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 are (1) parents (or have a dependent under age 6), (2) participating in an addiction recovery program, or (3) unable to 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 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]
[S. 2803 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2803

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            November 6, 2019

Mr. Brown (for himself and Mr. Grassley) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, 
                           and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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),'' after ``(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, (ii) have requested such assistance so 
                that they may provide timely assistance to eligible 
                youth, and (iii) have submitted to the Secretary a 
                statement describing how the agency will connect 
                assisted youths with local community resources and 
                self-sufficiency services, to the extent they are 
                available, and obtain referrals from public child 
                welfare agencies regarding youths in foster care who 
                become eligible for such assistance.'';
            (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, or is 
                        carrying out such a program in which the youth 
                        has been unable to enroll, 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 for not less than 9 months 
                        of the 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 certifies that he or she 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.--
                            ``(i) In general.--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.
                            ``(ii) Information collections.--The 
                        Secretary shall, to the greatest extent 
                        possible, utilize existing information 
                        collections, including the Voucher Management 
                        System (VMS), the Inventory Management System/
                        PIH Information Center (IMS/PIC), or the 
                        successors of those systems, to collect 
                        information required under this subparagraph.
                    ``(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:
            ``(5) Supplements for administering assistance for youth 
        aging out of foster care.--The Secretary may provide 
        supplemental fees under this subsection to the public housing 
        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 for such eligible 
        youth receiving assistance any residency requirement that it 
        has otherwise established pursuant to subsection 
        (r)(1)(B)(i).''.

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 subsection (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 subsection (x)(2)(B),''.

SEC. 5. APPLICABILITY.

    The amendments made by this Act shall not apply to housing choice 
voucher assistance made available pursuant to section 8(x) of the 
United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(x)) that is in use 
on behalf of an assisted family as of the date of the enactment of this 
Act.
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