SLO Housing Authority gets federal money to help older foster youth
Money has been allocated to the City of San Luis Obispo Public Housing Authority (SLO Housing Authority) to help foster youth at risk of homelessness.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) granted $74,865 to the SLO Housing Authority to help foster youth, according to a news release from the agency.
This is a piece of the nearly $1 million that was awarded to public housing agencies across the country to help foster youth that are aging out of care but are at risk for housing instability or homelessness, according to the release.
“Every young person deserves the opportunity to live with housing stability,” said Danielle Bastarache, HUD deputy assistant secretary for Public Housing and Voucher Programs, in the news release. “HUD’s Foster Youth to Independence Initiative has made that a reality for hundreds of youth by helping to provide access to housing for those who are aging out of foster care. Our Department is pleased to provide additional funding to public housing agencies across the country so they can support more individuals as they lay the foundation for their future success.”
The SLO Housing Authority applied for the funding through the Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) program, said an agency spokesperson.
The FYI program makes housing choice vouchers available to public housing agencies through a public child welfare agency, according to the program website.
To be eligible for funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, public housing authorities had to meet a few requirements.
The release said housing authorities needed to administer a housing choice voucher program, partner with a public child welfare agency, accept children referred by the child welfare agency and determine that the foster youth are eligible for the housing choice voucher program.
The money is awarded to SLO Housing Authority for the youth they specifically indicated in their application, the spokesperson said. If the individual no longer needs the voucher, it can be used to assist another foster youth. If there are no other youth eligible to use the voucher, the money will be returned to HUD, according to the spokesperson.
This additional $1 million follows an allocation in September, when the agency awarded a total of $14 million to 18 public housing authorities to prevent homelessness among foster youth transitioning out of state care, the release said. The SLO Housing Authority did not receive funding in that batch.
The funding comes during a time where a shortage of foster families has made it more challenging to place foster youth, particularly older foster youth, in San Luis Obispo County homes.
The Tribune reached out to the San Luis Obispo County Department of Social Services and the SLO Housing Authority for comment but had not heard back as of Thursday evening.
