PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Housing and Mortgage Finance Corp. has been allocated $3.2 million in federal funds to help prevent youth homelessness, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., announced Friday.
The funds, distributed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program, will be used by the Rhode Island’s Continuum of Care organization, which is the state’s planning body on homelessness.
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“Every child deserves housing stability and this federal funding will help prevent vulnerable children and young adults from ending up on the streets. This is a smart investment in the health and safety of children in crisis and helping them find a stable home,” said Reed in a statement.
The federal program aims to make youth homelessness rare, brief and nonrecurring. Uses of the funds may be tailored to local needs, such as for housing units, wraparound services, and to keep children and their families housed, according to Reed’s office.
“Rhode Island’s small size offers an opportunity for effective program design and system delivery models that are creative and grounded in best and emerging practice,” said Elizabeth Bioteau, Rhode Island’s Continuum of Care planner and program manager. “There is unprecedented cross-sector commitment to this work – from individuals, young people, grassroots organizations, service providers and state departments. Since 2016, Rhode Island has transformed from a system with zero dedicated beds available for transition-aged youth to one that is rapidly growing and responding to the needs of [youths].”
Awardees of the program are expected to engage with community partners over the next several months to develop a comprehensive plan.
“These federal funds will help us achieve our vision for a robust youth-centered system that is sustainable, collaborative and centralizes the vision, voice and agency of [youths],” said R.I. Housing Executive Director Carol Ventura.
The allocation to Rhode Island was part of $142 million in funding to 33 organizations this year.
R.I. Housing served as the the designated applicant for the competitive funding program, “stewarding the RICoC in the planning and coordination of state and federal resources and policy oversight,” Reed’s office said.
