FYI VOUCHERS FOR THE FOSTER YOUTH TO INDEPENDENCE INITIATIVE​
     
    The Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) initiative makes Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) assistance available to Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) in partnership with Public Child Welfare Agencies (PCWAs).  Under FYI, PHAs provide housing assistance on behalf of:

     

    Youth at least 18 years and not more than 24 years of age (have not reached their 25th birthday) who left foster care, 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, and are homeless or are at risk of becoming homeless at age 16 or older.

    As required by statute, an FYI voucher issued to such a youth may only be used to provide housing assistance for the youth for a maximum of 36 months unless the youth meets the requirements to receive an extension of assistance under the Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities (FSHO) amendments. FSHO provides an FYI youth an extension of the 36-month time limit for up to an additional 24 months if they meet certain requirements.

    In addition to providing up to 36 months of rental assistance, the PCWA must provide or secure the youth supportive services to assist the young person on their path to self-sufficiency.


    Individual Seeking Assistance 

    If you are an individual seeking housing assistance, please reach out to your local HUD office and public housing agency (PHA) to learn more about the housing resources and opportunities within your community. For further information on how to locate the nearest HUD office and PHA, please click on the following link: https://resources.hud.gov/. Individual requests for housing assistance should NOT be sent to FYI@hud.gov

    For community resources such as shelters, food pantries, health clinics and clothing, please access HUD's new tool: https://www.hud.gov/findshelter.

    • FYI One-Pager is a flyer to help spread awareness of the FYI program.
    • (New) Source of Income Protections website is a new website that helps individuals and families better understand source of income discrimination. There are also tips and resources for tenants and PHAs on what to do if source of income discrimination occurs, as well as strategies for how to reduce such discrimination.

    Funding Opportunities

    HUD makes FYI available in two ways:

    1. Non-Competitive: PHAs may request assistance on a rolling basis under Notice PIH 2023-04. See the notice for an explanation of eligibility and application requirements.  

    2. Competitive: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issues this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to invite applications from eligible applicants for the program and purpose described within the NOFO. Prospective applicants should carefully read all instructions in all sections to avoid sending an incomplete or ineligible application. HUD funding is highly competitive. Failure to respond accurately to any submission requirement could result in an incomplete or noncompetitive proposal.

    (Closed) FYI Competitive NOFO-Fiscal Year 2024, Applications deadline: 6/17/2024.

     Access Link to FYI Competitive NOFO-Fiscal Year 2024 on Grants.gov.

    FYI Competitive NOFO-Fiscal Year 2024 PowerPoint Training:

    FYI Competitive NOFO-Fiscal Year 2024 Training Presentation-April 16, 2024.

    FYI Competitive NOFO-Fiscal Year 2024 Slide Deck (PDF)

    FYI Competitive FAQs Document This document will be updated as questions come into the FYICompetitive@hud.gov mailbox.


    Prior FYI Competitive NOFOs


    FYI Resources
    Resources for PHAs Requesting Voucher via FYI Non-Competitive Process:
     
    Notice PIH 2023-04: Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) Initiative presents a new method to request FYI vouchers under the Non-Competitive process and exceptions available to PHAs regarding the utilization requirement.

    If you have questions regarding Notice PIH 2021-26 first check HUD’s responses to frequently asked questions here: FYI FAQs (updated 10.25.24). If your question has not been answered in the FAQ, you may email your question to FYI@hud.gov.

    • Summary of Changes in FYI Non-Competitive This document explains the changes between the three prior PIH Notices: PIH Notice 2019-20, PIH Notice 2020-28, PIH Notice 2021-26.  
    • FYI Vouchers Sample Email Request for Assistance  This is the sample request email PHAs used to submit their FYI requests under the prior notice: Notice PIH 2021-26. This method is now inactive. Please use the FYI Form to submit your agency's requests for FYI vouchers...only PHAs may submit a request.

    General FYI Resources

    Click here for Additional Resources

     

     

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    Contact Us 

    If your question has not been answered in the FAQ, you may email your question to FYI@hud.gov


    FYI-FUP-Y Convenings Placeholder (Materials Forthcoming)


    PHAs Administering FYI Vouchers (Effective Date on or before 04/30/2024) This spreadsheet is updated periodically.