Family unification

The amounts made available under this subsection shall be used only in connection with tenant-based assistance under this section on behalf of (A) any family (i) who is otherwise eligible for such assistance, and (ii) who the public child welfare agency for the jurisdiction has certified is a family for whom the lack of adequate housing is a primary factor in the imminent placement of the family’s child or children in out-of-home care or the delayed discharge of a child or children to the family from out-of-home care and (B) subject to paragraph (5), for a period not to exceed 36 months, otherwise eligible youths who have attained at least 18 years of age and not more than 24 years of age and who have left foster care, or will leave foster care within 90 days, in accordance with a transition plan described in section 475(5)(H) of the Social Security Act [ 42 U.S.C. 675(5)(H) ], and is homeless or is at risk of becoming homeless at age 16 or older.

(A) In general The amounts made available under this subsection shall be allocated by the Secretary through a national competition among applicants based on demonstrated need for the assistance under this subsection. To be considered for assistance, an applicant shall submit to the Secretary a written proposal containing a report from the public child welfare agency serving the jurisdiction of the applicant that describes how a lack of adequate housing in the jurisdiction is resulting in the initial or prolonged separation of children from their families, and how the applicant will coordinate with the public child welfare agency to identify eligible families and provide the families with assistance under this subsection.

(B) Assistance for youth aging out of foster care Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary shall, subject only to the availability of funds, allocate such assistance to any public housing agencies that (i) administer assistance pursuant to paragraph (2)(B), or seek to administer such assistance, consistent with procedures established by the Secretary, (ii) have requested such assistance so that they may provide timely assistance to eligible youth, and (iii) have submitted to the Secretary a statement describing how the agency will connect assisted youths with local community resources and self-sufficiency services, to the extent they are available, and obtain referrals from public child welfare agencies regarding youths in foster care who become eligible for such assistance.

The Secretary shall, not later than the expiration of the 180-day period beginning on July 29, 2016 , and after consultation with other appropriate Federal agencies, issue guidance to improve coordination between public housing agencies and public child welfare agencies in carrying out the program under this subsection, which shall provide guidance on—

(A) identifying eligible recipients for assistance under this subsection and establishing a point of contact at public housing agencies to ensure that public housing agencies receive appropriate referrals regarding eligible recipients;

(B) coordinating with other local youth and family providers in the community and participating in the Continuum of Care program established under subtitle C of title IV of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act ( 42 U.S.C. 11381 et seq.);

(C) implementing housing strategies to assist eligible families and youth;

(D) aligning system goals to improve outcomes for families and youth and reducing lapses in housing for families and youth; and

(E) identifying resources that are available to eligible families and youth to provide supportive services available through parts B and E of title IV of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 621 et seq.; 670 et seq.) or that the head of household of a family or youth may be entitled to receive under section 477 of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 677 ).

Assistance provided under this subsection for an eligible youth pursuant to paragraph (2)(B) shall be subject to the following requirements:

(A) Requirements to extend assistance (i) Participation in family self-sufficiency In the case of a public housing agency that is providing such assistance under this subsection on behalf of an eligible youth and that is carrying out a family self-sufficiency program under section 1437u of this title , the agency shall, subject only to the availability of such assistance, extend the provision of such assistance for up to 24 months beyond the period referred to in paragraph (2)(B), but only during such period that the youth is in compliance with the terms and conditions applicable under section 1437u of this title and the regulations implementing such section to a person participating in a family self-sufficiency program. (ii) Education, workforce development, or employment In the case of a public housing agency that is providing such assistance under this subsection on behalf of an eligible youth and that is not carrying out a family self-sufficiency program under section 1437u of this title , or is carrying out such a program in which the youth has been unable to enroll, the agency shall, subject only to the availability of such assistance, extend the provision of such assistance for two successive 12-month periods, after the period referred to in paragraph (2)(B), but only if for not less than 9 months of the 12-month period preceding each such extension the youth was— (I) engaged in obtaining a recognized postsecondary credential or a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent; (II) enrolled in an institution of higher education, as such term is defined in section 1001(a) of title 20 and including the institutions described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 1002(a)(1) of title 20 ; or (III) participating in a career pathway, as such term is defined in section 3102 of title 29 . Notwithstanding any other provision of this clause, a public housing agency shall consider employment as satisfying the requirements under this subparagraph. (iii) Exceptions Notwithstanding clauses (i) and (ii), a public housing agency that is providing such assistance under this subsection on behalf of an eligible youth shall extend the provision of such assistance for up to 24 months beyond the period referred to in paragraph (2)(B), and clauses (i) and (ii) of this subparagraph shall not apply, if the eligible youth certifies that he or she is— (I) a parent or other household member responsible for the care of a dependent child under the age of 6 or for the care of an incapacitated person; (II) a person who is regularly and actively participating in a drug addiction or alcohol treatment and rehabilitation program; or (III) a person who is incapable of complying with the requirement under clause (i) or (ii), as applicable, due to a documented medical condition. (iv) Verification of compliance The Secretary shall require the public housing agency to verify compliance with the requirements under this subparagraph by each eligible youth on whose behalf the agency provides such assistance under this subsection on an annual basis in conjunction with reviews of income for purposes of determining income eligibility for such assistance.

(B) Supportive services (i) Eligibility Each eligible youth on whose behalf such assistance under this subsection is provided shall be eligible for any supportive services (as such term is defined in section 3102 of title 29 ) made available, in connection with any housing assistance program of the agency, by or through the public housing agency providing such assistance. (ii) Information Upon the initial provision of such assistance under this subsection on behalf of any eligible youth, the public housing agency shall inform such eligible youth of the existence of any programs or services referred to in clause (i) and of their eligibility for such programs and services.

(C) Applicability to Moving to Work agencies Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the requirements of this paragraph shall apply to assistance under this subsection pursuant to paragraph (2)(B) made available by each public housing agency participating in the Moving to Work Program under section 204 of the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1996 ( 42 U.S.C. 1437f note), except that in lieu of compliance with clause (i) or (ii) of subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, such an agency may comply with the requirements under such clauses by complying with such terms, conditions, and requirements as may be established by the agency for persons on whose behalf such rental assistance under this subsection is provided.

(D) Termination of vouchers upon turn-over A public housing agency shall not reissue any such assistance made available from appropriated funds when assistance for the youth initially assisted is terminated, unless specifically authorized by the Secretary.

(E) Reports (i) In general The Secretary shall require each public housing agency that provides such assistance under this subsection in any fiscal year to submit a report to the Secretary for such fiscal year that— (I) specifies the number of persons on whose behalf such assistance under this subsection was provided during such fiscal year; (II) specifies the number of persons who applied during such fiscal year for such assistance under this subsection, but were not provided such assistance, and provides a brief identification in each instance of the reason why the public housing agency was unable to award such assistance; and (III) describes how the public housing agency communicated or collaborated with public child welfare agencies to collect such data. (ii) Information collections The Secretary shall, to the greatest extent possible, utilize existing information collections, including the voucher management system (VMS), the Inventory Management System/PIH Information Center (IMS/PIC), or the successors of those systems, to collect information required under this subparagraph.

(F) Consultation The Secretary shall consult with the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide such information and guidance to the Secretary of Health and Human Services as may be necessary to facilitate such Secretary in informing States and public child welfare agencies on how to correctly and efficiently implement and comply with the requirements of this subsection relating to assistance provided pursuant to paragraph (2)(B).

For purposes of this subsection:

(A) Applicant The term “applicant” means a public housing agency or any other agency responsible for administering assistance under this section.

(B) Public child welfare agency The term “public child welfare agency” means the public agency responsible under applicable State law for determining that a child is at imminent risk of placement in out-of-home care or that a child in out-of-home care under the supervision of the public agency may be returned to his or her family.