SOAR Integration in the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP)

The Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program is an exciting opportunity!

SOAR Integration in the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) The Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) is an exciting opportunity from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for communities to design and implement a plan to end youth homelessness. Ten communities, including four rural communities, will be selected to receive between $1 million and $15 million towards implementing new and innovative projects. SOAR is a key part of a systemic response to ending youth homelessness and represents an innovative model for increasing income and housing stability for youth who have disabling conditions, particularly for those exiting foster care. For youth with disabling conditions, Social Security Administration (SSA) disability benefits strongly contribute to USICH's targeted outcomes for ending youth homelessness: stable housing, education and employment benefits through SSA's work incentives, and increased health outcomes through connection with Medicaid. Integrating SOAR into your proposal to end youth homelessness: 1. Bring SOAR providers to the table and find creative ways to work across systems Identify which populations currently have access to SOAR services and where increased access is needed, such as in the child welfare system, runaway and homeless youth programs, and juvenile corrections systems To reduce gaps in the system, SOAR-trained street outreach workers are authorized as a new project under the Supportive Services Only project type and could serve youth across the entire area 2. Nominate youth who have benefited from SOAR to the Youth Advisory Board to increase the voice of youth with disabling conditions in Continuum of Care (CoC) policy decisions The YHDP requires communities to create a Youth Advisory Board, consisting of a minimum of three members aged 24 or younger, at least two-thirds of whom are homeless or formerly homeless Youth with experience in going through the SOAR process are uniquely equipped to provide insights into increasing access to benefits and using SSA's work incentives to explore work and educational opportunities 3. Create a plan for reaching out to youth exiting foster care and assisting them to apply for SSA benefits Youth exiting foster care can now apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 180 days before their foster care eligibility will end due to age Utilize the new resource SSI for Youth Transitioning out of Foster Care: A Toolkit for Advocates This outreach can dramatically reduce the number of youth transitioning into homelessness from foster care! 4. Utilize data from the SOAR Online Application Tracking (OAT) program to demonstrate how your community has increased access to SSA benefits and housing for other target populations, such as Veterans Demonstrating that your community has been successful in addressing systemic challenges to ending homelessness, such as increasing income and housing stability for those with disabling conditions, is a key part of the YHDP and SOAR data can help show community progress Describing how your community implemented the SOAR model can be a great example of using innovation to transform systems! Applications from CoC Collaborative Applicants are due by November 30, 2016 at 11:59:59 pm ET. For more information on the YHDP, we encourage you to review HUD's YHDP website and USICH's recent webinar and blog on strategies for responding to the NOFA. Also, check out the SOARWorks website for more information about using SOAR with transition age youth. If your community will be responding to this opportunity, we'd love to hear how you are incorporating SOAR into your plans! We encourage you to reach out for support from your SOAR TA Center Liaison as you develop your proposal to end youth homelessness.

The SOAR TA Center is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Disclaimer: The SOAR Technical Assistance Center is sending this NewsFlash with support from SAMHSA, HHS. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official view of HHS or SAMHSA.