HUD AWARDS SAN ANTONIO $6.8 MILLION TO HELP END YOUTH HOMELESSNESS
Grant to South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless will support the development and implementation of a community plan to end youth homelessness

FORT WORTH - At a press event today in San Antonio, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) presented a grant for $6,881,000 to the South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless (SARAH) to develop and implement a coordinated community plan to prevent and end youth homelessness in San Antonio.

Under its Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP), HUD has awarded a total of $75 million in grants nationally to end youth homelessness in 23 local communities across the country. This year's funding level is significantly higher than the $43 million awarded last year.

"The solutions to youth homelessness that are being built and tested through HUD's YHDP program represent community collaboration at its best," said Jemine Bryon, HUD Deputy Assistant Secretary for Special Needs, who spoke at the event. "We are confident that SARAH, working with its Youth Action Board and partners, will use this grant to move towards permanently ending youth homelessness in San Antonio."

Brenda Mascorro, Executive Director of SARAH, said, "We are so excited to receive these funds from HUD.  We are looking forward to crafting a plan to help our youth with housing and to provide them the assistance needed to realize their amazing potential."

Over the next several months, SARAH will work with its Youth Action Board, child welfare agencies, and other community partners to create and implement a comprehensive community plan to end youth homelessness.

In San Antonio for the 2018-2019 school year, 421 unaccompanied youth were identified in public school, and 98 unaccompanied youth were counted the night of the 2019 Homeless Point-in-Time Count. SARAH believes these numbers do not accurately represent the total number of homeless youth in San Antonio/Bexar County, including those who are couch-surfing, exiting foster care, escaping human trafficking, and fleeing violence. Data sharing and collaboration will be a key component of the upcoming coordinated community plan.

The Youth Action Board, SARAH, and community members came together as part of the YHDP application process to identify areas of focus for grant funds, and critical areas identified for the community action plan include recovery-oriented, low-barrier emergency shelter; permanent supportive housing and wrap-around supportive services including trauma-informed substance use treatment, mental health services, ID recovery, connection to mainstream benefits, and higher education and employment opportunities. The Youth Action Board also wants to make family reunification services a focus in order to prevent and divert youth from homelessness.

HUD developed YHDP with youth in mind, relying upon the recommendations provided directly from young people who had experienced homelessness. To ensure that the program meets the needs of young people, HUD incorporated many of the same young people who provided recommendations on the program's design in the application review process. Their assessment helped HUD ensure that grant applicants understood the needs and preferences of the young people they will serve.

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

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