Sec. 101. Family unification program
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Section 8(x) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 ( 42 U.S.C. 1437f(x) ) is amended— in the subsection heading, by inserting after Preservation and ; Family by amending paragraph
(2)to read as follows: The amounts made available under this subsection shall be used to provide tenant-based or project-based assistance under section 8 on behalf of— any family— who is otherwise eligible for such assistance; who the public child welfare agency for the jurisdiction has certified is a family that is lacking adequate housing or is homeless; and who has a child or children in out-of-home care or is at risk of having a child or children placed in out-of-home care; and except as a provided in subparagraph (B), for a period not to exceed 36 months, otherwise eligible youths who have attained at least 18 years of age and not more than 24 years of age and who— have left foster care at age 14 or older; or will leave foster care within 90 days (in accordance with a transition plan described in section 475(5)(H) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 675(5)(H) ) and is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. If an applicant enrolls an eligible youth in a program authorized under section 23, the applicant may extend the 36-month period described in subparagraph (A)(ii) in accordance with the length of the contract of participation for that eligible youth under section 23(c)(3). Amounts made available under this subsection shall be used to provide assistance to families and eligible youths described in subparagraph
(A)in the geographic area served by an applicant. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to preclude or limit the ability of an eligible youth described in subparagraph (A)(ii) who receives assistance under this subsection to receive assistance under section 477 of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 677 ). ; by redesignating paragraph
(4)as paragraph (7); and by striking paragraph
(3)and inserting the following: The Secretary shall allocate amounts made available under this subsection through a national competition among applicants that— partner with public child welfare agencies; and demonstrate a need for assistance based on the number of families and eligible youths described in paragraph (2)(A) in the geographical area served by the applicant. An applicant desiring amounts made available under this subsection shall submit to the Secretary an application containing— a memorandum of understanding between the applicant and the public child welfare agency with which the applicant is partnering (hereinafter referred to as the partnering public child welfare agency ), which shall include— the number of such families and eligible youths who, as of the date of the application, are receiving assistance under this subsection; the joint selection criteria and strategy established by the applicant and the partnering public child welfare agency for identifying and prioritizing recipients of assistance under this subsection; for an applicant who will serve eligible youths, a description of how the partnering public child welfare agency will coordinate with the applicant to ensure that, as part of the transition plan described in section 475(5)(H) of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 675(5)(H) ), the eligible youth does not experience a lapse in housing and receives appropriate prehousing counseling to assist with housing stability; a description of how the partnering public child welfare agency and the applicant will assess outcomes associated with family preservation and reunification or assisting eligible youths transitioning to adulthood for recipients of assistance under this subsection, which outcomes may include— educational improvements for children; economic improvement for adults and youth; improved housing stability; increased access to areas of opportunity; or reduction of case load at the partnering public child welfare agency; an identification of resources that will be available to recipients of assistance under this subsection to assist with housing searches, including in areas of opportunity, such as identification of landlords, deposit or renters insurance, help with back rent, security deposits, or other upfront costs associated with securing a dwelling unit; a description of the voluntary supportive services that will be provided to recipients of assistance under this subsection for a minimum of 1 year following the date on which the lease for the applicable dwelling unit begins; and if any of the supportive services described in subclause
(VI)are being provided by a third-party, community-based organization, a signed letter of agreement between the applicant and the partnering public child welfare agency that— contains a description of the supportive services to be provided; and demonstrates the expertise of the third-party, community-based organization providing those supportive services to recipients of assistance under this subsection; a description of how the applicant and the partnering public child welfare agency will coordinate with, and evidence of consultation with, the local Continuum of Care (as established under section 422 of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act ( 42 U.S.C. 11382 )) or other local providers serving eligible youths or families to identify potential recipients for assistance under this subsection; and any other criteria established by the Secretary in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services that are necessary to promote family unification and preservation, reduce unnecessary foster care placement, decrease youth homelessness, and ensure effective administration of this subsection. The Secretary may consult with the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish the timing of submissions and other application requirements, including joint requirements, for an application submitted under this subsection and the application required under section 437A of the Social Security Act. The Secretary shall consult with the Secretary of Health and Human Services to identify programs of agencies at the Department of Health and Human Services and the resources available through those agencies to provide supportive services to recipients of assistance under this subsection. Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary and the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall provide guidance to public child welfare agencies and public housing agencies to improve system coordination and implementation of assistance provided under this subsection, which shall include guidance on— identification of programs and resources available to provide supportive services for recipients of assistance under this subsection; sharing data and tracking outcomes; targeting and identifying potential recipients of assistance under this subsection, including those at greatest risk of continued child welfare involvement or long-term housing instability, and establishing a referral process; incorporating housing first strategies to assist families and eligible youths that are at greatest risk of long-term housing instability; and aligning systems goals to improve outcomes for recipients of assistance under this subsection, which improved outcomes may include— with respect to families receiving assistance under this subsection— reunification of children in out-of-home placement with their family; reduced foster care length of stay; or family preservation; and with respect to eligible youths receiving assistance under this subsection— enrollment in an educational or workforce training program; acquisition of a high school diploma or similar certification; reconnecting with family; or acquisition of skills necessary to make a successful transition to adulthood and secure stable housing. Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this paragraph, and every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary and the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall jointly submit to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and the Committee on Finance of the Senate and the Committee on Financial Services and the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives a report on assistance provided under this subsection, which shall include— the number of families and eligible youths receiving assistance under this subsection; the types of services made available to those recipients; the number of families preserved or unified; the impact on the case load at partnering public child welfare agencies; how the Secretary and the Secretary of Health and Human Services will assess outcomes, including outcomes associated with the intervention that may include educational improvements for children and economic improvement for adults and youth, for recipients of assistance under this subsection; recommendations for policy changes to better serve families and eligible youths; and best practices to improve collaboration between public housing agencies and public child welfare agencies in other communities. The Secretary may develop an incentive payment program under which the Secretary may provide incentive payments to public housing agencies that improve connections between recipients of assistance under this subsection with programs authorized under section 23, including— increasing enrollment of families and youth receiving assistance under this subsection; implementation of evidence-based practices for improving self-sufficiency; and improved successful completion of self-sufficiency programs for families and eligible youths receiving assistance under this subsection. The Secretary may provide incentive payments to public housing agencies under subparagraph
(A)as additional administrative fees or service coordinator funding. The Secretary shall evaluate the effectiveness of an incentive payment program developed under subparagraph (A). Of the amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to the Department of Housing and Urban Development in a given fiscal year to carry out this subsection, the Secretary shall use not more than $1,000,000 to provide research and technical assistance to improve the capacity of public housing agencies to serve recipients of assistance under this subsection, including by— promoting family stability; improving coordination with public child welfare agencies; and increasing the availability of self-sufficiency activities. To ensure that programmatic requirements and desired outcomes are being met, the Secretary shall coordinate with agencies at the Department of Health and Human Services to provide the research and technical assistance described in subparagraph (A). .
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