HUD AWARDS ALMOST $1.2 MILLION IN HOUSING VOUCHERS TO KING COUNTY & TACOMA HOUSING AUTHORITIES TO KEEP FAMILIES TOGETHER
King County will receive 100 vouchers and Tacoma will receive 50 vouchers that will help keep children out of foster care

SEATTLE - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced today that it is awarding 100 rental assistance vouchers to the King County Housing Authority and 50 rental assistance vouchers to the Tacoma
Housing Authority to reunite children with their families. The children currently are in foster care.

Today's awards are part of a national announcement awarding a total of 2,500 Family Unification Program rental assistance vouchers to 37 public housing authorities across the country. Of the $20 million awarded nationally, the King County authority will receive $814,380 and the Tacoma authority will receive $379,938 to fund the new vouchers.

"As a father of two sons, I can't imagine the pain parents must feel when their family is separated because of the
lack of affordable housing," said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. "I am pleased to announce these vouchers will
allow thousands of children to live with their families."

HUD is providing nearly $20 million in funding through its Family Unification Program (FUP), which provides Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) rental assistance to families whose lack of adequate housing is a primary cause of
parents being separated or near separation from their children. In addition, approximately 20 percent of these vouchers will help provide stable housing for about 1,500 young adults (ages 18-22) who have "aged-out" of the foster care system.

These vouchers, like regular Housing Choice Vouchers, allow a family to rent housing from a private landlord and generally pay 30 percent of the family's monthly adjusted gross income towards rent and utilities.

According to statistics gathered by the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare (NCHCW), an affordable housing/child welfare advocacy group, keeping children in foster care is an expensive alternative to affordable housing. On average, it costs more than $48,000 annually per family when children enter foster care. By contrast, housing and services to keep a family together costs approximately $15,000 annually. Supportive services for FUP families and youth are provided by agencies funded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
This $20 million investment in FUP vouchers will save more than $134 million in foster care costs.

"We appreciate Secretary Donovan for recognizing the critical role that stable housing plays in keeping families together and safe," said Ruth White, Executive Director of NCHCW. "FUP will foster the kind of interagency collaboration necessary to prevent homelessness among families and youth making the transition to adulthood from foster care."

Housing authorities that are awarded the vouchers work closely with local public welfare agencies to identify youth
at risk of homelessness and families for whom the lack of adequate housing is a primary reason the family's children are in, or must be placed in, foster care.

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HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to sustaining homeownership; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development and enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet and espanol.hud.gov.