Best Practices for Local Administration of Federal Housing Vouchers for Former Foster Youth in California

This resource provides county child welfare agencies and Public Housing Authorities with recommended best practices for local administration of special purpose Housing Choice Vouchers for former foster youth.

These vouchers are available through the Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) Initiative and the Family Unification Program (FUP). FYI/FUP vouchers are administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to Public Housing Authorities which partner with Public Child Welfare Agencies. Eligible youth have left foster care or will leave within 90 days and are between ages 18-24 at the time of voucher issuance.

The practices were the basis of, and informed by, a 2023-24 community of practice led by JBAY in partnership with the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare, focused on FYI/FUP vouchers. Over the course of the community of practice, the participating 15 counties increased their collective number of vouchers by 81%, with 11 counties making use of the on-demand request process by the end of the Community of Practice, up from one county at the start.