Alaska Wins HUD Funds to House Youth Aging Out of Foster Care

ANCHORAGE - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson has announced that the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation based in Anchorage is among the first 11 public housing authorities nationwide that have been approved to participate in HUD's Foster Youth to Independence initiative. HUD launched the Foster Youth to Independence initiative earlier this year to assist young people aging-out of foster care and who are at risk of experiencing homelessness. (See the list of all foster youth to independence grantees below).

It is estimated that more than 20,000 young people age-out of foster care on their 19th birthday each year including, says the National Youth in Transition Data Base, about 60 in Alaska, more than half - 53 percent - of whom likely will experience homelessness at some time in their next three years, almost twice the national average.

The HUD Foster Youth to Independence initiative funding will offer housing vouchers to local public housing authorities to prevent or end homelessness among young adults under the age of 25 who are, or have recently left, the foster care system without housing. The FYI initiative requires that communities provide supportive services for the length of assistance to help eligible young people achieve self-sufficiency. These activities center around basic life skills, landlord outreach and job preparation. Additionally, they will receive educational and career counseling as well as counseling on program and lease compliance. This is critical given that the assistance is time limited.

As a result of today's announcement, the Alaska Housing Finance will receive $181,241 to fund 21 in HUD Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance to provide young people with affordable housing. It will partner with the Office of Children's Services with the Alaska Department of Health and Human which will identify eligible young people, verify eligible child welfare history, refer eligible young people to AHFC and provide or secure supportive services through agreements with Covenant House Alaska, a HUD Continuum of Care recipient, for supportive services in Southcentral Alaska, and Dream Catchers 4H Skills Development Program for such services in Northern Alaska.

"HUD wants to ensure young people who leave foster care have a smooth transition when they go out on their own," said HUD Secretary Carson. "The funding announced today will allow local housing authorities to focus on helping young people find housing to keep them off the streets and prevent them from becoming homeless."

"Youth in volatile housing situations are among our state's most vulnerable," said Bryan Butcher, CEO and Executive Director of Alaska Housing Finance Corporation. "This funding will allow young adults to move into safe and stable housing, and we will work with our partners to provide mentorship to the young people that will promote healthy decision-making and lead to a brighter future."

"As Secretary Carson has often noted, homelessness is no way for a young person aging out of foster care to enter adulthood," said HUD Northwest Regional Administrator Jeff McMorris. "We are confident the partnerships AHFC has formed will innovatively and significantly reduce the number of Alaskan kids with no place to call home as they age-out and enter adulthood."

These Foster Youth to Independence tenant-protection vouchers awarded today by HUD are going to public housing authorities that do not participate in HUD's existing Family Unification Program. (Currently, 19 housing authorities in Idaho, Oregon and Washington have established FUP programs and are serving almost 1,450 families who, without FUP, faced separation because of inadequate or unstable housing.)

Foster Youth to Independence public housing authorities must:

• Administer a Housing Choice Voucher Program;
• Enter into a partnership agreement with a public child welfare agency ;
• Accept young people referred by their partnering child welfare agency;
• Determine that referred young people are eligible for Housing Choice Voucher assistance;
• Must not currently administer a FUP program.

The first 11 public housing authorities approved to participate in HUD's Foster Youth to Independence initiative include:

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HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and https://espanol.hud.gov.

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