Runaway and Homeless Youth Program: Fiscal Year (FY) 1996 Proposed Program Priorities

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families

[Proposed Program Priorities--ACF/ACYF/RHYP 96-1]

Runaway and Homeless Youth Program: Fiscal Year (FY) 1996

Proposed Program Priorities

AGENCY: Family and Youth Services Bureau, Administration on Children,

Youth, and Families (ACYF), Administration for Children and Families

(ACF), HHS.

ACTION: Notice of Fiscal Year 1996 Proposed Runaway and Homeless Youth

(RHY) Program Priorities for the following programs for runaway and

homeless youth: Basic Center, Street Outreach for Runaway and Homeless

Youth and the Transitional Living Program for Homeless Youth.

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SUMMARY: The Family and Youth Services Bureau of the Administration on

Children, Youth and Families is publishing proposed program priorities

and soliciting comments from the public regarding programmatic

activities in fiscal year 1996 for the following programs:

Runaway and Homeless Youth Basic Center Grant Program (BCP): The

purpose of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Basic Center Grant Program is

to provide financial assistance to establish or strengthen locally-

controlled centers that address the immediate needs (e.g., outreach,

temporary shelter, counseling, and aftercare services) of runaway and

homeless youth and their families.

Street Outreach for Runaway and Homeless Youth: Grants will be

awarded for street-based outreach and education and referral for

runaway, homeless, and street youth who have been subjected to or are

at risk of being subjected to sexual abuse.

Transitional Living Program for Homeless Youth (TLP): The purpose

of the Transitional Living Program for

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Homeless Youth is to support projects which provide long term shelter,

skill training and support services in local communities to homeless

youth to assist them in making a smooth transition to self-sufficiency

and to prevent long-term dependency on social services.

The Family and Youth Services Bureau also administers the Drug

Abuse Prevention Program (DAPP) which provides drug prevention and

education services to runaway and homeless youth. At this time, neither

the U.S. House of Representatives nor the U.S. Senate have proposed

funding for this grant program in FY 1996. In the event that funds

become available, applications for the program will be solicited and a

grant competition will be held during FY 1996.

The proposed priorities for FY 1996 are similar to those of recent

years in that the Department proposes to award 90 percent or more of

the funds appropriated under the BCP and approximately 90 percent of

the funds appropriated under the TLP to grantees providing direct

services to runaway and homeless youth.

The proposed priorities are further similar to those of earlier

years in that the Department proposes to award continuation funding to

the National Communications System and to fund a number of program

support activities.

Grants awarded under FYSB's discretionary activities in FY 1996 are

subject to the availability of funds.

Central to all FYSB's programs and activities is a priority for a

comprehensive youth development approach. Over the past several

decades, the Federal government has established many programs designed

to alleviate discrete problems identified among American youth.

Examples are programs for school dropout prevention, juvenile

delinquency prevention, abuse and neglect prevention, adolescent

pregnancy prevention, youth gang prevention, drug abuse prevention, and

compensatory programs to improve the performance of minority and non-

English-speaking youth in the public schools. Among these many programs

are the BCP, the DAPP, and the TLP.

A shared feature of all these programs is their emphasis on

undesirable behavior, with a number of negative consequences. Youth

``problems'' are commonly used to define and blame, even to punish, the

youth. Further, the labeling of a youth as a drug abuser or a

delinquent may lead to interventions too narrow to take into account

the full array of causes leading to the abuse or delinquency, such as

parental neglect, school failure, or poverty. Practicing youth workers

are well aware that ``single-problem'' youth are rare, and that

interventions from many different perspectives, and supports, including

funding, from many different sources, are required to effectively help

troubled youth.

The disjointed services that often follow from this Federal pattern

of categorical funding to correct undesirable behavior (funding that

targets a single problem behavior of the youth) may be avoided if

interventions are viewed from a ``developmental'' perspective which

views adolescence and youth as the passage from the almost total

dependence of the child into the independence and self-sufficiency of

the young adult. The various emotional, intellectual and physical

changes, stages, and growth spurts of the passage may be considered as

the youth's natural, healthy responses to the challenges and

opportunities provided by functional families, peers, neighborhoods,

schools and churches.

The tasks of youth services providers are seen, thus, not as

correcting the ``pathologies'' of troubled youth, but rather as

providing for the successive ``needs'' of maturing individuals: the

psychological need to develop a clear self-identity; the sociological

need to resolve disagreements through talking and negotiating not

through flight or fighting; the economic need to prepare for and enter

into a career; and the familial needs for sharing, for trusting, for

giving love and receiving love, for commitment, and for all that

establishing a family entails. This developmental approach is

fundamental to all of FYSB programs and activities.

a. Basic Center Program Grants

Approximately 340 Basic Center grants, of which about one-third

will be competitive new starts and two-thirds will be non-competitive

continuations, will be funded in FY 1996.

Eligible applicants for the new starts are current grantees with

project periods ending in FY 1996 and otherwise eligible applicants not

holding current grants. The applications will be reviewed by State, and

awards will be made during the last quarter of FY 1996 (July-September

1996).

Section 385(a)(2) of the Act requires that 90 percent of the funds

appropriated under Part A (The Runaway and Homeless Youth Grant

Program) be used to establish and strengthen runaway and homeless youth

Basic Centers.

b. Transitional Living Program Grants

Part B, Section 321 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, as

amended, authorizes grants to establish and operate transitional living

projects for homeless youth. This program is structured to help older,

homeless youth achieve self-sufficiency and avoid long-term dependency

on social services. Transitional living projects provide shelter,

skills training, and support services to homeless youth ages 16 through

21 for a continuous period not exceeding 18 months. It is projected

that all potential FY 1996 TLP funds will be awarded in the form of

continuation grants during the first and second quarter. In

consequence, no applications for new start Transitional Living Program

grants were solicited in FY 1995 for the use of FY 1996 funds. However,

applications will be solicited in FY l996 for TLP grants to be awarded

in the first quarter of FY l997.

Eligible applicants for the new starts are current grantees with

project periods ending in FY 1996 and otherwise eligible applicants not

holding current grants. The applications will be reviewed in a national

competition, and awards will be made during the last quarter of FY 1996

(July-September 1996).

c. National Communications System

Part C, Section 331 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, as

amended, mandates support for a National Communications System to

assist runaway and homeless youth in communicating with their families

and with service providers. In FY 1994, a five-year grant was awarded

to the National Runaway Switchboard, Inc., in Chicago, Illinois, to

operate the system. Non-competitive continuation funding will be

awarded to the grantee in FY 1996.

d. Street Outreach for Runaway and Homeless Youth

The Domestic Violence/Violence Against Women Act of the 1994 Crime

Bill provides for education and prevention grants to reduce the sexual

abuse of runaway, homeless, and street youth. Should FY 1996

appropriations become available, they will be used to fund agencies for

street-based outreach as well as education and referral for runaway,

homeless, and street youth who have been or at risk of being sexually

abused.

e. Support Services for Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs

(1) Training and Technical Assistance

Part D, Section 342 of the Act authorizes the Department to make

grants to statewide and regional nonprofit organizations to provide

training and technical assistance

[[Page 5779]]

(T&TA) to organizations that are eligible to receive service grants

under the Act. Eligible organizations include the Basic Centers

authorized under Part A of the Act (The Runaway and Homeless Youth

Grant Program) and the service grantees authorized under Part B of the

Act (The Transitional Living Grant Program). Section 3511 of the Anti-

Drug Abuse Act of 1988, which authorizes the Drug Abuse Prevention

Program for Runaway and Homeless Youth (DAPP), also authorizes support

for T&TA to runaway and homeless youth service providers. The purpose

of this T&TA is to strengthen the programs and to enhance the knowledge

and skills of youth service workers.

In FY 1994, the Family and Youth Services Bureau made ten

Cooperative Agreement Awards, one in each of the ten Federal Regions,

to provide T&TA to agencies funded to provide services to runaway and

homeless youth. Each Cooperative Agreement is unique, being based on

the characteristics and different T&TA needs in the respective Regions.

Each has a five-year project period that will expire in FY 1999.

Non-competitive continuation funding will be awarded to the ten

T&TA grantees in FY 1996.

(2) National Clearinghouse on Runaway and Homeless Youth

In June 1992, a five-year contract was awarded by the Department to

establish and operate the National Clearinghouse on Runaway and

Homeless Youth. The purpose of the Clearinghouse is to serve as a

central information point for professionals and agencies involved in

the development and implementation of services to runaway and homeless

youth. To this end, the Clearinghouse:

Collects, evaluates and maintains reports, materials and

other products regarding service provision to runaway and homeless

youth;

Develops and disseminates reports and bibliographies

useful to the field;

Identifies areas in which new or additional reports,

materials and products are needed; and

Carries out other activities designed to provide the field

with the information needed to improve services to runaway and homeless

youth.

Non-competitive continuation funding will be awarded to sustain the

Clearinghouse in FY 1996.

(3) Runaway and Homeless Youth Management Information System (RHYMIS)

In FY 1992, a contract was awarded to implement the Runaway and

Homeless Youth Management Information System (RHYMIS) across three FYSB

programs: the BCP, the TLP, and the DAPP. In FY 1993, using an existing

computer-based, information gathering protocol, the contractor began

providing training and technical assistance to these grantees in the

use of the RHYMIS. The data generated by the system are used to produce

reports and information regarding the programs, including information

for the required reports to Congress on each of the three programs. The

RHYMIS also serves as a management tool for FYSB and for the individual

programs.

Non-competitive continuation funding for the RHYMIS will be an

option in FY 1996.

(4) Monitoring Support for FYSB Programs

In FY 1992, FYSB began developing a comprehensive monitoring

instrument and set of site visit protocols, including a peer-review

component for the BCP, the TLP, and the DAPP. Pilot implementation of

the instrument and related protocols began in FY 1993. Also in FY 1993

a new contract to provide logistical support for the peer review

monitoring process was awarded, including nationwide distribution of

the new materials. Use of the new instrument and peer review process

during the first full year of operation has resulted in identification

of a number of strengths and areas for improvement among individual

grantees. These findings have been used by the Regional T&TA providers

as a basis for their activities. In FY 1996 a new procurement for this

activity will be awarded.

f. Research and Demonstration Initiatives

Section 315 of the Act authorizes the Department to make grants to

States, localities, and private entities to carry out research,

demonstration, and service projects designed to increase knowledge

concerning and to improve services for runaway and homeless youth.

These activities serve to identify emerging issues and to develop and

test models which address such issues.

(1) Services for Youth in Rural Areas

Because of geographic distances, population density and, in some

cases, cultural differences, it is difficult to provide effective

services to runaway and homeless youth in rural areas. In many such

areas, scarcity of funds and other resources precludes funding of

separate, autonomous Basic Center programs. The need exists for

innovative and effective models for the provision of runaway and

homeless youth services in rural areas, including Indian reservations.

The new models should make services accessible to youth without setting

up inordinately expensive service agencies in low populated areas. In

FY 1993, first-year funding was awarded to eight grants to develop such

models. Non-competitive continuation funding was provided in FY 1994

and 1995. These programs will complete their efforts during FY 1996 and

information on their activities and findings will be developed and

distributed.

(2) Analysis, Synthesis, and Interpretation of New Information

Concerning Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs

Over the past few years, considerable new knowledge and information

has been developed concerning the runaway and homeless youth programs

administered by FYSB, and concerning the youth and families served. The

main sources of this new information are the Runaway and Homeless Youth

Management Information System (RHYMIS), the results of RHY monitoring

visits, and a number of evaluation studies underway or recently

completed. The RHYMIS, monitoring reports, and the evaluation studies

contain descriptions of FYSB's grantee agencies, along with detailed

data on the youth and families served, such as demographic profiles,

presenting problems, services provided, and service outcomes. There is

need for analysis, synthesis, and interpretation of this new

information that will be useful in development of RHY plans and

policies for the Family and Youth Services Bureau.

A contract was awarded in FY 1995 to analyze and synthesize

valuable data and to explore program and policy implications. The study

will be developed within a context of the most significant, current

comprehensive theories of youth development.

(3) Youth Development Framework

In FY 1995 a contract was awarded to develop a youth development

framework from a theoretical perspective. This framework will be

designed to enhance the capacity of policy and program developers,

program managers, and youth services professionals to develop service

models and approaches that will redirect youth in high risk situations

toward positive pathways of development.

(4) Consolidated Youth Services Demonstration Grants

The Family and Youth Services Bureau now administers three programs

targeting runaway and homeless youth:

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the BCP, the TLP, and the Drug Abuse Prevention Program (DAPP). Each

program was established independently by the Congress to address a

specific need or problem related to runaway and homeless youth. Funds

for each program are appropriated annually by the Congress and are

awarded to individual grantees across the country following submission

and review of separate applications. In practice, there is considerable

overlap among the populations and problems as well as considerable

overlap among the grantee-administrators of the local projects; some

grantees administer two of the three programs (BCP and DAPP, for

example) and a few administer all three programs.

The overlap among targeted youth populations and youth services

grantees suggests that program efficiency and coordination might be

improved by consolidating the three programs into one, setting up

comprehensive youth services programs designed to address the broad

range of needs of at-risk runaway and homeless youth populations. An

obvious immediate benefit would be that applicants wishing to provide

services in all three areas would have to submit only one application

instead of the three now required.

To this end and subject to the availability of funds, ACYF may

consider funding in FY 1996 four to six ``Consolidated Youth Services

Demonstration Grants,'' each for a four-year project period and each at

a funding level of $325,000 to $400,000 per year. Applicants would be

invited to design and, if successful in the competition, to implement

youth service models combining features of the BCP, the DAPP, and the

TLP. Successful applicants would, in fact, be required to provide in

their respective geographic areas the complete array of services

mandated for the three programs and to coordinate these services

through a single administration. In consequence, it would be

appropriate to fund these demonstration grants from the regular runaway

and homeless youth appropriations from the Congress. Each grantee would

document the advantages and disadvantages of the consolidated approach

and would participate in a comprehensive evaluation of the projects.

g. Priorities for Administrative Changes

A number of management or administrative changes will be

implemented in the near future in order to effectuate a more

streamlined process for soliciting applications, awarding grants and

maintaining reasonable funding levels for grantee program operations.

Those changes include the following:

The Regional Offices have and will continue to play a

significant role in the assessment of grant applications. This role

includes Regional staff involvement (1) as chairpersons for peer review

panels and (2) in conduct of administrative reviews of new start

applications that take into account knowledge about the applicant's

experience, effectiveness, and potential and of the geographic

distribution of the grantees in their respective States and Regions.

Final funding decisions will remain the responsibility of the

Commissioner of the Administration on Children, Youth and Families.

The Administration on Children and Families (ACF) will

again change the deadline for receipt of a Runaway and Homeless Youth

grant application from the postal date of the application to the actual

receipt date of the application by ACF. Applicants should carefully

examine receipt dates in this announcement to assure that they meet

deadlines in the manner prescribed.

Efforts will be continued to avoid the problems of gaps in

financial support between the expiration of one grant and the beginning

of a new grant for current grantees that are successful in competition.

Where possible, FYSB will attempt to increase minimum

grant funding levels to amounts sufficient to support the required

youth services. However, no minimum levels will be established at this

time and the recommendations of Regional staff will be considered in

this matter. We suggest that all applicants examine carefully the

program announcements to ensure that they request sufficient funds.

The closing time and date for receipt of comments is 4:30 p.m.

(Eastern Time Zone) on April 15, 1996. Applications received after 4:30

p.m. (Eastern Time Zone) will be classified as late. Please address

comments to: Olivia A. Golden, Commissioner, Administration on

Children, Youth and Families. Attention: Family and Youth Services

Bureau, P.O. Box 1182, Washington, D.C. 20013.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 93.623, Runaway and

Homeless Youth Program; and Number 93.550, Transitional Living

Program for Homeless Youth)

Dated: February 6, 1996.

Olivia A. Golden,

Commissioner, Administration on Children, Youth and Families.

[FR Doc. 96-3299 Filed 2-13-96; 8:45 am]

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