Launched in 2016, HUD’s Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) has competitively awarded three rounds of funding to 43 communities who are working to create a systemic response to prevent and end youth homelessness. In 2021, HUD will release a new Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for up to 50 communities, including at least 8 rural sites, under YHDP.

HUD’s Office of Special Needs Assistance Programs (SNAPS) recognizes that preparing to apply for the YHDP NOFA requires dedicated leadership, youth with lived experience support, and local capacity to effectively plan and submit a competitive application. SNAPS is excited that for many communities—including those not awarded—that the process of planning is beneficial to accelerating, or in some communities kick-starting, local efforts to prevent and end homelessness for youth.

This digest contains recently published resources from SNAPS and its partners to provide tools that will help communities plan for and implement their youth homelessness systemic response.

New HUD SNAPS Resources

Spotlight Series: A series of short briefs outlining what YHDP communities have accomplished around specific topic areas.

• Leveraging YHDP Funding – Lessons Learned from Santa Cruz, CA
• Rural YHDP Applications – Lessons Learned from New Mexico
• Overcoming Rural Specific Obstacles
• Youth Action Board Pathways to Leadership
• Transitional Housing-Rapid Rehousing Joint Component Project

Webinar Series: Live and recorded webinars with accompanying tools.

• Youth Collaboration 102 Webinar
  • Youth Collaboration 102 Roadmap: Discusses funding, recruitment and retention, undoing adultism, and leadership from within.
     
• Youth Collaboration 201 Webinar
  • Youth Collaboration 201 Roadmap: Discusses equity in youth collaboration, Youth Action Board (YAB) governance best practices, YAB sustainability, and power sharing.
     
• Building Your Youth Planning Team Webinar
  • The Magic at the Table: A step-by-step planning guide.
     
• Building Blocks of a Youth System Webinar
  • YHDP Foundations and Beyond: Coordinated Community Plans: The key components and actions needed for the development of a strong youth homelessness response system.
     
• Partnering with YHDP Technical Assistance Webinar

Additional Products

• Introduction to Youth Specific Data
• COVID-19 Homeless System Response: Special Population Rehousing Strategy: Youth and Young Adults
• Indirect Cost Toolkit for CoC and ESG Programs
• Crosswalk of Key Federally-funded Child and Youth Homeless Contacts

New National Partner Resources

• The Gab on YABs: Community Fact Sheets
• National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE): Incorporating Education into Coordinated Community Responses to Youth and Young Adult Homelessness

Additional Webpages

Visit the following HUD Exchange pages:

• Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program
• Resources for Homeless Youth Service Providers
• YHDP Community Resources

SNAPS Mailing List Subscription

SNAPS is now using two different listservs to communicate competition and program updates:

• Subscribe to the HUD.gov listserv for information developed by HUD/SNAPS regarding the CoC program, ESG program, YHDP, Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs) developed by SNAPS, and any other information related to SNAPS programs and the work to end homelessness.
  • Sign up for SNAPS Competition Information
  • Sign up for SNAPS Program Information
     
• Subscribe to the HUD Exchange listserv for information and guidance produced by HUD technical assistance providers regarding SNAPS programs.
  • Sign up for HUD Exchange updates

HUD recommends SNAPS grantees and interested stakeholders remain subscribed to the HUD Exchange mailing list in addition to subscribing to the new HUD.gov mailing lists. Please communicate this information to your homeless organizations, local government contacts, and other interested stakeholders.