U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson announced yesterday that the Bemidji Housing and Redevelopment Authority will receive nearly $30,000 in funding for HUD’s new Foster Youth to Independence Initiative.
According to a release, this funding will assist young adults transitioning out of foster care and who are at risk of homelessness.
Bemidji’s HRA is one of seven to receive this funding. Over $258,000 will be dispersed for this initiative, with nearly $500,000 awarded for the initiative last month.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) estimates that more than 20,000 young people age out of foster care each year. The National Center for Housing and Child Welfare (NCHCW) estimates that approximately 25 percent of these young people experience homelessness within four years of leaving foster care and an even higher share are precariously housed.
