Expanding Housing Opportunities for Foster Youth Act of 2018

Bill: 115-hr-5833
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Waters, Maxine [D-CA-43]
Introduced: 2018-05-16
Policy area: Housing and Community Development
Subjects: Adoption and foster care

Appropriations

Family services

Low- and moderate-income housing

Poverty and welfare assistance

Public housing
Latest action: action_date: 2018-05-16
text: Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.

Summaries:
action_date: 2018-05-16
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Expanding Housing Opportunities for Foster Youth Act of 2018</strong></p> <p>This bill increases the budget authority for the Family Unification Vouchers program, which provides housing assistance to foster youth.</p>

tv_txt: I 115th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 5833 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 16, 2018 Ms. Maxine Waters of California introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services A BILL To authorize appropriations for family unification vouchers for rental housing assistance, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Expanding Housing Opportunities for Foster Youth Act of 2018 . 2. Congressional findings The Congress finds that— (1) approximately 21,000 foster youth age out of foster care each year according to the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) of the Department of Health and Human Services; (2) more than 1 out of every 4 foster youth who age out of foster care will experience homelessness by age 21, according to survey data from the National Youth in Transition Database compiled by the ACF; (3) access to safe, decent, and affordable housing is essential to helping foster youth successfully transition to adulthood; (4) foster youth deserve a place to call home without being singled out for harmful requirements like work requirements as a condition of receiving housing assistance; (5) the Family Unification Vouchers program of the Department of Housing and Urban Development provides housing assistance for foster youth along with case management, without work requirements; and (6) there is insufficient funding for Family Unification Vouchers to serve all foster youth in need. 3. Authorization of funding for Family Unification Vouchers Program Paragraph (1) of section 8(x) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 ( 42 U.S.C. 1437f(x)(1) ) is amended to read as follows: (1) Increase in budget authority The budget authority available under section 5(c) for voucher assistance under section 8(o) is authorized to be increased by $200,000,000 on or after October 1, 2018, and any such sums made available shall remain available until expended. .