Farmingville, NY – Supervisor Edward P. Romaine has announced that the Town of Brookhaven will share in over $14 million awarded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for public housing agencies (PHA) to help provide housing assistance to foster youth who are aging out of foster care or are homeless or at the risk of becoming homeless. Twenty-six PHAs in 20 states will receive the funding to contribute towards HUD’s initiative to prevent homelessness among young adults who are transitioning out of Foster Care. The Town’s share of the award is $874,020, for 50 on demand “no waiting list” specialized vouchers.
According to HUD’s 2021 Annual Homeless Report Part One, 2.5 million children are now facing homelessness each year in the United States. This represents an historic high of one in every 30 children. HUD's Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) Initiative provides housing assistance and supportive services to young adults with a Public Child Welfare Agency (PCWA) history who are at risk of experiencing homelessness.
Supervisor Romaine said, “I would like to thank HUD for selecting the Town of Brookhaven to receive this award. Homelessness is a problem throughout the country especially for young adults. We must do everything we can to provide them with a better safety net. We all need to work together to meet this critical need.”
The Town of Brookhaven is seeking partnerships with landlords to increase housing opportunities for this new Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) initiative. To become a participating landlord, visit the Town of Brookhaven Department of Housing and Community Development’s website at: www.brookhavenny.gov/fosteryouthhousing to complete the Rental Unit Availability Form or contact us by email at fosteryouthtoindependence@brookhavenny.gov.