The Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) is an initiative funded through the federal Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) designed to support developing and implementing a coordinated community approach to preventing and ending youth homelessness.
OHY is the Collaborative Applicant or “lead entity”, for YHDP programs within the Washington Balance of State Continuum of Care (BoS CoC), a collaboration of 34 counties. OHY’s primary responsibilities are to:
- Convene a Youth Action Board (YAB) to ensure youth voice is incorporated throughout programs
- Convene partners in developing a coordinated community plan that assesses and addresses local needs
- Provide technical assistance to BoS YHDP award recipients
- Apply for funding from HUD on behalf of the BoS CoC’s YHDP recipients
- Propose and test innovative approaches to addressing youth homelessness
Y4Y Board
The Youth for Youth Board (Y4Y) is composed of youth and young adults, ages 16-26 with lived experience of housing instability. As the BoS CoC’s YAB, Y4Y is the central decision maker in defining the mission, vision, and goals including fund allocation priorities for YHDP programs within the BoS CoC.
- If you are interested in becoming a Y4Y member, please complete the OHY Lived Expert Registration (SmartSheet) form and an OHY staff will connect with you. Members are compensated for their time and expertise in alignment with Washington State Office of Equity Community Compensation Guidelines.
Coordinated Community Plan
OHY and Y4Y are currently leading efforts to update and integrate previous BoS YHDP coordinated community plans (CCP). HUD requires that a diverse group of community partners be involved in the governance of YHDP programs, which may include representatives from the Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF), the Health Care Authority (HCA), local service providers, regional YABs, educational institutions, advocates, housing authorities, or other related parties.
- BoS YHDP Coordinated Community Plan – Round 2 (PDF) for funding awarded in 2018
- BoS YHDP Coordinated Community Plan – Round 6 (PDF) for funding awarded in 2022
Technical assistance
OHY facilitates regular technical assistance sessions for all BoS YHDP recipients and is available for individual support as needed. In collaboration with the BoS CoC and Y4Y Board, OHY:
- Supports recipients with e-snaps submissions of YHDP applications for project renewals, replacement and reallocations, including facilitating requests for Y4Y approval
- Provides youth and young adult specific expertise for CoC coordination, including developing policies and procedures, Coordinated Entry (CE) prioritization, Point in Time (PIT) Count planning, and determining ranking criteria and performance benchmarks
- Conducts YHDP monitoring and audits, including tracking HMIS data submission, coordinated entry usage, and fund utilization
Grantees receiving YHDP funding through a subaward from OHY, rather than directly with HUD, should also refer to the OHY Technical Assistance webpage for grant specific Program Guidelines and more information on contracting with Commerce.
HUD Exchange
- YHDP: Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program
- Determining Homeless Status of Youth (PDF)
- Recording and Documenting Homeless Status on-demand training
- e-snaps HUD’s program application and grant management system
- Sage HUD’s HMIS reporting repository
- eLOCCS HUD’s system for disbursing grant funds
YHDP programs
The BoS CoC receives YHDP funding innovative housing projects, including:
- Rapid Rehousing (RRH): provides rental assistance for 3-24 months, move in assistance (ex. deposits), and supportive services including referrals
- Transitional Housing (TH): provides housing and supportive services for up to 24 months
- Supportive Services Only (SSO): provides crisis navigation, diversion, outreach, case management and referrals. SSO awards may fund Street Outreach and Youth Lead projects.
In addition to acting as the lead entity, OHY is also a direct recipient of YHDP Supportive Services Only (SSO) funding. The Y4Y Board created the Youth Lead Project in 2019 to operationalize a vision of embedding youth voice into every aspect of the youth homelessness response system. OHY subcontracts these SSO funds for local organizations to hire young people with lived experience. These young people both provide direct services, like outreach and case management, and help shape youth homelessness service delivery at their agencies and statewide through Y4Y activities.
See the OHY Resources for Youth and Young Adults webpage to find contact information for BoS YHDP providers.
For information on other Washington State Continuums of Care, see: