Preventing Youth Homelessness Demonstration Grant Program

(a) Program established; consultation (1) In general The Secretary shall establish a grant program, to be known as the Preventing Youth Homelessness Demonstration Grant Program (referred to in this section as the Program), under which the Secretary shall make grants to eligible entities to identify and implement strategies and services for covered individuals in order to prevent homelessness. (2) Consultation with other Federal agencies In establishing the Program under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— (A) consult with— (i) the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; (ii) the Executive Director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness; (iii) the Secretary of Education; (iv) the Attorney General; (v) the Secretary of the Interior; (vi) the Secretary of Agriculture; (vii) the Secretary of Labor; (viii) the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use of the Department of Health and Human Services; and (ix) the head of any other agency that the Secretary determines to be appropriate; and (B) ensure that the Program complements and enhances, and does not conflict with, other initiatives and programs that serve covered individuals. (b) Application An eligible entity desiring a grant under the Program shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including— (1) a coordinated community prevention plan that— (A) assesses the scale and scope of need for activities for the prevention of homelessness for covered individuals within the community that will be served by the eligible entity with grant funds; (B) outlines how the eligible entity will identify and support covered individuals who are most at-risk of homelessness in the community; and (C) outlines how grant funds will be used, in accordance with subsection (d), along with other funding sources, to implement targeted strategies that meet the needs of covered individuals; and (2) a description of how the eligible entity plans— (A) to establish cross-system partnerships with Federal, State, or local agencies for the prevention of homelessness for covered individuals and with other entities or organizations that serve youth in the community, such as— (i) a local educational agency; (ii) a public housing agency; (iii) a Continuum of Care; (iv) a housing provider; (v) a State, Tribal, or local child welfare agency; (vi) a behavioral health and substance use disorder provider; (vii) a delinquency prevention program; (viii) the juvenile court system; (ix) an organization that serves pregnant or parenting youth and their children; and (x) any other agency or organization with the capacity to identify risk factors for homelessness for covered individuals; and (B) deliver trauma-informed collaborative interventions to address the risk factors described in subparagraph (A)(x). (c) Award of grants (1) Factors considered in award of grants In selecting eligible entities to receive grants under the Program, the Secretary, to the maximum extent practicable, shall consider— (A) an eligible entity’s established partnerships with local stakeholders for the prevention of homelessness for covered individuals in order to deliver collaborative interventions; (B) the comparative geographic diversity of the applicant in relation to other eligible entities receiving grants under the Program; (C) the extent to which an applicant's proposed use of grant funds may duplicate or conflict with other programs; and (D) the opportunity to sustain and grow progress achieved through prior Federal investments in youth homelessness prevention, including progress achieved through a grant awarded under the Runaway and Homeless Youth Prevention Demonstration Program pursuant to section 343 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (34 U.S.C. 11243). (2) Grants reserved Each fiscal year, the Secretary shall award— (A) not less than 5 percent of the total amount of grant funding made available to carry out this section to 1 or more Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations; (B) not less than 10 percent of the total amount of grant funding made available to carry out this section to 1 or more eligible entities that serve a rural area; and (C) beginning with the third fiscal year of administering the Program, not less than 5 percent of the total amount of grant funding made available to carry out this section to 1 or more eligible entities that received a grant under section 4 in a previous fiscal year. (3) Award term; amount (A) In general The period of a grant awarded under the Program shall be 5 years. (B) Amount The amount of a grant awarded under the Program shall be not less than $3,000,000 and not greater than $7,500,000. (d) Use of funds (1) In general An eligible entity that receives a grant under the Program shall use the grant funds for the prevention of homelessness for covered individuals, which shall be carried out after consideration of recommendations of the Youth Homelessness Prevention Council established in accordance with paragraph (2), and shall include 1 or more of the following activities: (A) Primary prevention services to support covered individuals in crises, such as case management, physical and behavioral health services, employment support and job training, conflict resolution, educational programming, child care, supports for pregnant or parenting youth and young adults and their children, short-term housing, and direct financial assistance or material resources to help with achieving economic stability and overcoming housing instability. (B) Improvement of cross-system collaboration and collaboration among programs within the applicable community to better identify and serve covered individuals, such as the design of a comprehensive well-being service system for covered individuals before and during periods of crisis. (2) Youth Homelessness Prevention Council (A) Composition An eligible entity that receives a grant under the Program shall establish a Youth Homelessness Prevention Council, which shall be comprised— (i) primarily of youth and young adults— (I) who are experiencing homelessness; (II) who have experienced homelessness; or (III) who were prevented from experiencing homelessness due to a specific intervention; and (ii) of representatives from child welfare systems, local educational agencies, the youth justice system, or behavioral health providers. (B) Duties A Youth Homelessness Prevention Council established under subparagraph (A) shall be responsible for providing recommendations to the eligible entity about grant activities. (3) Time limitations With respect to a grant awarded to an eligible entity under the Program, the eligible entity— (A) except as provided in subparagraph (B), shall expend the grant amounts during the 3-year period beginning on the date on which the eligible entity is awarded the grant; and (B) during the 2-year period beginning on the date that is 3 years after the date on which the entity is awarded the grant, shall continue to measure and evaluate the activities supported with the grant. (e) Federal share (1) In general Except as provided in paragraph (2), the Federal share of any project for which the Secretary awards a grant under the Program shall not exceed 90 percent. (2) Exception The Secretary may grant a waiver with respect to the limitation on the Federal share of a project described in paragraph (1) if— (A) the applicant with respect to the project petitions the Secretary for the waiver; and (B) the Secretary determines that the petition described in subparagraph (A) demonstrates financial need. (f) Reporting and information requirements (1) Report Not later than 15 months after the date on which an eligible entity is awarded a grant under the Program, and annually thereafter for the duration of the grant period, the eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary a report that describes— (A) how the eligible entity used grant funds during the preceding 15-month or 1-year period, as applicable; (B) the measurement and evaluation of the activities carried out by the eligible entity with grant funds during such period; and (C) the progress of the eligible entity towards fulfilling the objectives for which the grant was awarded. (2) Additional requirements The Secretary may establish— (A) mechanisms to ensure appropriate use of, and compliance with respect to all terms regarding, grant funds awarded under the Program; and (B) additional reporting and information requirements for any recipient of a grant under the Program. (g) Administrative costs An eligible entity receiving a grant under the Program may use not greater than 10 percent of the amount of the grant for administrative costs in carrying out the activities described in subsection (d) and preparing and submitting a report under subsection (f)(1) (including relevant evaluation activities). (h) Supplement not supplant Funds made available to an eligible entity under the Program shall be used by the eligible entity to supplement, and not supplant, other Federal, State, Tribal, and local funds that would otherwise be used by the eligible entity to carry out activities described in this section. (i) Reservation of funds The Secretary may reserve not more than 10 percent of amounts made available for a fiscal year to carry out this section for the implementation and administration of the Program, which shall include— (1) providing technical support and assistance to eligible entities, including ensuring consistency in data collection and reporting; (2) providing assistance to eligible entities to prepare the applications of those eligible entities with respect to grants awarded under the Program; (3) developing the report required under section 5; and (4) conducting outreach to eligible entities regarding opportunities to apply for such a grant. (j) Authorization of appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section— (1) $85,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030; and (2) such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2031 and each fiscal year thereafter.