Announcement is part of National Foster Care Month and Provides Youth with a Path to Housing Stability and Self-Sufficiency
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Scott Turner today announced a $1.3 million dollar investment across 10 states under HUD’s Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) program to assist young Americans aging out of the foster care system with temporary, supportive funding to prevent homelessness.
“HUD is committed supporting our foster youth communities at a critical time of transitioning to independent living,” said Secretary Turner. “The FYI program can be transformative in the lives of foster youth, providing them with a clear-cut path to housing stability and positioning them to achieve a lifetime of success and self-sufficiency. Today’s investment will serve more than 100 young Americans across ten states.”
In alignment with President Trump’s proclamation of May as National Foster Care Month, the FYI program offers housing vouchers to local public housing authorities (PHAs) for young adults under the age of 25 who are in, or have recently left, the foster care system. Participants are also provided with supportive services to help them work toward their educational and career goals.
In honor of National Foster Care Month, First Lady Melania Trump announced she secured a $25 million investment in the President’s FY26 Budget to provide housing and support to foster youth. HUD collaborated with the Office of the First Lady on the seventh anniversary of the First Lady’s BE BEST Initiative to announce $1.8 million to support youth aging out of foster care through the FYI program. Launched by Mrs. Trump in 2018, BE BEST is dedicated to promoting the well-being of children with a renewed emphasis on supporting foster youth through initiatives like Fostering the Future. The Trump administration has awarded $4.8 million to date for youth aging out of foster care, including this recent announcement.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) estimates that more than 20,000 young people age out of foster care each year. The National Center for Housing and Child Welfare (NCHCW) estimates that approximately 25 percent of these young people experience homelessness within four years of leaving foster care and an even higher share are precariously housed.
Recipients of the awards announced today can be found on the table below:
| State | Recipient | Vouchers | Amount |
| CA | County of Sacramento Housing Authority | 25 | $395,715 |
| CA | Housing Authority of the County Contra Costa | 3 | $65,325 |
| CA | Housing Authority of the County of Alameda | 3 | $64,428 |
| CA | County of Shasta Housing Authority | 6 | $42,174 |
| KS | Johnson County Housing Authority | 8 | $74,876 |
| MA | Mansfield Housing Authority | 3 | $50,712 |
| ME | Lewiston Housing Authority | 1 | $8,396 |
| MI | Grand Rapids Housing Commission | 25 | $219,429 |
| SC | SC Regional Housing Authority No 1 | 2 | $12,202 |
| TX | Denton Housing Authority | 3 | $42,730 |
| VA | Loudoun County DHCD | 2 | $36,781 |
| WA | Housing Authority of the City of Bremerton | 14 | $197,872 |
| WA | Housing Authority City of Spokane | 3 | $23,459 |
| WA | Housing Authority of Skagit County | 5 | $51,950 |
| WA | Housing Authority of Chelan Co and the City of Wenatchee | 1 | $9,373 |
| WV | Housing Authority of Randolph County | 1 | $5,425 |
| TOTAL | 105 | $1,300,847 |