The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA, originally the Runaway Youth Act) is a

US law The law of the United States comprises many levels of Codification (law), codified and uncodified forms of law, of which the supreme law is the nation's Constitution of the United States, Constitution, which prescribes the foundation of the ...

originally passed in 1974 as Title III of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. The bill sets the federal definition of

homeless Homelessness, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...

youth, and forms the basis for the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program, administered by the Family and Youth Services Bureau. It has been reauthorized multiple times, and is due for re-authorization as of March 2018.

Definition of homeless youth

The RYHA forms the basis of the federal government's definition of homeless youth, as a person who is:

not more than 21 years of age ... for whom it is not possible to live in a safe environment with a relative and who have no other safe alternative living arrangement.

Runaway and Homeless Youth Program

It provides federal funding in the amount of $115 million per year as of 2014, for

emergency shelters An emergency shelter is a place for people to live temporarily when they cannot live in their previous residence, similar to homeless shelters. The main difference is that an emergency shelter typically specializes in people fleeing a specific ...

and other services throughout the country targeted at young adults and adolescents who have run away or are homeless. This funding forms the basis of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program administered by the Family and Youth Services Bureau of the

Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the US federal government created to protect the health of the US people and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...

. The program provides services in three areas: the Basic Centre Programme, the Transitional Living Programme, and the Street Outreach Programme.

Legislative history

The RYHA was originally passed as the Runaway Youth Act. Provisions for "otherwise homeless youth" were later added in 1977, and the name was officially changed in 1980. The bill was reauthorized in 2008, a version which increased funding for basic center programs to an annual $150 million, and street outreach programs at $30 million; required the Department of Health and Human Services to develop national estimates of the prevalence of homelessness among the youth population; increased the permitted length individuals may stay in shelters or temporary housing to 21 from 14 days; required performance standards for all programs; and required that programs utilize a

positive youth development Positive youth development (PYD) programs are designed to optimize youth developmental progress. This is sought through a positivistic approach that emphasizes the inherent potential, strengths, and capabilities youth hold. PYD differs from other ...

perspective. Additional funding was allocated in 2016, and on March 20, 2018 a bill was introduced by Kentucky Representative

John Yarmuth John Allan Yarmuth ( ; born November 4, 1947) is a retired American politician and newspaper editor who served as the U.S. representative for from 2007 to 2023. His district encompassed the vast majority of the Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville M ...

for re-authorization. the bill has been amended a total of nine times.

References

External links

Full Text of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act
from the Family and Youth Services Bureau
Runaway and Homeless Youth Act Fact Sheet
from the National Network for Youth United States federal child welfare legislation Homelessness and law Homelessness solutions Housing legislation 1974 in American law 93rd United States Congress History of homelessness in the United States

Definition of homeless youth

Runaway and Homeless Youth Program

Legislative history

See also

References

Further reading

External links