(1) REQUIREMENTS.—Each public housing 
agency administering rental assistance provided pur-
suant to this section shall ensure that— 
(A) support services described in para-
graph (2) are made available to each youth and 
young adult provided such rental assistance by 
the administering agency, which may be 
accessed by such youth or young adult at any 
time; and 
(B) each such youth and young adult is 
provided clear information on how to access 
such services and the purposes, benefits, and 
any limitations involved with accessing such 
services. 
(2) INCLUDED SERVICES.—The support services 
described in this paragraph are as follows: 
(A) Any services otherwise made available 
by the public housing agency to families pro-
vided rental assistance under section 8(o) of the 
United States Housing Act of 1937. 
(B) Services as the Secretary shall provide 
relating to housing navigation, job-skill train-
ing, assistance for pursuing higher education, 
relevant legal and tenant protection services, as-
sistance in applying for other federally funded 
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programs, and safety planning and services ap-
propriate to address potential vulnerabilities 
and safety concerns of youths and young adults, 
including migrant youths and young adults. 
(3) AVAILABILITY.—This subsection may not be 
construed to require any youth or young adult pro-
vided rental assistance under this section to access 
or use such services. 
(e) HOUSING CHOICE.—The Secretary shall take 
such actions as necessary to ensure that the choice of a 
dwelling unit to be rented using assistance provided pursu-
ant to this section shall be at the sole discretion of the 
assisted household and may be based upon such standards 
and factors as such household considers appropriate, in-
cluding— 
(1) geographical considerations, including those 
affected by family or cultural factors; 
(2) cost of living; 
(3) access to grocery stores, healthcare, trans-
portation, or any need; 
(4) preference for individual or shared housing; 
and 
(5) any other considerations of importance to 
the household. 
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(f) MEDIATION; APPEAL.—The Secretary shall re-
quire each public housing agency administering rental as-
sistance made available pursuant to this section to make 
available to households assisted under this section— 
(1) an ombudsman to mediate any issues, in-
cluding claims of discrimination, arising between the 
assisted household and the landlord of the dwelling 
unit rented by such household using such assistance; 
and 
(2) an appeal process for such assisted house-
holds to challenge any adverse decisions under the 
mediation process under paragraph (1). 
(g) IMMIGRATION STATUS.—Eligibility for assistance 
made available pursuant to this section may not be limited 
based on citizenship, immigration, or migratory status in 
any manner that is inconsistent with eligibility require-
ments otherwise applicable to assistance under section 
8(o) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 
1437f(o)) for households who are not youths or young 
adults. 
(h) PRIVACY.—The Secretary shall take such actions 
as may be necessary to protect the privacy and confiden-
tiality of households assisted pursuant to this section. 
(i) STUDIES
AND REPORTS.—In conducting any 
study or issuing any report relating to carrying out this 
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Act, including the studies and reports under subsections 
(a)(4)(D) and (b), the Secretary shall ensure the appoint-
ment or inclusion of homeless youth and young adults. 
SEC. 5. PROMOTING SELF-SUFFICIENCY. 
For fiscal year 2026 and each fiscal year there after, 
the Secretary may— 
(1) increase the amount provided as administra-
tive fees under section 23(h)(1) of the United States 
Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437u(h)(1)) for 
any public housing agency that meets such stand-
ards as the Secretary shall establish to assist and 
encourage— 
(A) coordinating the use of assistance 
under section 8(o) of such Act, including assist-
ance pursuant to section 4 of this Act, for par-
ticipation of youths and young adults, including 
youths and young adults who are single, par-
enting, or aging out of foster care or other 
youth-serving systems, in the family self-suffi-
ciency program under such section 23; and 
(B) voluntary participation of landlords in 
such self-sufficiency program to house youths 
and young adults holding vouchers for assist-
ance under section 8(o) without discrimination 
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based on credit history, income, criminal or 
legal history, or migratory status; and 
(2) provide incentive awards under section 23(i) 
for public housing agencies who willingly participate 
in coordinating the use of assistance under section 
8(o) for participation of youths and young adults in 
the family self-sufficiency program. 
SEC. 6. ENFORCEMENT OF HOUSING QUALITY STANDARDS. 
The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 
shall issue any regulations necessary to carry out subpara-
graph (G) of section 8(o)(8) of the United States Housing 
Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(8)(G)) not later than 
the expiration of the 12-month period beginning upon the 
date of the enactment of this Act. Such regulations shall 
take effect not later than the expiration of the 90-day pe-
riod beginning upon such issuance. 
SEC. 7. SCREENING OF APPLICANTS. 
Subparagraph (B) of section 8(o)(6) of the United 
States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(6)(B)) 
is amended by inserting after the period at the end of the 
second sentence the following: ‘‘A public housing agency’s 
elective screening shall be limited to criteria that are di-
rectly related to an applicant’s ability to fulfill the obliga-
tions of an assisted lease and shall consider mitigating cir-
cumstances related to such applicant, including discrimi-
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nations against income, credit history, parental status, 
marital status, migratory status, or age. Any applicant or 
participant determined to be ineligible for admission or 
continued participation to the program shall be notified 
of the basis for such determination and provide, within 
a reasonable time after the determination, an opportunity 
for an informal hearing on such determination at which 
mitigating circumstances, including remedial conduct sub-
sequent to the notice, shall be considered.’’. 
SEC. 8. ACCESS TO HUD PROGRAMS FOR PERSONS WITH 
LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY. 
(a) HUD RESPONSIBILITIES.—To allow the Depart-
ment of Housing and Urban Development to better serve 
persons with limited proficiency in the English language 
by providing technical assistance to recipients of Federal 
funds, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 
shall take the following actions: 
(1) TASK FORCE.—Within 90 days after the en-
actment of this Act, convene a task force comprised 
of appropriate industry groups, recipients of funds 
from the Department of Housing and Urban Devel-
opment (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Depart-
ment’’), community-based organizations that serve 
individuals with limited English proficiency, civil 
rights groups, and stakeholders, which shall identify 
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a list of vital documents, including Department and 
certain property and other documents, to be com-
petently translated to improve access to federally 
conducted and federally assisted programs and ac-
tivities for individuals with limited English pro-
ficiency. The task force shall meet not less fre-
quently than twice per year. 
(2) TRANSLATIONS.—Within 6 months after 
identification of documents pursuant to paragraph 
(1), produce translations of the documents identified 
in all necessary languages and make such trans-
lations available as part of the library of forms avail-
able on the website of the Department and as part 
of the clearinghouse developed pursuant to para-
graph (4). 
(3) PLAN.—Develop and carry out a plan that 
includes providing resources of the Department to 
assist recipients of the Federal funds to improve ac-
cess to programs and activities for individuals with 
limited English proficiency, which plan shall include 
the elements described in paragraph (4). 
(4) HOUSING
INFORMATION
RESOURCE
CEN-
TER.—Develop and maintain a housing information 
resource center to facilitate the provision of lan-
guage services by providers of housing services to in-
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dividuals with limited English proficiency. Informa-
tion provided by such center shall be made available 
in printed form and through the Internet. The re-
sources provided by the center shall include the fol-
lowing: 
(A) TRANSLATION
OF
WRITTEN
MATE-
RIALS.—The center may provide, directly or 
through contract, vital documents from com-
petent translation services for providers of 
housing services. 
(B) TOLL-FREE CUSTOMER SERVICE TELE-
PHONE NUMBER.—The center shall provide a 
24-hour toll-free interpretation service tele-
phone line, by which recipients of funds of the 
Department 
and 
individuals 
with 
limited 
English proficiency may— 
(i) obtain information about federally 
conducted or federally assisted housing 
programs of the Department; 
(ii) obtain assistance with applying for 
or accessing such housing programs and 
understanding Federal notices written in 
English; and 
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(iii) communicate with housing pro-
viders and learn how to access additional 
language services. 
The toll-free telephone service provided pursu-
ant to this subparagraph shall supplement re-
sources in the community identified by the plan 
developed pursuant to paragraph (3). 
(C) DOCUMENT
CLEARINGHOUSE.—The 
center shall collect and evaluate for accuracy or 
develop, and make available, templates and doc-
uments that are necessary for consumers, rel-
evant industry representatives, and other stake-
holders of the Department, to access, make 
educated decisions, and communicate effectively 
about their housing, including— 
(i) administrative and property docu-
ments; 
(ii) legally binding documents; 
(iii) consumer education and outreach 
materials; 
(iv) documents regarding rights and 
responsibilities of any party; and 
(v) remedies available to consumers. 
(D) STUDY
OF
LANGUAGE
ASSISTANCE 
PROGRAMS.—The center shall conduct a study 
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that evaluates best-practice models for all pro-
grams of the Department that promote lan-
guage assistance and strategies to improve lan-
guage services for individuals with limited 
English proficiency. Not later than 18 months 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
center shall submit a report to the Committee 
on Financial Services of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Banking, 
Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate, 
which shall provide recommendations for imple-
mentation, specific to programs of the Depart-
ment, and information and templates that could 
be made available to all recipients of grants 
from the Department. 
(E) CULTURAL
AND
LINGUISTIC
COM-
PETENCE
MATERIALS.—The center shall pro-
vide information relating to culturally and lin-
guistically competent housing services for popu-
lations with limited English proficiency. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than the expiration of the 
6-month period beginning on the date of the enactment 
of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of 
Housing and Urban Development shall submit a report 
regarding its compliance with the requirements under sub-
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