Title: Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act of 2019
Policy area: Housing and Community Development

Summary:
Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act of 2019
This bill requires public housing agencies (PHAs) that administer housing choice voucher programs to, in coordination with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, extend tenant-based assistance for youth aging out of foster care under specified circumstances. Under current law, public housing assistance is available for up to 36 months for low-income youth who are 18 to 24 years old, left foster care at age 16 or older (or will soon leave foster care), and are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
The bill requires PHAs to extend such housing assistance for up to 24 months (subject to available funds) for youth who are (1) employed; (2) enrolled in a workforce development program; (3) pursuing postsecondary education, high school diploma, or equivalent; or (4) participating in a family self-sufficiency program. Youth who (1) are parents (or have a dependent under age 6), (2) participating in an addiction recovery program, or (3) cannot comply due to a medical condition must receive extended housing assistance without meeting these requirements. Further, youth receiving extended housing assistance are eligible for available supportive services. PHAs also must connect such youth with other community resources and coordinate with local child welfare agencies to receive referrals for the housing assistance program.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4300 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4300

To provide Federal housing assistance on behalf of youths who are aging 
              out of foster care, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 12, 2019

     Ms. Dean (for herself, Mr. Turner, Ms. Bass, and Mr. Stivers) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide Federal housing assistance on behalf of youths who are aging 
              out of foster care, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Fostering Stable Housing 
Opportunities Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF FAMILY.

    Subparagraph (A) of section 3(b)(3) of the United States Housing 
Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)(3)(A)) is amended--
            (1) in the first sentence--
                    (A) by striking ``(v)'' and inserting ``(vi)''; and
                    (B) by inserting after ``tenant family,'' the 
                following: ``(v) a youth described in section 
                8(x)(2)(B)''; and
            (2) in the second sentence, by inserting ``or (vi)'' after 
        ``clause (v)''.

SEC. 3. HOUSING CHOICE VOUCHERS FOR FOSTERING STABLE HOUSING 
              OPPORTUNITIES.

    (a) Assistance for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care.--Section 8(x) of 
the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(x)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``subject to paragraph 
        (5),'' before ``(B)'';
            (2) in paragraph (3)--
                    (A) by striking ``(3) Allocation.--The'' and 
                inserting the following:
            ``(3) Allocation.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following new 
                subparagraph:
                    ``(B) Assistance for youth aging out of foster 
                care.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
                Secretary shall, subject only to the availability of 
                funds, allocate such assistance to any public housing 
                agencies that (i) administer assistance pursuant to 
                paragraph (2)(B), or seek to administer such 
                assistance, consistent with procedures established by 
                the Secretary, and (ii) have requested such assistance 
                so that they may provide timely assistance to eligible 
                youth.'';
            (3) by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph (6); and
            (4) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following new 
        paragraph:
            ``(5) Requirements for assistance for youth aging out of 
        foster care.--Assistance provided under this subsection for an 
        eligible youth pursuant to paragraph (2)(B) shall be subject to 
        the following requirements:
                    ``(A) Requirements to extend assistance.--
                            ``(i) Participation in family self-
                        sufficiency.--In the case of a public housing 
                        agency that is providing such assistance under 
                        this subsection on behalf of an eligible youth 
                        and that is carrying out a family self-
                        sufficiency program under section 23, the 
                        agency shall, subject only to the availability 
                        of such assistance, extend the provision of 
                        such assistance for up to 24 months beyond the 
                        period referred to in paragraph (2)(B), but 
                        only during such period that the youth is in 
                        compliance with the terms and conditions 
                        applicable under section 23 and the regulations 
                        implementing such section to a person 
                        participating in a family self-sufficiency 
                        program.
                            ``(ii) Education, workforce development, or 
                        employment.--In the case of a public housing 
                        agency that is providing such assistance under 
                        this subsection on behalf of an eligible youth 
                        and that is not carrying out a family self-
                        sufficiency program under section 23, the 
                        agency shall, subject only to the availability 
                        of such assistance, extend the provision of 
                        such assistance for two successive 12-month 
                        periods, after the period referred to in 
                        paragraph (2)(B), but only if during the entire 
                        12-month period preceding each such extension 
                        the youth was--
                                    ``(I) engaged in obtaining a 
                                recognized postsecondary credential or 
                                a secondary school diploma or its 
                                recognized equivalent;
                                    ``(II) enrolled in an institution 
                                of higher education, as such term is 
                                defined in section 101(a) of the Higher 
                                Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
                                1001(a)) and including the institutions 
                                described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) 
                                of section 102(a)(1) of such Act (20 
                                U.S.C. 1002(a)(1)); or
                                    ``(III) participating in a career 
                                pathway, as such term is defined in 
                                section 3 of the Workforce Innovation 
                                and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
                        Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
                        clause, a public housing agency shall consider 
                        employment as satisfying the requirements under 
                        this subparagraph.
                            ``(iii) Exceptions.--Notwithstanding 
                        clauses (i) and (ii), a public housing agency 
                        that is providing such assistance under this 
                        subsection on behalf of an eligible youth shall 
                        extend the provision of such assistance for up 
                        to 24 months beyond the period referred to in 
                        paragraph (2)(B), and clauses (i) and (ii) of 
                        this subparagraph shall not apply, if the 
                        eligible youth is--
                                    ``(I) a parent or other household 
                                member responsible for the care of a 
                                dependent child under the age of 6 or 
                                for the care of an incapacitated 
                                person;
                                    ``(II) a person who is regularly 
                                and actively participating in a drug 
                                addiction or alcohol treatment and 
                                rehabilitation program; or
                                    ``(III) a person who is incapable 
                                of complying with the requirement under 
                                clause (i) or (ii), as applicable, due 
                                to a documented medical condition.
                            ``(iv) Verification of compliance.--The 
                        Secretary shall require the public housing 
                        agency to verify compliance with the 
                        requirements under this subparagraph by each 
                        eligible youth on whose behalf the agency 
                        provides such assistance under this subsection 
                        on an annual basis in conjunction with reviews 
                        of income for purposes of determining income 
                        eligibility for such assistance.
                    ``(B) Supportive services.--
                            ``(i) Eligibility.--Each eligible youth on 
                        whose behalf such assistance under this 
                        subsection is provided shall be eligible for 
                        any supportive services (as such term is 
                        defined in section 103 of the Workforce 
                        Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 
                        3102)) made available, in connection with any 
                        housing assistance program of the agency, by or 
                        through the public housing agency providing 
                        such assistance.
                            ``(ii) Information.--Upon the initial 
                        provision of such assistance under this 
                        subsection on behalf of any eligible youth, the 
                        public housing agency shall inform such 
                        eligible youth of the existence of any programs 
                        or services referred to in clause (i) and of 
                        their eligibility for such programs and 
                        services.
                    ``(C) Applicability to moving to work agencies.--
                Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
                requirements of this paragraph shall apply to 
                assistance under this subsection pursuant to paragraph 
                (2)(B) made available by each public housing agency 
                participating in the Moving to Work Program under 
                section 204 of the Departments of Veterans Affairs and 
                Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies 
                Appropriations Act, 1996 (42 U.S.C. 1437f note), except 
                that in lieu of compliance with clause (i) or (ii) of 
                subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, such an agency may 
                comply with the requirements under such clauses by 
                complying with such terms, conditions, and requirements 
                as may be established by the agency for persons on 
                whose behalf such rental assistance under this 
                subsection is provided.
                    ``(D) Termination of vouchers upon turn-over.--A 
                public housing agency shall not reissue any such 
                assistance made available from appropriated funds when 
                assistance for the youth initially assisted is 
                terminated, unless specifically authorized by the 
                Secretary.
                    ``(E) Reports.--The Secretary shall require each 
                public housing agency that provides such assistance 
                under this subsection in any fiscal year to submit a 
                report to the Secretary for such fiscal year that--
                            ``(i) specifies the number of persons on 
                        whose behalf such assistance under this 
                        subsection was provided during such fiscal 
                        year;
                            ``(ii) specifies the number of persons who 
                        applied during such fiscal year for such 
                        assistance under this subsection, but were not 
                        provided such assistance, and provides a brief 
                        identification in each instance of the reason 
                        why the public housing agency was unable to 
                        award such assistance; and
                            ``(iii) describes how the public housing 
                        agency communicated or collaborated with public 
                        child welfare agencies to collect such data.
                    ``(F) Consultation.--The Secretary shall consult 
                with the Secretary of Health and Human Services to 
                provide such information and guidance to the Secretary 
                of Health and Human Services as may be necessary to 
                facilitate such Secretary in informing States and 
                public child welfare agencies on how to correctly and 
                efficiently implement and comply with the requirements 
                of this subsection relating to assistance provided 
                pursuant to paragraph (2)(B).''.
    (b) Coordination Between PHAs and Public Child Welfare Agencies.--
            (1) Applicability to fostering stable housing opportunities 
        program.--Subparagraph (A) of section 8(x)(4) of the United 
        States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(x)(4)(A)) is 
        amended by inserting before the semicolon at the end the 
        following: ``and establishing a point of contact at public 
        housing agencies to ensure that public housing agencies receive 
        appropriate referrals regarding eligible recipients''.
    (c) PHA Administrative Fees.--Subsection (q) of section 8 of the 
United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(q)) is amended by 
adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(4) Supplements for administering assistance for youth 
        aging out of foster care.--If a public housing agency has 
        established a residency requirement pursuant to subsection 
        (r)(1)(B)(i), the Secretary may provide supplemental fees under 
        this subsection to the agency for the cost of administering any 
        assistance for foster youth under subsection (x)(2)(B), in an 
        amount determined by the Secretary, but only if the agency 
        waives the residency requirement for such eligible youth 
        receiving assistance.''.
    (d) PHA Plans.--Subsection (d) of section 5A of the United States 
Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437c-1(d)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (19) as paragraph (20); and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (18) the following new 
        paragraph:
            ``(19) Fostering stable housing opportunities.--For any 
        public housing agency that will provide rental assistance 
        pursuant section 8(x)(2)(B) during such fiscal year--
                    ``(A) a statement describing how the agency will 
                connect assisted youths with local community resources 
                and self-sufficiency services and obtain referrals from 
                public child welfare agencies regarding youths in 
                foster care who become eligible for such assistance; 
                and
                    ``(B) if the agency is requesting supplemental 
                administrative fees pursuant to section 8(q)(4) and has 
                established a residency requirement pursuant to 
                subsection (r)(1)(B)(i), assurances satisfactory to the 
                Secretary that the agency will waive the residency 
                requirement for eligible youth receiving such 
                assistance as required by such section 8(q)(4).''.

SEC. 4. EXCEPTIONS TO LIMITATIONS FOR PROJECT-BASED VOUCHER ASSISTANCE.

    (a) Percentage Limitation.--The first sentence of clause (ii) of 
section 8(o)(13)(B) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 
1437f(o)(13)(B)(ii)) is amended by inserting before ``or that'' the 
following: ``that house eligible youths receiving assistance pursuant 
to section 8(x)(2)(B),''.
    (b) Income-Mixing Requirement.--Subclause (I) of section 
8(o)(13)(D)(ii) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 
1437f(o)(13)(D)(ii)(I)) is amended by inserting after ``elderly 
families'' the following: ``, to eligible youths receiving assistance 
pursuant to section 8(x)(2)(B),''.
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