As currently enacted, the program includes three components: the Basic Center program (BCP), which provides short-term services for youth under age 18; the Transitional Living program (TLP), which provides housing and supports for youth ages 16 through 22; and the Street Outreach program (SOP)—referred to in statute as the Sexual Abuse Prevention program—which serves youth living on the streets who are unstably housed. These issues are grouped as follows:
demographic and other data on runaway and homeless youth; effectiveness of programs that serve this population; efforts to connect RHY with their families; access to and funding for the program; supports for vulnerable RHY populations, including youth who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, or questioning (LGBTQ); those who have been victims of sex trafficking or are at risk for sex trafficking; and those who have other risk factors; and interaction between the RHY system and child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Two notable efforts include an HHS report to Congress on ending youth homelessness and a strategy put into place by the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness to end youth homelessness by 2020. In June 2010, USICH released this plan, entitled Opening Doors . As Congress considers reauthorization of the Runaway and Homeless program, it may wish to (1) determine if HHS's efforts (underway with USICH) are adequate in addressing the data reporting provisions that are specified in the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act; (2) determine whether the act provides adequate direction to HHS about its role in carrying out data collection efforts in coordination with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which administers multiple programs for homeless individuals; and (3) the extent to which funding should be appropriated through new funding or by reallocating funds, such as through existing funding within the Runaway and Homeless Youth program, for the studies required by the law and/or new activities to improve data collection. The act also directed HHS to assess the characteristics of these youth. This encompasses sheltered youth in runaway and homeless youth programs (including those that may not be funded under the federal program). The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act specifies that BCP and TLP providers are required to submit to HHS information about the number and characteristics of the youth they serve. Further, some intervention models focus on families separated because their teens identify as LGBT. Program and Youth Outcomes

This section first describes how HHS currently assesses whether grantees receiving Runaway and Homeless Youth program funds are meeting the needs of youth who have run away and/or are homeless, and how HHS determines whether the Runaway and Homeless Youth program is effective overall. Access to Funding

A related issue that may be of interest to Congress is youth access to the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act programs. Estimates of youth who have run away or are homeless exceed 1 million, and the program provides services to just a fraction of these youth. Table 1 shows the number of youth who were turned away from the BCP and TLP due to a lack of bed space from FY2007 through FY2014. Continuum of Care (CoC) Program Funding

On a related point, providers of services to youth who have run away or are experiencing homelessness may have limited access to funding from the major program through which HUD supports homeless services providers, known as the Continuum of Care (CoC) program. In addition, 15 points are available that can be awarded for addressing youth homelessness, including to CoCs that (1) have strategies for addressing the unique needs of unaccompanied homeless youth and the existence of a proven strategy that addresses homeless youth trafficking and other forms of exploitation; (2) demonstrate an increase in the number of unaccompanied homeless youth (up to age 24) served who were residing on the streets or in places not meant for human habitation prior to ending a project for homeless individuals; (3) demonstrate a plan to increase funding for unaccompanied homeless youth programs; (4) describe how they collaborate with local education authorities and school districts to assist in identifying individuals and families who become or remain homeless and informing them of eligibility of services; and (5) demonstrate the extent to which youth service providers and education providers and CoC representatives have participated in each other's meetings over the past 12 months (including how the CoC collaborates with the McKinney-Vento local education liaisons and state education coordinators under the McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youths program). HUD has otherwise encouraged CoCs to partner with Runaway and Homeless Youth program grantees. Recent research has also suggested that HHS could provide more extensive training and technical assistance on meeting the needs of LGBTQ youth. Nonetheless, the capacity for runaway and homeless youth agencies to respond to the needs of sex trafficking victims is believed to be limited.
The Runaway and Homeless Youth program is authorized by the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, and funds organizations throughout the country to provide services to youth who have run away and/or experience homelessness. The program, which is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), includes three components: (1) the Basic Center program (BCP), which provides outreach, temporary shelter, and counseling for up to 21 days to youth under age 18 who have run away or are homeless; (2) the Transitional Living program (TLP), which supports residential services and services to youth ages 16 through 21 for up to 18 months; and (3) the Street Outreach program (SOP), which provides street-based outreach and education—including treatment and referrals—for runaway and homeless youth who have been subjected to sexual abuse and exploitation or are otherwise unstably housed. Funding authorization for the programs expired on September 30, 2013.
The federal government, led by an independent agency known as the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH), has developed a plan for ending youth homelessness. In 2010, USICH released Opening Doors, which included goals of ending chronic homelessness and homelessness among youth and other specified populations. An amendment to the plan in 2012 specifically introduced the Federal Framework to End Youth Homelessness, which includes improved data collection on these youth and developing and testing effective intervention models. This plan is consistent with the 2008 reauthorization of the Runaway and Homeless Youth program, which directed HHS to estimate the number of youth who have run away or are homeless and to assess the characteristics of these youth. Congress may wish to determine whether actions taken by HHS and its partners are addressing the data requirements in the law. Related to this, little is known about the outcomes of youth who participate in programs funded under the act, though efforts are underway by non-governmental research organizations to further study this population.
Congress may also be interested in the extent to which the Runaway and Homeless Youth program should more actively engage the families of runaway and homeless youth. Family conflict is a primary reason why youth leave home or are forced to leave home. The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act addresses family relationships primarily through the BCP. Some providers have models for helping build stronger connections between youth and their families. Another issue that may be of interest is demand. The programs serve a small fraction of the overall number of youth believed to be runaway or homeless, and the number of youth turned away from the BCP and TLP due to a lack of capacity has ranged from about 9,000 to 11,000 annually. Advocates assert that additional funding is needed to serve more youth, particularly because other federal funding sources for homeless service are believed to be limited. For example, the Continuum of Care (CoC) program directs homeless service providers to coordinate with runaway and homeless youth providers; however, CoC funding may not be available to some Runaway and Homeless Youth program grantees that are already not CoC funded.
Finally, runaway and homeless youth tend to have multiple challenges. Congress may consider the role that the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act could play in meeting the specific needs of youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, or questioning (LGBTQ); youth who are sex trafficked; and youth who are or were engaged in foster care or the juvenile justice system. For example, recent research on LGBTQ youth suggests that some RHY providers have difficulty identifying this population and could benefit from technical assistance for serving them effectively. In addition, runaway and homeless youth appear to be vulnerable to sex trafficking and some have a history of such victimization. The act could be amended to ensure that training and technical assistance is available to RHY providers to assist particular groups of youth.