HUD AWARDS $3.3 MILLION TO SANTA FE TO HELP END YOUTH HOMELESSNESS
Grant will support innovative approaches that target young people experiencing homelessness in 14 northern New Mexico counties

FORT WORTH - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded a $3.37 million grant to the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness for a demonstration program targeted at homeless youth in 14 northern New Mexico counties. HUD's Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) (https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/yhdp/) will support a wide range of housing interventions including rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing, transitional housing, and host homes in Cibola, Colfax, Harding, Los Alamos, McKinley, Mora, Quay, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, San Juan, San Miguel, Santa Fe, Taos and Union counties.

"Young people who are victims of abuse, family conflict, or aging out of foster care are especially vulnerable to homelessness," said HUD SW Regional Administrator Beth Van Duyne. "This grant will support innovative new approaches that will help young people find stable housing, break the cycle of homelessness and lead them on a path to self-sufficiency."

Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber said, "A coordinated, collaborative approach is the most effective and sustainable way to address homelessness, and HUD's grant is going to bring 14 northern New Mexico counties together to fight youth homelessness. This will help us improve the lives of New Mexicans in an unprecedented and powerful way."

"We are thrilled to have been selected as a demonstration site for building a rural system to address youth homelessness," said Hank Hughes, Director of the New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness. "When we rescue a young person from homelessness, we can save them from years of suffering and help put their life on a positive path."

HUD selected 11 communities nationwide that will collaborate with a broad array of partners including a youth action board and the local or state public child welfare agency. These communities now have four months to develop and submit to HUD a coordinated community plan to prevent and end youth homelessness. They will also participate in a program evaluation to inform the federal effort to prevent and end youth homelessness going forward.

HUD also worked closely with its federal partners at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Education (DOE), and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) to help develop the program and review applications.

YHDP recipients will use funding for rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing, and transitional housing, and to fund innovative programs, such as host homes. Recipients can begin requesting funding for specific projects as soon as they are ready. YHDP will also support youth-focused performance measurement and coordinated entry systems.

To ensure the Youth Homelessness Prevention Demonstration Program met the needs of young people, HUD relied on the recommendations of those who had experienced homelessness themselves. Many of the same young people also reviewed the applications of communities seeking YHDP funds. Their input helped ensure that the communities selected for funding understand the needs and preferences of the young people they will serve.

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