(B) by inserting ‘‘and runaway youth. The 
Secretary shall award such grants not later 
than 90 days before the start date of the grant 
and establish an appeal process for grantees’’ 
after ‘‘homeless youth’’; and 
(2) in section 322— 
(A) in subsection (a)— 
(i) by striking paragraph (1) and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(1) to provide to homeless youth, by grant, 
agreement, or contract— 
‘‘(A) shelter, such as group homes, mater-
nity group homes, host family homes, and su-
pervised apartments; and 
‘‘(B) services, such as information and 
counseling services in basic life skills, which 
consider the age, gender, and social and devel-
opmental needs of such youth, and are cul-
turally and linguistically appropriate, including 
topics on money management, budgeting, con-
sumer education, use of credit, parenting skills, 
interpersonal skill building, educational ad-
vancement, job attainment skills, mental and 
physical health care, and suicide prevention 
services;’’; 
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(ii) in paragraph (2), by inserting 
‘‘and runaway’’ after ‘‘to provide such 
shelter and such services to individual 
homeless’’; 
(iii) by striking paragraph (4) and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(4) that such shelter project used to carry out 
such project shall— 
‘‘(A) have a minimum project capacity of 
not fewer than 4 youth, except if there is an es-
tablished minimum number of beds per indi-
vidual shelter or project location; 
‘‘(B) have the capacity to accommodate 
not more than 20 individuals, excluding staff, 
within a single project, except where the appli-
cant demonstrates that the State where the 
project is located has a State or local law or 
regulation that allows a higher maximum to 
comply with licensure requirements for child 
and youth serving projects; and 
‘‘(C) if it is a mixed project, limit runaway 
and homeless youth shelter beds to 20 youth 
per project with segregated access and pro-
gramming, except where the applicant dem-
onstrates that the State where the project is lo-
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cated has a State or local law or regulation that 
allows a higher maximum to comply with licen-
sure requirements for child and youth serving 
projects;’’; 
(iv) by striking paragraphs (6), (7), 
(8), and (9), and inserting the following: 
‘‘(6) to develop a written transitional living plan 
in partnership with each youth based on an assess-
ment of the needs of each youth, designed to help 
the transition from supervised participation in such 
project to independent living or another appropriate 
living arrangement; 
‘‘(7) to develop an adequate plan to ensure 
proper coordination, integration, and referral of 
homeless youth and runaway youth, which considers 
the age, gender, and social and developmental needs 
of such youth, and are culturally and linguistically 
appropriate, to the extent practicable, to— 
‘‘(A) social service; 
‘‘(B) law enforcement; 
‘‘(C) educational training, including post-
secondary education; 
‘‘(D) vocational training, including services 
and programs for youth available under the 
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Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 
U.S.C. 3101 et seq.); 
‘‘(E) welfare, including programs amended 
under the Personal Responsibility and Work 
Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (Public 
Law 104–193); 
‘‘(F) legal service; 
‘‘(G) mental health service and health care 
programs; 
‘‘(H) substance use disorder treatment; 
and 
‘‘(I) programs providing wrap-around serv-
ices to victims of trafficking and gender-based 
violence; 
‘‘(8) to provide for the establishment of out-
reach programs designed to attract individuals who 
are eligible to participate in the project, which may 
include the use of online and social media engage-
ments; 
‘‘(9) to submit to the Secretary an annual re-
port that includes information regarding the activi-
ties carried out with funds under this part, the 
achievements of the project under this part carried 
out by the applicant and statistical summaries de-
scribing the number, characteristics, and demo-
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graphic information of the homeless youth and run-
away youth who participate in such project, includ-
ing the prevalence of trafficking of such youth, and 
the services provided to such youth by such project, 
in the year for which the report is submitted;’’; 
(v) in paragraph (15), by striking 
‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 
(vi) by striking paragraph (16) and 
inserting the following: 
‘‘(16) to develop an adequate emergency pre-
paredness and management plan regarding re-
sponses to natural disasters, inclement weather, and 
mental health emergencies; and’’; 
(vii) by redesignating paragraphs (3) 
through (5) and (6) through (16), as para-
graphs (5) through (7) and (9) through 
(19), respectively; 
(viii) by inserting after paragraph (2) 
the following: 
‘‘(3) to provide counseling to homeless and run-
away youth and to encourage, if appropriate, the in-
volvement in such counseling of their parents, legal 
guardians, or individuals identified by such youth as 
family; 
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‘‘(4) to provide aftercare services, if possible, to 
homeless and runaway youth who have received shel-
ter and services from a transitional living youth 
project, including, to the extent practicable, such 
youth who, after receiving such shelter and services, 
relocate to a geographic area or State other than the 
geographic area or State in which such project is lo-
cated;’’; 
(ix) by inserting after paragraph (7), 
as redesignated by clause (vii), the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(8) to develop a plan to provide services, which 
consider the age, gender, and social and develop-
mental needs of such youth, and are culturally and 
linguistically appropriate, that address the needs of 
runaway, homeless, and street youth;’’; 
(x) by adding at end the following: 
‘‘(20) to inform youth of their status as inde-
pendent students under section 480 of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087vv), provide 
verification of such status for the purposes of the 
Free Application for Federal Student Aid described 
in section 483 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1090), and assist the youth in com-
pleting this application at the request of the youth.’’; 
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(B) by striking subsection (b) and insert-
ing the following: 
‘‘(b) PRIORITY.—In selecting eligible applicants to re-
ceive grants under this part, the Secretary shall give pri-
ority to entities that have experience in providing to home-
less youth shelter and services of the types described in 
subsection (a)(1).’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(d) PRIORITY FOR HOMELESS YOUTH LESS THAN 
22 YEARS OF AGE.—An entity that receives a grant under 
this part— 
‘‘(1) shall, in carrying out activities under the 
grant, prioritize service to homeless youth who are 
less than 22 years of age, but not less than 15 years 
of age; and 
‘‘(2) may use grant funds to serve homeless 
youth who are ages 22 to less than 26.’’. 
SEC. 5. NATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM. 
Section 331 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act 
(34 U.S.C. 11231) is amended by inserting ‘‘, online, and 
social media’’ after ‘‘telephone’’. 
SEC. 6. COORDINATING, TRAINING, RESEARCH, AND OTHER 
ACTIVITIES. 
Part D of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (34 
U.S.C. 11241 et seq.) is amended— 
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(1) in section 341— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘safety, well-being,’’ after 
‘‘health,’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (2) by striking ‘‘other 
Federal entities’’ and inserting ‘‘the Depart-
ment of Housing and Urban Development, the 
Department of Education, the Department of 
Labor, and the Department of Justice’’; 
(2) in section 342— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘5-year’’ after ‘‘make’’; 
(B) by inserting ‘‘(including onsite and 
web-based techniques, such as on-demand and 
online learning)’’ after ‘‘training’’; and 
(C) by striking ‘‘carrying out’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘implementing in a trauma-informed man-
ner’’; 
(3) in section 343(b)— 
(A) in paragraph (5)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
‘‘abuse’’ and all that follows through the 
semicolon at the end and inserting ‘‘abuse, 
sexual assault, and trafficking;’’; 
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 
‘‘abuse’’ and all that follows through ‘‘; 
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and’’ and inserting ‘‘abuse, sexual assault, 
and trafficking;’’; 
(iii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 
‘‘who have been sexually victimized’’; and 
(iv) by adding at end the following: 
‘‘(D) best practices for identifying and pro-
viding services that consider the age, gender, 
and social and developmental background of an 
individual, and are culturally and linguistically 
appropriate, to the extent practicable, to— 
‘‘(i) vulnerable and underserved youth 
populations; and 
‘‘(ii) youth who are victims of traf-
ficking; and 
‘‘(E) informing youth of their status as 
independent students under section 480 of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1087vv), providing verification of such status 
for the purposes of the Free Application for 
Federal Student Aid described in section 483 of 
the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1090), and assisting youth in completing this 
application at the request of the youth;’’; 
(B) in paragraph (9), by striking ‘‘and’’ 
after the semicolon; 
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(C) in paragraph (10), by striking the pe-
riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(D) by adding at end the following: 
‘‘(11) examining the intersection between the 
runaway and homeless youth populations and traf-
ficking, including noting whether such youth who are 
victims of trafficking were previously involved in the 
child welfare system or juvenile justice system.’’; 
(4) 
in 
section 
344(a)(2)(A), 
by 
striking 
‘‘$100,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$200,000’’; and 
(5) in section 345— 
(A) in subsection (a)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘Not later than’’ and 
all that follows through ‘‘Homelessness’’ 
and inserting ‘‘Not later than 2 years after 
the date of enactment of the Runaway and 
Homeless Youth and Trafficking Preven-
tion Act of 2025, and at 3-year intervals 
thereafter, the Secretary, acting through 
the Associate Commissioner of the Family 
and Youth Services Bureau’’; 
(ii) in paragraph (1)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘13’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘12’’; and 
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(II) by striking ‘‘and’’ after the 
semicolon; 
(iii) in paragraph (2), by striking the 
period at the end and inserting a semi-
colon; and 
(iv) by adding at end the following: 
‘‘(3) that includes demographic information of 
such individuals, including youth who are victims of 
trafficking; and 
‘‘(4) that does not disclose the identity of any 
such individual.’’; and 
(B) in subsection (b)(1)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘13’’ and inserting 
‘‘12’’; 
(ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 
(iii) in subparagraph (B)— 
(I) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘; 
and’’ and inserting ‘‘, including men-
tal health services;’’; 
(II) in clause (iii), by striking 
‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; and 
(III) by adding at end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(iv) connections to caring adults; and 
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‘‘(v) access to secondary education, 
higher education, and job training; and’’; 
(iv) by redesignating subparagraph 
(B) as subparagraph (E); and 
(v) by inserting after subparagraph 
(A) the following: 
‘‘(B) incidences, if any, of such individuals 
who— 
‘‘(i) are victims of trafficking; 
‘‘(ii) are victims of sexual exploitation; 
or 
‘‘(iii) were involved in the child wel-
fare or foster care system; 
‘‘(C) demographic characteristics, including 
race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender 
identity (as defined in section 249(c) of title 18, 
United States Code), sexual orientation, and 
disability; 
‘‘(D) statistics on youth who are or were 
pregnant or parenting; and’’. 
SEC. 7. SEXUAL ABUSE AND TRAFFICKING PREVENTION 
PROGRAM; STREET OUTREACH PROGRAM. 
Part E of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (34 
U.S.C. 11261 et seq.) is amended by striking section 351 
and inserting the following: 
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‘‘SEC. 351. AUTHORITY TO MAKE GRANTS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall make 5-year 
grants to public and nonprofit private entities, and com-
binations of such entities, for the purpose of providing 
street-based services to runaway, homeless, and street 
youth who have been subjected to, or are at risk of being 
subjected to, sexual abuse or trafficking. The Secretary 
shall award such grants not later than 90 days before the 
start date of the grant and establish an appeal process 
for grantees. 
‘‘(b) PRIORITY.—In selecting applicants to receive 
grants under subsection (a), the Secretary shall give pri-
ority to public and nonprofit private entities that have ex-
perience in providing services to runaway, homeless, and 
street youth. 
‘‘(c) ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.—To be eligible to 
receive a grant under subsection (a), an applicant shall 
certify to the Secretary that such applicant has expertise 
in serving runaway, homeless, and street youth and has 
systems in place to ensure that such applicant can provide 
services that consider the age, gender, and social and de-
velopmental background of youth described in subsection 
(a), and are culturally and linguistically appropriate.’’. 
SEC. 8. GENERAL PROVISIONS. 
Part F of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (34 
U.S.C. 11271 et seq.) is amended— 
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(1) in the heading, by striking ‘‘PART F’’ and 
inserting ‘‘PART G’’; 
(2) in section 381— 
(A) in subsection (a)(3), by striking ‘‘facil-
ity’’ and inserting ‘‘center or project’’; and 
(B) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ‘‘facil-
ity’’ both places it appears and inserting ‘‘cen-
ter or project’’; 
(3) in section 382(a)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘2000’’ and inserting 
‘‘2026’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘the Workforce’’ and in-
serting ‘‘Workforce’’; 
(C) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) by redesignating subparagraphs 
(B) through (D) as subparagraphs (C) 
through (E), respectively; and 
(ii) by inserting after subparagraph 
(A) the following: 
‘‘(B) identifying youth who are victims of 
trafficking;’’; and 
(D) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) by striking subparagraph (A) and 
inserting the following: 
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‘‘(A) the number and characteristics of 
youth served by such projects, including such 
youth who— 
‘‘(i) are victims of trafficking; 
‘‘(ii) are pregnant or parenting; 
‘‘(iii) have been involved in the child 
welfare system; or 
‘‘(iv) have been involved in the juve-
nile or adult criminal justice system, the 
incarceration system, or legal proceedings 
related to such systems;’’; and 
(ii) by striking subparagraph (F) and 
inserting the following: 
‘‘(F) the ability of such projects to encour-
age the resolution of problems within the fam-
ily, including with individuals identified by such 
youth as family, through counseling and devel-
opment of self-sufficient living skills; and’’; 
(4) in section 383(a) by striking ‘‘facility’s 
budget’’ and inserting ‘‘budget of the center or 
project’’; 
(5) in section 384, by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: ‘‘Grantees are encouraged to share data with 
other programs and systems, without identifying in-
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dividual youth in any shared records, to improve co-
ordination and maximize the use of resources.’’; 
(6) by inserting after section 384 the following: 
‘‘SEC. 384A. ADMINISTRATION AND ENFORCEMENT. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 
the Associate Commissioner of the Family and Youth 
Services Bureau, may waive any provision under this title 
for a period of not more than 3 years, unless an extension 
is granted under subsection (f), if— 
‘‘(1) a potential grantee requests a waiver that 
describes 1 or more conflicting or duplicative re-
quirements or circumstances that prevent the effec-
tive delivery of services to runaway and homeless 
youth, such as an extraordinary circumstance, nat-
ural disaster, public health emergency, or financial 
crisis; 
‘‘(2) the Secretary determines that the waiver 
will, by itself, contribute to or enhance the ability of 
the grantee to carry out the purposes of this title; 
and 
‘‘(3) the Secretary determines that the waiver 
will not be inconsistent with the objectives of this 
title. 
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