Transitional Housing: Housing in which homeless persons live for up to 24 months and receive supportive services that enable them to live more independently

Transitional Housing (TH) can be funded in two ways: 1) through the HUD Continuum of Care Grant as one of the five components of the Supportive Housing Project (SHP) category 2) through the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Family and Youth Services Bureau Transitional Living Program for Older Homeless Youth

1) THROUGH SHP FUNDS FROM THE HUD CONTINUUM OF CARE GRANT: Transitional Housing (TH) is a type of supportive housing used to facilitate the movement of homeless individuals and families to permanent housing. Basically, it is housing in which homeless persons live for up to 24 months and receive supportive services that enable them to live more independently. The supportive services may be provided by the organization managing the housing or coordinated by them and provided by other public or private agencies.

Transitional housing can be provided in one structure or several structures, at one site or in multiple structures at scattered sites.

SHP SUPPORT IN TRANSITIONAL HOUSING PROJECTS: SHP funds can be used in the following ways to provide new transitional housing or expand already existing transitional housing:

• acquisition
• rehabilitation
• new construction
• leasing
• supportive services
• operations
• administration

LIMITATION OF STAY IN TH:
Homeless individuals and families may reside in transitional housing for up to 24 months. However, if permanent housing for the individual or family has not been located or if the individual or family requires additional time to prepare for independent living, they remain for a period longer than 24 months. Assistance may be discontinued for a transitional housing project if more than half of the homeless persons remain in the project longer than 24 months.

ACCESS TO SUPPORT SERVICES IN TH:
Transitional housing participants receive supportive services that enable them to live more independently. Project sponsors must describe the accessibility of these services in their project application. Though the services need not be in the same structure, they should be in close proximity to facilitate accessing the services. When services are needed that are not in close proximity, the sponsor should help the persons access the services, such as by providing transportation

MOVEMENT FROM TRANSITIONAL TO PERMANENT HOUSING:
Housing placement assistance must be part of any transitional housing program. Transitional housing residents may need assistance with all the tasks and stress involved in locating, obtaining, moving into, and maintaining the housing. Discrimination in the housing market may make the situation more difficult. Without third-party intervention, some graduates may resort to renting substandard or inappropriate housing or relapse into homelessness.

A comprehensive approach to locating housing includes preparing and training clients in searching for, securing, and maintaining their own housing, developing relationships with local producers and managers of housing to which graduates could move, and helping clients establish a savings plan so they can afford to move in.

In many instances, assistance also entails direct contact and negotiation of rental terms in tandem with graduates and money to help pay move-in costs. However, often the most successful graduates of transitional housing are those who have taken the lead in deciding where they will live permanently.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
For more information regarding this and other components of Supportive Housing Program under the HUD Continuum of Care Grant, visit HUD’s website at www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/homeless/library/shp/shpdeskguide/dgintro.cfm.

2) THROUGH HHS’S FAMILY AND YOUTH SERVICES BUREAU TRANSITIONAL LIVING PROGRAM:

The Transitional Living Program (TLP) is part of Family and Youth Services Bureau's (FYSB) Runaway and Homeless Youth Program and is authorized by the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, as amended by the Missing, Exploited, and Runaway Children Protection Act, www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/fysb/Missing.pdf, (Public Law 106-71). Through the TLP, FYSB supports projects that provide longer-term residential services to homeless youth ages 16–21 for up to 18 months. These services are designed to help youth who are homeless make a successful transition to self-sufficient living.

TLP grantees are required to provide youth with stable, safe living accommodations and services that help them develop the skills necessary to move to independence. Living accommodations may be host family homes, group homes, or "supervised apartments." (Supervised apartments are either agency-owned apartment buildings or "scattered site" apartments, which are single-occupancy apartments rented directly by young people with support from the agency.)

In addition, FYSB encourages its grantee programs to support young people through a Positive Youth Development approach. That approach suggests that the best way to prevent young people's involvement in risky behavior is to help them achieve their full potential. Youth development strategies, therefore, focus on giving young people the chance to exercise leadership, build skills, and become involved in their communities.

SERVICES PROVIDED:
TLP grantees are required to offer the following services, either directly or by referral:

• · Safe, stable living accommodations
• · Basic life-skill building, including consumer education and instruction in budgeting, using credit, housekeeping, menu planning, and food preparation
• · Interpersonal skill building, including enhancing young people's abilities to establish positive relationships with peers and adults, make decisions, and manage stress
• · Educational opportunities, such as GED preparation, postsecondary training, or vocational education
• · Assistance in job preparation and attainment, such as career counseling and job placement
• · Education, information, and counseling to prevent, treat, and reduce substance abuse
• · Mental health care, including individual and group counseling
• · Physical health care, including routine physicals, health assessments, and emergency treatment

FYSB'S GRANT AWARD PROCESS:
FYSB solicits applications through an annual Federal Register announcement. Applications are competitively reviewed by peer panels, and successful applicants receive 5-year grants.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
For further information about FYSB’s TLP, contact the National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth; P.O. Box 13505; Silver Spring, MD 20911-3505; (301) 608-8098; fax: (301) 608-8721; Web site: www.ncfy.com.