Deadline: 20-Jun-23
The Administration for Children & Families – ACYF/FYSB is inviting applications for the Street Outreach Program (SOP) that provides street-based services to runaway, homeless, and street youth who have been subjected to or are at risk of being subjected to sexual abuse, prostitution, sexual exploitation, and severe forms of human trafficking in persons.
These services, targeted in areas where street youth congregate, are designed to assist such youth in making healthy choices and providing them access to shelter as well as basic needs, including food, hygiene packages and information on a range of available services.
Goal: Provide street-based services to street youth and young adults who are experiencing homelessness or have runaway, who are under 21 years of age and who have been subjected to, or are at risk of being subjected to, sexual abuse, exploitation, and severe forms of trafficking (sex and/or labor); and to build relationships between street outreach workers and these youth to move them into safe and stable housing or emergency shelter and prepare them for independence.
Vision: Prevent the sexual abuse, human trafficking, or exploitation of young people living on the streets or in unstable housing.
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $4,582,625
- Award Ceiling: $150,000
- Award Floor: $90,000
- Length of Project Periods: 36-month project period with three 12-month budget periods
Project Requirements
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Consistent with the statutory mandates set forth in the RHY Act, as well as the regulatory requirements set forth in the RHY Rule, SOP projects shall include the following components:
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Conduct Street Outreach and Provide Access to Shelter
- SOP projects must conduct outreach and engage with street youth and young adults who are experiencing homelessness or have runaway to keep them safe and help them leave the streets.
- Drop-In Center (optional service): SOP projects may utilize this service; however, dropin centers supported through RHY funds must be accessible to youth and provide services such as resource materials (e.g., cards and/or pamphlets containing information about appropriate resources), showers, hot meals, laundry, e-mail, phone, and case management. Additionally, SOP projects that support drop-in centers must not use the drop-in center to replace required outreach and engagement efforts. Drop-in centers enhance street outreach and engagement.
- SOP projects provide street youth and young adults who are experiencing homelessness or have runaway access to emergency shelter or safe and stable housing on a 24-hours-aday basis. When referring youth to a shelter, the shelter must have a vacancy for the youth/young adult. Projects should have a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or
- Letter of Commitment with the shelter(s) to ensure commitment that this partner will assist youth to safely exit the street. When applicable and available, the shelter must meet the state requirements for licensing; be supervised and age-appropriate, and provide a youth-friendly environment that fosters trust (i.e. exercises principles of PYD and creates safe spaces vulnerable populations such as for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Two-Spirit LGBTQIA2S+ youth and youth of color.)
- SOP projects provide transportation to shelters, as needed. For shelter provided through referrals, safe housing for youth victims of trafficking and/or domestic violence must be carefully considered when identifying emergency shelters.
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Comprehensive Youth-Centered Services Model
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Social and Emotional Well-being and Strength-based Approach:
- SOPs utilize a trauma-informed approach, which involves understanding and responding to the symptoms of chronic, interpersonal trauma and traumatic stress, as well as the behavioral and mental health consequences of trauma and prevention of re-traumatization.
- SOP projects also utilize a PYD framework that includes healthy messages, safe and structured places, adult role models, skill development, and opportunities to serve others. PYD is an intentional, pro-social approach that engages youth within their communities, schools, organizations, peer groups, and families in a manner that is productive and constructive.
- Employing PYD also means promoting increased youth leadership capacity through intentional projects and activities designed to enhance this skill set. These activities often include employing young people with lived homelessness expertise as staff and ensuring that projects are infusing authentic youth voice and youth input on program implementation and service improvement from youth advisory boards and youth with lived expertise.
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Social and Emotional Well-being and Strength-based Approach:
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Ensuring Equity
- RHY projects must ensure equitable treatment of all youth receiving services under RHY-funded programs.
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Outreach Implementation Strategy:
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Projects utilize an outreach implementation strategy that includes the following:
- Street Outreach Plan: SOP projects employ a plan to locate youth and young adults where they congregate. The plan describes individualized strategies to conduct face-toface outreach to youth during scheduled hours at locations where youth/young adults congregate, the number of full-time equivalent outreach workers needed, the frequency of visits planned, and the techniques for branding the organization and the services available.
- Education and Awareness: SOP projects inform the community and young people about street outreach projects through social media (i.e., Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Grinder); public service announcements; postings and QR codes in public spaces, collaborations with other youth-serving organizations; culturally specific, community-based organizations; school settings; sexual violence prevention and response organizations; organizations that provide support or services to those who have experienced trafficking or are at-risk of experiencing trafficking; law enforcement; health care providers; legal services; and other collaborators.
- Youth Engagement and Collaboration: SOP projects must outline a plan for engaging youth with lived experience to assist in the development of the plan for locating youth; developing a youth-focused outreach strategy that is individualized to meet the youth's needs; and ensuring education and awareness strategies are grounded in youth voice and collaboration (examples of strategies could include, but are not limited to, engaging young people for identifying scheduled outreach locations and times, building a youth referral network, and/or employing peer outreach mentors).
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Projects utilize an outreach implementation strategy that includes the following:
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Conduct Street Outreach and Provide Access to Shelter
Eligibility Criteria
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- State governments
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Others
- County governments
- Special district governments
- Independent school districts
- Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- City or township governments
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
