanent housing options for TAY, the state is uniquely positioned to develop and operate supportive housing for young adults in Connecticut that implement a youth framework and promote positive youth development without the traditional time limitations that exist in other housing interventions that currently exist for Connecticut’s young people.

With support from the Melville Charitable Trust, CSH has developed a general service model that is more youth-specific for Connecticut’s supportive housing providers that are serving young adults in the traditional model. CSH will continue to work with providers and other stakeholders to pilot viable demonstration projects, including developing a finance model, provide recommendations on staffing structures, and creating a learning community for providers with an interest in serving young adults in supportive housing.

The event provided CSH the opportunity to re-assemble a learning community of supportive housing providers serving young adults in traditional supportive housing and connect them not only to providers along the housing continuum, but also with Opening Doors-CT, a statewide initiative that aims to serve runaway and “unaccompanied” minors as well as young adults (18+) experiencing homelessness and housing instability. The event took place almost a year after Opening Doors-CT launched a statewide action plan to address the unique needs of youth and young adults who are precariously housed and at higher risk for exploitation, offering a day of reflection on work that’s unraveled over the past eight months and where the state has yet to go to serve these young people.

In early 2016, CSH will release a comprehensive report that assesses the current supportive housing landscape for Connecticut’s young adults and provides recommendations on next steps.

Ending Youth Homelessness in CT

CSH is leading a day-long convening today on the issue of homeless youth in Connecticut (CT). Participants are meeting at the offices of The Connection, a leading homelessness group in the state. Pictured below on the first panel of the day are (from left to right) Amy Marracino from The CT Dept. of Mental Health and Addiction Svcs; April Morrison from CSH; Kim Somaroo Rodriguez from the CT Dept. of Children and Families; Mimi Haley from the CT Coalition to End Homelessness; Katie Durand from the CT Dept. of Housing, and Stacy Violante Cote (moderator) from the Center for Children's advocacy.

CT

HHS Stresses Services for Homeless Families

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Health Resources and Services Administration

Maternal and Child Health Bureau Rockville, MD 20857

November 30, 2015

 

Dear Maternal, Infant, Early Childhood Home Visiting Program Grantees,

We are writing you today to stress the importance of providing Home Visiting services to homeless families and their young children from pregnancy to kindergarten entry. Ensuring the well-being of our youngest children is essential to the work of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau and is especially urgent when considering the vulnerability of such young children who experience homelessness. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is particularly focused on the challenges faced by families with young children who are homeless or at risk for homelessness. In fact, HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell will soon assume the chair of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness.

In the United States, more than 1.6 million children, many under the age of six, live on the streets, in homeless shelters, in campgrounds, temporarily doubled up with others, or are otherwise without a stable home. A cause for a young family to become homeless is the birth of a new baby. Research shows that children who experience homelessness also experience higher rates of chronic illness, developmental delays, anxiety, and depression than children who live in stable homes.

Home Visiting programs partner with homeless shelters, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Continuum of Care (CoC) projects, and local homelessness initiatives to support stable housing for vulnerable families, to address the critical needs of homeless families, and to address the health and development of mothers and their children.

Many of you are already serving families who are homeless or at risk for homelessness through evidence-based home visiting models and/or promising approaches. We ask that you continue to examine the ways you are serving homeless women and children, and identify additional strategies to do so through home visiting services and coordination and collaboration with early childhood partners. The Division of Home Visiting and Early Childhood Systems will provide technical assistance to help you continue to provide high-quality services and system coordination to improve the wellbeing of families who are homeless or at risk for homelessness.

In particular we encourage you to consider the following:

Provide Quality Services for Homeless Families: Ensure that high-quality services are available to and meet the needs of homeless families or those at risk for homelessness. Programs can screen families for homelessness and assess risk for homelessness as well as collect and analyze data about families’ housing needs. Home visitors can meet with families where they currently live, provide ongoing support and consistency in the lives of children who may be highly mobile, and strengthen parents’ capacity to promote their children’s developmental milestones.

Have Policies in Place for Families who are Temporarily Homeless after a Disaster: Policies and procedures should ensure that families have streamlined access to services that are essential to recovery in an emergency situation. The home visiting workforce may assist in relief efforts through family engagement in emergency shelters, and referrals to and coordination with local services.

Offer Flexibility to Homeless Families: Examine the documentation required to enroll in a home visiting program and, where appropriate and in fidelity to home visiting model(s), provide "grace periods" that give families sufficient opportunity to gather the required documentation for participation, such as for immunization, within a reasonable time frame.

Coordinate with HUD CoC, and Local Liaisons: Coordinate at both state and local levels to reach out to homeless families or those at risk for homelessness. Connect families served by your programs to available CoC resources as well as health and social services. Collaborate with key partners serving homeless families, including the state Office of Coordinator for Education of Homeless Children and Youths authorized by the McKinney-Vento Act, runaway and homeless youth programs, and state and local housing authorities, among others.

Work with Homeless Coalitions: The home visiting community should participate on homeless coalitions which bring together homeless programs with other community organizations. The purpose of these coalitions is to ensure that services available to families experiencing homelessness (particularly support services beyond housing) reflect the needs of the community. Participation on these coalitions will ensure that the unique needs of pregnant women and young children are well represented.

The wellbeing of our youngest children is essential, not only for the development of the child and the stability of the family, but for the ongoing success of our nation. We thank you for your tireless efforts to serve our most vulnerable children, and stand committed to supporting your work to further ensure access to high-quality home visiting services for young children and families who are homeless.

Sincerely,

David Willis, M.D., FAAP

Director, Division of Home Visiting and Early Childhood Systems

 

DIVISION OF HOME VISITING AND EARLY CHILDHOOD SYSTEMS - Contact Information for Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting State Leads

 

 

NJ Receives $2M Grant to Help Youth

Money to Help Prevent Homelessness for Youth in Foster Care

CSH One of Three Implementation Partners

Burlington, Mercer, and Union Counties To Host Pilot Project To Help Youth Find Sustainable Housing

 

The New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF) has been awarded a $2 million, three year implementation grant from the U.S. Administration for Children and Families for a pilot project to prevent homelessness among New Jersey youth currently or previously in foster care.

The announcement was made during DCF Commissioner Allison Blake’s visit this afternoon to the Trenton-based Anchor House for National Youth Homelessness Awareness Month.

“New Jersey first received federal planning grant funding in 2013 to complete a needs assessment and identify strategies to prevent and address homelessness among youth in foster care.  This new implementation funding demonstrates the federal government’s confidence in and support for our work to help youth build better and more successful futures,” said DCF Commissioner Allison Blake.

The implementation funding will support pilot programming to help youth in foster care between 14 and 21 years old achieve permanency; find safe, affordable, and stable housing when needed; and achieve their academic and career goals.

The program will include aggressive family finding and permanency efforts, re-conceptualized life skills, educational advocacy, near peer and professional mentors, and sustainable housing and supportive services.  DCF will also develop a Statewide Youth Housing Learning Collaborative to train DCF’s network of youth housing providers.

DCF’s Office of Adolescent Services will implement this project in partnership with Child Trends, the Center for the Study of Social Policy, and the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH).  The pilot will be based in Burlington, Mercer, and Union counties.

The effort will potentially help hundreds of youth and test whether the program can be expanded to help youth throughout the state and nation.

DCF is dedicated to ensuring a better today and an even greater tomorrow for every individual the department serves. In partnership with New Jersey's communities, DCF ensures the safety, well-being, and success of New Jersey's children and families.  DCF funds and directly provides services and support to over 100,000 women, children, and families each month.

 

You Can Make A Difference Today

For RWJF "Keeping Families Together" BRONX, NEW YORK - MAY 19: Jose Soto, his wife, Evelyn, and their daughter Destiny, 3, spend time together in their apartment and neighborhood in the Bronx, New York May 19, 2010.

It's Giving Tuesday

 

Today nonprofit organizations, local businesses, philanthropists and people like you come together to promote and participate in giving to ensure better, vibrant and stronger communities throughout the country.

We hope you will take a few minutes this morning to support CSH, the national leader in creating access to affordable housing and support services for vulnerable people and families.

CSH is elevating the needs of families like Sonya, Joe and their daughter, Katie, impacted by serious mental health issues, recurring homelessness and repeat involvement with child welfare agencies. To escape their downward spiral of trauma and despair, they needed a safe, stable and affordable home as well as access to mental health and other services. Supportive housing came to their rescue with a nice apartment, and the case management and the recovery programs they need to move forward, together, as a family.

There are thousands of families like Sonya, Joe and Katie who need our help. Your tax-deductible gift can transform their lives from hopelessness to ones where they are housed and healthy.

We thank you for your support and generosity.

 

Click Here to Donate to CSH Now

Bill Introduced to Help Youth, Keep Families Together

Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Patty Murray (D-WA) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) introduced legislation to help prevent youth homelessness, improve support services and housing for youth and families, and help ensure children are raised in supportive, stable households. The Family Unification, Preservation and Modernization Act would improve supportive housing - programs that integrate housing with social services – and policies for children and families at risk of homelessness, keeping families together who might otherwise enter the child welfare system. It would also increase access to social services for youth aging out of the foster care system as they transition to adulthood.

“Throughout my years in public service and as a lawyer fighting housing discrimination, I’ve seen the tremendous impact that access to stable housing and support services can have on families and communities,” Sen. Kaine said. “Unfortunately, many children who age out of the foster care system are left with few places to turn for assistance and end up on the wrong life track. This is an issue my wife Anne and I are very passionate about and I’m proud to partner with Senators Collins, Murray and Schatz to introduce this bill to help keep families together, reduce youth homelessness and ensure we’re meeting the needs of children transitioning out of foster care.”

“Over the course of a year, more than 1.3 million youth experience homelessness. Many of these children are forced to face the danger and despair of homelessness alone, unaccompanied by a parent or guardian, because of disparities in our current system.  We must make certain that our nation’s housing policies support our most vulnerable families and help them break the cycle of homelessness that is too often chronic. This bipartisan legislation would increase coordination of crucial resources, remove arbitrary barriers, and provide increased support that will help families stay together, access affordable safe housing, and give our homeless youth the stability and the opportunity they need to succeed,” Sen. Collins said.

“It is our moral obligation to make sure the most vulnerable in our communities, especially children, have the resources and services they need to lead productive lives.  That’s why I’m proud to join Senators Kaine, Collins, and Murray in introducing the Family Unification Modernization and Improvement Act,” said U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i).  “The sensible changes in this bill will make the Family Unification Program work better for families on the verge of homelessness, as well as young people in Hawai‘i who are aging out of the foster care system and need some help to secure safe, affordable housing.”

Studies from Mathematica Policy Research and the Urban Institute have shown that housing instability is linked to poor outcomes for children. Unsafe housing conditions and homelessness can threaten the safety of a child and can lead to an investigation by the local child welfare agency, out-of-home placement or a delay in family reunification. Homelessness may also lead families to voluntarily place their children in foster care while searching for housing, and families may be separated because of policies that exclude teenagers, especially boys, from shelters. Furthermore, children aging out of the foster care system are particularly vulnerable to homelessness because they must make the transition to adulthood without support, financial or otherwise, from parents or other trusted guardians.

In 1990, Congress authorized the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to create the Family Unification Program (FUP), which provided housing vouchers to families involved with the child welfare system.  In 2000, Congress extended this program to youth aging out of foster care. Though FUP vouchers have yielded some success, the Family Unification, Preservation and Modernization Act would improve the program by making the following changes:

  • Utilizing a ‘housing first’ model, similar to the one used to combat veterans’ homelessness, which will ensure safe and stable housing for youth and families
  • Building on and strengthening the connections between local public housing agencies and child welfare agencies to promote family stabilization and reunification, and ensuring resources are identified for both youth and families to assist in their housing searches
  • Requiring HUD and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to work together to improve system coordination and implementation of the FUP program
  • Removing the arbitrary 18-month timeline for youth vouchers and replacing it with a more administratively-manageable 36-month timeline
  • Expanding youth eligibility to those who are 18 to 24 who have left foster care at age 14 or older or who will leave foster care within 90 days and are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless
  • Promoting self-sufficiency programs by providing incentive payments to successful, data-driven interventions that improve outcomes
  • Providing competitive grants for supportive services that are specifically targeted to FUP recipients

“What Senators Kaine, Collins, Murray and Schatz are championing is one of the most effective actions Congress can take to help struggling families – adopting legislation providing the resources parents and children need to stay together. Too often, children are separated from their families and forced into foster care because their parents cannot afford housing. Senators Kaine, Collins, Murray and Schatz wisely recognize that reforming and bolstering the Family Unification Program gets to the heart of this problem, and will go a long way toward making sure children and their parents achieve stability to move forward together as a family,” said Deborah De Santis, President and CEO of CSH.

Click here to see which groups have joined with CSH to enthusiastically endorse the Family Unification, Preservation and Modernization Act .

 

Child Well-Being Convening in MN

MN Conf

CSH FOCUSES ON IMPROVING THE LIVES OF CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES

This past week at the Children’s Home Society in St. Paul, Minnesota, CSH hosted Partnering and Planning for Greater Impact: A Convening on Child Well-being in Supportive Housing.

The Convening was an engaging and action-oriented conversation involving administrative and management level professionals from county and State child welfare agencies; supportive housing developer and provider organizations; funding sources; universities and other educational systems; MCOs and healthcare systems; mental health organizations; and family services programs. Participants were motivated to move beyond educating and building awareness on supportive housing’s role in child well-being to:

• Expanding common understandings of child well-being, definitions and outcome indicators
• Assessing and identifying opportunities to cross-innovate and collaborate for greater impact
• Growing participation in the process of leveraging supportive housing for child well-being

By encouraging frank dialogue, partnership building, and sound implementation planning, participants are taking what they learned at the Convening and strengthening initiatives and practices throughout Minnesota to promote child well-being in supportive housing.

bravebots1

Convening Planning Partners
CSH                                                                                      Simpson Housing Services
Family Housing Fund                                                       courageous heARTS

Artistic Credit
BotJoy                                                                                 Greater Minnesota Housing Fund

 

Improving Housing & Services for San Francisco's Youth

youth TAYIn San Francisco, it is estimated that five to ten percent of the approximately 80,000 young people aged 16 to 24 are at an elevated risk for unemployment, involvement with the criminal justice system, poverty, and homelessness.

Finding housing that is both affordable and safe is one of the top concerns for San Francisco’s Transitional Age Youth (or TAY, which refers to unaccompanied young people aged 18 to 24 years).

TAY is a population that requires a unique approach to the delivery of housing and services.

There are over 1,400 homeless Transitional Age Youth in San Francisco, representing a range of backgrounds and needs.

CSH, working with the local community and Harder+Company Community Research, undertook a thorough study to reveal the extent to which San Francisco’s current system of housing and services is efficiently and effectively meeting the needs of TAY to then use the findings to strengthen the system to better meet those needs.

The final conclusions and recommendations found in Providing Stability and Support: An Assessment of San Francisco’s Transitional Age Youth Housing and Services System have now been released.

This report draws upon a rigorous examination of qualitative and quantitative data collected from service providers and current and former residents of transitional housing and supportive housing.

In San Francisco, there are currently two main types of housing for those TAY who are most in need: transitional housing, which provides a supportive living environment for six months to two years and serves as a bridge to permanent housing; and supportive housing, in which residents have their own lease and are legally tenants in non- time limited affordable housing with support services. These housing environments are part of a larger system that seeks to provide the services and supports that TAY need in order to take advantage of the tools and opportunities to lead productive lives.

Providing Stability and Support: An Assessment of San Francisco’s Transitional Age Youth Housing and Services System is not only an extensive, thoughtful look at these housing environments, it is a lens for us to focus on improving the lives of the Bay Area's  TAY population.

CSH Advances Bipartisan Breakthrough on Housing Bill

hilary congress

CSH Federal Policy Director Hilary Swab Gawrilow (far right at desk) speaks on H.R. 3700 before Members of Congress

Bipartisan Breakthrough on Housing Bill

By Hilary Swab Gawrilow, Director of Federal Policy

Last week, I was asked to testify before the Housing and Insurance Subcommittee of the U.S. House Financial Services Committee on H.R. 3700, the Housing Opportunities through Modernization Act.

Introduced by Rep. Blaine Luetekemeyer (R-MO), H.R. 3700 encompasses changes to Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) core rental assistance programs that are supported by a broad range of housing industry stakeholders – including housing advocates and multifamily owner organizations. While there are still a few kinks to work out in the legislative language, this bill creates a rare opportunity to move many non-controversial changes forward that would make the programs more efficient, reduce administrative burdens for housing providers. and increase opportunities to create more affordable rental housing for vulnerable and struggling households.

The legislation includes changes to the Project-Based Voucher program that could increase the supply of supportive housing for homeless populations and better integrate those apartments into high-opportunity neighborhoods. H.R. 3700 increases the percent of vouchers a Public Housing Authority (PHA) can project-base by allowing an additional 10 percent of authorized vouchers to serve households experiencing homelessness or to create supportive housing for persons with disabilities or the elderly. Additionally, the modifications to the income mixing limitation included in the bill would allow a PHA to extend project-based assistance to more apartments in a property located in a high-cost area or cover more units in smaller properties. The Project-Based Voucher program is a critical tool for the development of supportive housing and creates opportunities for vulnerable households that would otherwise not have access to safe, affordable housing within their community.

The legislation also includes changes to Family Unification Program (FUP) vouchers that are targeted for low-income youth with foster care involvement. Over this past year, I have had the opportunity to meet with young adults who have left foster care and learn about their experiences, and the housing and services they found most critical as they transitioned to adults. Additionally, I spoke to youth housing providers and housing agencies about the challenges serving transition age youth with targeted Youth-FUP vouchers. Because of these conversations, CSH was able to provide additional recommendations to better improve the utilization of these targeted vouchers by reducing lapses in housing for youth leaving care and better aligning the voucher with changes in foster care eligibility.

While the path to enactment for H.R. 3700 is still unfolding, it is clear Congressional staff from both sides of the aisle want to make important changes to HUD’s programs that benefit both housing providers and low-income households.

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