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County to apply for Justice Youth Hub funding; state changes to runaway/homeless youth grants raise local concerns
Summary
County staff said they will apply to a federal Justice Youth Hubs opportunity that could bring up to $1 million per hub; the county’s youth services director also warned of recent federal changes to the Runaway and Homeless Youth grant program that shorten application windows and add new requirements.
County staff told the Health and Human Services Committee on July 16 that they are preparing an application for federal Transformational Youth Hub funding and raised concerns about recent federal changes to grants serving runaway and homeless youth (RHY).
Kate Shanks Booth (staff member) said the state intends to award four $1 million grants over three years to support youth hub work and that the county is preparing the required RFA responses with Southside as the proposed lead agency. The RFA response requires answers to eight planning questions; committee staff said the county is on track to submit the application by the end of the month.
Shanks Booth also warned committee members about changes to the FY2025 RHY grant administration at the federal level. She said the U.S. Department of Justice’s reduced application window (from roughly a month to 15 days in this solicitation) and added mandates are creating operational risks for local providers. “They’ve put several new mandates in this, which is really setting folks up to fail,” she said, citing new MOU requirements with law enforcement and restrictions on funds related to diversity, equity and inclusion and gender‑affirming care.
Shanks Booth said local partners are working to respond quickly; she urged committee members and local legislators to contact federal representatives to request an extension to the application period and to raise concerns about the programmatic changes. “We are asking… that you call your congressman… to have them extend the deadline by at least 30 days,” she said, adding that one local provider, the Learning Web, could be at risk if street outreach funding is collapsed into the new solicitation structure.
Why it matters: the Justice Youth Hubs funding could provide sustained resources for coordinated youth services locally; simultaneously, abrupt changes to RHY grant rules and shortened timelines may reduce continuity of funding for providers who serve youth experiencing homelessness.
Committee direction: staff will continue to prepare the hub application and coordinate with local partners; committee members were asked to contact federal representatives about the RHY solicitation timeline and new program mandates.
