The Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) Competitive Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), which published today, announces the availability of $20 million for new incremental voucher assistance to assist former foster youth at-risk of or experiencing homelessness.
The FYI initiative, first launched on July 26, 2019, invests in local, cross-system collaborative efforts to prevent and end homelessness among youth with a current or prior history of child welfare involvement. Through FYI, public housing agencies (PHAs) that partner with their local public child welfare agency (PCWA) are able to access housing choice vouchers (HCVs) for eligible youth. To set these young adults on a path to self-sufficiency, the community is required to leverage supportive services that will be offered to the youth. Through FYI, youth are provided up to 36 months of rental assistance.
To date, HUD has awarded nearly $9 million for FYI vouchers in 34 states. Through the announcement of the FYI Competitive NOFA, communities will now have two opportunities to access voucher assistance on behalf of foster youth. While HUD continues to make FYI vouchers available under Notice PIH 2020-28, the Department encourages communities whose need exceeds that available under the notice to also pursue additional vouchers under the FYI Competitive NOFA.
The NOFA, which provides information regarding the application process, funding criteria and eligibility requirements, can be found at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=331006.
Questions regarding specific program requirements should be directed to FYI@hud.gov.