The Youth Homelessness System Improvement (YHSI) Grants

Through this NOFO, HUD is awarding Youth Homelessness System Improvement (YHSI) grants to support selected communities develop and implement systems infrastructure to better address youth homelessness.  The grants will focus on systems change to create and build capacity for Youth Action Boards; collect and use data that work with at-risk youth; develop strong leaders within a community; and improve the coordination, communication, operation, and administration of homeless assistance projects to better serve youth, including prevention and diversion strategies.  The goal of the YHSI is to increase the capacity of communities to better serve youth and create projects that are responsive to the needs of youth at-risk of or experiencing homelessness in the community.  The objectives of this funding are to:Improve the capacity of youth in the community: Developing peer support models, including training, project design, and implementation; creating Youth Action Board training, including government rules, leadership, and other skills; community training and outreach on how to work with youth and integrate youth leadership in an authentic way.Establish partnerships: Bringing together system partners who also work with youth who are housing unstable.  This could include partnerships with Tribes and cultural organizations in the community, k-12 schools, higher education, juvenile justice, child welfare, employment services, etc.Improve Coordinated Entry Systems (CES).Improve data collection and use between systems that work with youth at-risk of and experiencing homelessness.Assess, address, and improve equity in youth homeless response systems.