Runaway and Homeless Youth Act

The Family and Youth Services Bureau, part of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families, administers the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act programs. The three programs include:

• The Basic Center Program, which provides financial assistance to meet the immediate needs of runaway and homeless youth and their families, including emergency shelter, reunification when possible, food, clothing, counseling, and facilitating access to health care;
• The Transitional Living Program, which supports projects that provide long-term residential services to homeless youth ages 16 to 21 for up to 18 months; and
• The Street Outreach Program, which provides funds to private and nonprofit agencies performing outreach efforts designed to move youth off the streets.

Appropriations
For FY 2009, the Administration requested $113.3 million for these programs, including $43 million for Transitional Living Program (TLP), $53 million for Basic Centers (BC), and $17 million for Street Outreach. This figure would represent level funding from FY 2008. The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bill that also requested level funding. However, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, and Education has recommended a $3.2 million increase for these programs.

Reauthorization
The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act was up for reauthorization in 2008. Bipartisan bills were introduced in both the House and Senate. In the House, H. 5524, the Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act of 2008, was coauthored by Representatives Yarmuth (D-KY) and Biggert (R-IL). In the Senate, S. 2982, the Runaway and Homeless Youth Protection Act, was coauthored by Senators Leahy (D-VT) and Specter (R-PA). The House bill was passed in June 2008, and the Senate bill was passed in September 2008.

The following is a list of improvements made to the existing law that are in the legislation:

• Increased authorization levels to fund Basic Center Programs at $150 million and Street Outreach Programs at $30 million;
• Increases in the amounts given to states with small populations (increased from $50,000 to $100,000);
• Mandate to the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct an incidence study to get better data on the number of homeless youth nationally;
• Mandate to the Government Accounting Office to do a review of the Administration’s application and peer-review process;
• Increase in length of stay in shelter from 14 to 21 days and in the Transitional Housing Program from 18 months to 21 months;
• Mandate to HHS to complete "performance standards" for all RHY programs to create a floor of expectations and guidelines to programs;
• Requirement that HHS ensure that funded programs are implemented from a "positive youth development" perspective.

The legislation does not include language to have HHS applicants identify how their services (shelter, housing, or outreach) meet the need of special populations disproportionately impacted by youth homelessness, including youth of color; youth with disabilities; pregnant and parenting youth; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth. Additionally, the legislation does not call for research priorities to determine the efficacy and outcomes associated with youth housing models (host homes, scattered site, single-site, and foyer housing), which may assist community planners in targeting specific housing programs to youth with specific needs.

Latest News:
At the end of September, President Bush signed a stopgap funding measure into law. The legislation provides level funding from FY 2008 for most programs, including RHYA, through March 6, 2009. When Congress returns in early 2009, it will address appropriations for the remainder of FY 2009.

The FY 2009 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill awaits further action from the Senate and House until early next year.

A compromise version of S. 2982, the Runaway and Homeless Youth Protection Act, has been passed by both the House and Senate. President Bush signed the bill into law on October 8.