Fostering the Future Act
Officially: “Fostering the Future Act” Read the full text
What it does
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1Short title
This section would allow the Act to be called the Foster Youth Housing Opportunity Act.
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1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Foster Youth Housing Opportunity Act .
2Improving access to housing for foster youth
This section would amend section 477 of the Social Security Act, which sets rules for how states use federal funding, paid to them as an allotment, to serve youth who have experienced foster care. It would expand the purposes listed in subsection (a)(1) to include access to housing for youth age 18 or older. It would change subsection (a)(4) so that it covers current foster youth as well as former foster youth, instead of only former foster youth. It would update subsection (b)(2)(D) to say that the activity it requires can include working with public housing agencies that run federal housing programs serving foster youth under section 8(x)(2)(B) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 and that receive funding to partner with public child welfare agencies serving youth who have experienced foster care. It would change the 30 percent cap in subsection (b)(3)(B), which limits how much of a state's federal allotment can be spent on room and board: instead of capping that spending at not more than 30 percent for a single fiscal year, the cap would become an average of not more than 30 percent across the 5 fiscal years covered by the state's application. It would add a new paragraph, called 'Housing supportive services,' to subsection (d). Under that new paragraph, a state could use money from its allotment to provide supportive services that help eligible youth who experienced foster care obtain or keep suitable housing. An eligible youth is defined as someone who receives housing assistance under section 8(x) of the United States Housing Act of 1937. Supportive services could include basic life skills information and counseling on financial literacy, credit use, and money management; counseling on rental lease contracts and help obtaining rental insurance; and help paying for security deposits, utility connection fees, moving costs, and other costs of establishing tenancy. Money spent on these supportive services would not count as room-and-board spending for purposes of the 30 percent cap in subsection (b)(3)(B). Even though subsection (b)(3)(A)(ii) otherwise limits the age of youth a state can serve with these funds, a state could use its allotment to provide these supportive services to eligible youth who have not turned 26, in order to support their continued access to housing. Finally, this section would add access to housing to the list of topics covered in subsection (g)(1).
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2. Improving access to housing for foster youth Section 477 of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 677 ) is amended— (1) in subsection (a)(1)— (A) by striking and preventive and inserting preventive ; and (B) by inserting , and access to housing for youth age 18 or older before the semicolon; (2) in subsection (a)(4), by inserting current and before former ; (3) in subsection (b)(2)(D), by inserting , including by collaborating with public housing agencies that administer Federal housing programs serving foster youth under section 8(x)(2)(B) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 and receive funding to partner with public child welfare agencies to serve youth who have experienced foster care before the period; (4) in subsection (b)(3)(B), by striking not more than 30 percent of the amounts paid to the State from its allotment under subsection (c) for a fiscal year and inserting an average of not more than 30 percent of the amounts paid to the State from its allotment under subsection (c) for the 5 fiscal years covered by the application submitted by the State pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection ; (5) in subsection (d), by adding at the end the following: (6) Housing supportive services (A) In general A State may use amounts from its allotment under subsection (c) to provide supportive services to assist eligible youth who experienced foster care to obtain or retain suitable housing. (B) Definitions (i) Eligible youth In this subsection, the term eligible youth means an individual who receives assistance provided under section 8(x) of the United States Housing Act of 1937. (ii) Supportive services The term supportive services may include— (I) basic life skills information and counseling on financial literacy, use of credit, and money management; (II) counseling on rental lease contracts and assistance with rental insurance; and (III) assistance with security deposits, utility connection fees, moving costs, and other fees associated with establishing tenancy. (C) Exception Expenditures in accordance with this paragraph shall not be considered expenditures for room and board for purposes of subsection (b)(3)(B). (D) Aligning age eligibility Notwithstanding subsection (b)(3)(A)(ii), a State may use funds from its allotment under subsection (c) to provide supportive services to eligible youth who have not attained 26 years of age for the purpose of supporting continued access to housing. ; and (6) in subsection (g)(1), by inserting access to housing, before and personal .
3Joint agency guidance
This section would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to jointly develop and issue guidance, within 1 year after this Act becomes law, to state public child welfare agencies and public housing authorities. The guidance would aim to improve how housing supportive services provided under section 477 of the Social Security Act line up and coordinate with housing assistance provided under section 8(x) of the United States Housing Act of 1937. The guidance would have to include a clarification and alignment of federal policies to improve access to housing for youth who have experienced foster care, including youth in independent living arrangements while in extended foster care; guidance on how states can use section 477 funds for supportive services, as defined in the new subsection (d)(6) of that section, to improve access to housing programs run by the Department of Housing and Urban Development; best practices for building partnerships between public child welfare agencies and public housing authorities, including ways to improve access to the supportive services; and any additional information the two Secretaries consider necessary to coordinate federal programs serving current and former foster youth. The Secretary of Health and Human Services would have to designate an official at the Department of Health and Human Services to lead development of the joint guidance, working together with the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
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3. Joint agency guidance (a) In general Within 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, shall develop and issue joint guidance to State public child welfare agencies and public housing authorities to improve alignment and coordination of housing supportive services provided under section 477 of the Social Security Act and housing assistance provided under section 8(x) of the United States Housing Act of 1937. (b) Contents The joint guidance shall include the following: (1) Clarification and alignment of Federal policies to improve access to housing for youth who have experienced foster care, including youth who are in independent living arrangements while in extended foster care. (2) Guidance on State use of funds provided under section 477 of the Social Security Act for supportive services (as defined in subsection (d)(6) of such section) to improve access to housing programs administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. (3) Best practices for building partnerships between public child welfare agencies and public housing authorities, including ways to improve access to the supportive services. (4) Additional information the Secretaries deem necessary to effectively coordinate Federal programs serving current and former foster youth. (c) Production The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall designate an official of the Department of Health and Human Services to lead development of the joint guidance in collaboration with the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
4Report to Congress
This section would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, to submit a report within 3 years after this Act becomes law. The report would go to the House Committee on Ways and Means, the House Committee on Financial Services, the Senate Committee on Finance, and the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. The report would have to include aggregate data on the number of eligible youth who have experienced foster care and are receiving federal housing assistance; a description of the outcomes for those youth, including how well they are able to access stable housing and their rates of homelessness; the findings from any evaluations of state programs conducted under section 477(g)(1) of the Social Security Act; and statutory recommendations for improving coordination between public child welfare agencies and federal housing programs.
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4. Report to Congress Within 3 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall submit to the Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Finance and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate a report that sets forth— (1) aggregate data on the number of eligible youth who have experienced foster care who are receiving Federal housing assistance; (2) a description of the outcomes for the youth, including the extent to which youth are able to access stable housing and rates of homelessness; (3) the findings from any evaluations of State programs conducted pursuant to section 477(g)(1) of the Social Security Act; and (4) statutory recommendations for improving coordination between public child welfare agencies and Federal housing programs.
5Effective date
This section states that the Act and the changes it makes would take effect 1 year after the date the Act becomes law.
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5. Effective date This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall take effect on the date that is 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act.
Where it is
In the House.