{"@type": "dcat:Dataset", "accessLevel": "public", "bureauCode": ["009:70"], "contactPoint": {"@type": "vcard:Contact", "fn": "ACF Data Team", "hasEmail": "mailto:ohsepr@acf.hhs.gov"}, "description": "May 29, 2014\n\nDear Colleague:\n\nMay is National Foster Care Month, a time for our Nation to reaffirm its commitment to America\u2019s children.\u00a0 Last year, roughly 200,000 young people entered into foster care because of abuse and/or neglect.\u00a0\u00a0 Inadequate housing was a factor in many of these cases.\u00a0 In fact, every year, inadequate housing contributes to the removal of 22,000 children from their families.\u00a0 This can have lasting consequences for young people.\n\nResearch shows that children facing housing instability, homelessness, and poverty are more likely to be involved in the child welfare system. \u00a0When a family is living in distressed conditions or experiencing homelessness, it can affect their ability to care for their kids, and it can have a negative impact on the ability of kids to learn in school, maintain good health, and keep their hope for the future.\u00a0 With this in mind, it is critical that we do everything we can to provide them with the safe and stable housing they need to succeed.\n\nTo achieve this goal, it is critical that all of us\u2014Federal agencies, public housing authorities, Continuums of Care, and local child welfare agencies\u2014closely collaborate with each other.\u00a0 The needs of families are diverse.\u00a0 Some need intensive support and long-term access to appropriate services.\u00a0 Others simply need financial assistance to care for their children.\u00a0 In many cases, neither child welfare agencies nor programs aimed at preventing homelessness can meet all of these needs alone.\n\nThe programs authorized by title IV-B of the Social Security Act provide a limited pool of funds to prevent the removal of children from their homes or to help those in foster care reunite with their families. \u00a0In general, states use title IV-B funds for short-term, crisis-driven interventions and services, which may include one-time assistance with housing, utilities, or other related housing costs.\u00a0 For many of these families, gaining access to reliable housing supports, such as provided through HUD\u2019s Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) or public housing programs, can provide the key to a stable future.\n\nWe know that families are more likely to remain housed if they have a targeted service paired with appropriate housing that meets their needs. \u00a0Through close collaboration, child welfare agencies and public housing agencies can provide these paired services to keep families and youth in safe and appropriate housing.\u00a0 One example is HUD\u2019s Family Unification Program (FUP).\n\nA special purpose voucher program, FUP demonstrates how local partnerships can address housing needs for families using child welfare services and youth aging out of foster care. Similarly, public housing agencies and child welfare agencies can come together to establish a local preference for families referred by child welfare and couple this housing assistance with supportive services. \u00a0Child welfare agencies can also collaborate with private multifamily housing owners that provide HUD-assisted rental assistance, or by partnering with state or local housing agencies to develop local affordable housing through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) and HUD\u2019s HOME Investment Partnerships Program.\u00a0 Together, child welfare agencies, housing agencies, and Continuums of Care can create an array of housing interventions to serve these children, youth, and families better.\n\nCurrently, The Children\u2019s Bureau has two sets of grants aimed at providing more information about successful housing interventions for these vulnerable families.\u00a0 One develops strategies for homeless youth and the other targets homeless families.\u00a0 HUD and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services\u2019 Administration for Children and Families will continue working together to develop and disseminate information about promising practices and strategies for serving this population.\n\nOpening Doors: The Federal Strategic Plan to End Homelessness recognizes the critical needs of youth and families by designating them as two prio", "distribution": [{"@type": "dcat:Distribution", "description": "Access the complete ACF/HUD Letter to Support Collaboration to Prevent and End Homelessness on the official website.", "downloadURL": "https://acf.gov/cb/policy-guidance/acf/hud-letter-support-collaboration-prevent-and-end-homelessness", "mediaType": "text/html", "title": "Official Data Source"}], "identifier": "https://healthdata.gov/api/views/ukhm-wdaw", "issued": "2025-09-03", "keyword": ["abuse", "foster", "neglect", "policy", "prevention"], "landingPage": "https://healthdata.gov/d/ukhm-wdaw", "modified": "2025-09-06", "programCode": ["009:045"], "publisher": {"@type": "org:Organization", "name": "Administration for Children and Families"}, "theme": ["ACF"], "title": "ACF/HUD Letter to Support Collaboration to Prevent and End Homelessness"}