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Home > Divisions > Housing > Programs & Services > Rental Assistance Programs > Independent Youth Housing Program
Independent Youth Housing Program
Program Description
The Independent Youth Housing Program (IYHP) provides rental assistance and case management to eligible youth aging out of the state foster care system.  These funds are intended to assist in meeting the state goal of ensuring that all such youth avoid experiencing homelessness by having access to a decent, appropriate, and affordable homes in a healthy, safe environment.
 
Eligibility Requirements
Participating youth must meet the following criteria to be eligible for assistance:
 
  • Participants must be at least 18 years of age, must have been a dependent of the state during the month preceding his or her eighteenth birthday, and have not yet reached the age of 23.  Priority must be given to individuals who were dependents of the state for at least one year.
  • A participant’s income may not exceed 50 % of the local Area Median Income as published by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  Participants whose incomes exceed 50 % of the local AMI after becoming a participant in the IYHP may continue to receive rent assistance provided he or she participates in the Individual Development Account program established under RCW 43.31.460.
  • Income eligibility must be reevaluated at least twice annually.
 
Service Delivery
IYH program services are delivered through housing authorities, community action agencies, or other non-profit service agencies, or collaborations of agencies that have expertise in working with youth- and housing-related matters.  The IYHP is a pilot program, funded by the legislature through the end of the current biennium (ending June 30, 2009).  The Department of Commerce will award contracts to a maximum of 3 contractors to provide program services to participants.
 
Funding
The 2007 Washington State Legislature appropriated $1million to fund the pilot IYHP.
 
Helpful Links
 
Contact Information
 
Cheryl Bayle, Program Manager
(360) 725-2997
 
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