The youth homelessness demonstration program (yhdp) aims to support selected communities in developing and implementing a coordinated community approach to preventing and ending youth homelessness

The Department of Housing and Urban Development Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development awarded United Action For Youth $1.4 million on March 1, 2026, under the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (CFDA 14.276) to develop and implement a coordinated community approach preventing and ending youth homelessness in Iowa City, Iowa.

The award funds housing acquisition, rehabilitation, leasing, rental assistance, supportive services, and Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) implementation serving unaccompanied youth and pregnant or parenting youth ages twenty-four and younger. Performance runs through May 31, 2028, with work conducted in Iowa City.

The Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program aims to support selected communities in implementing comprehensive approaches to preventing and ending youth homelessness while building national momentum, promoting equity in service delivery and outcomes, highlighting youth leadership, evaluating coordinated community approaches, and establishing frameworks for federal program and technical assistance collaboration. Eligible activities include real property acquisition and rehabilitation, new construction, leasing, rental assistance (short-term, medium-term, or long-based; tenant-based, project-based, or sponsor-based), supportive services, operating costs of supportive housing, HMIS implementation and operation, program administration, and relocation costs.

United Action For Youth is a tax-exempt nonprofit based in Iowa City whose federal footprint is entirely grant-funded work supporting homeless and at-risk youth. This YHDP award marks the organization's entry into the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program; prior awards from the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Justice focus on the Maternity Group Home program, Street Outreach Program, and victim support services for adolescent crime survivors.

Activities

Eleven types of assistance may be provided through the yhdp: 1. Acquisition of real property (including structures) for use in the provision of housing or supportive services; 2. Rehabilitation of structures to provide housing or supportive services; 3. New construction, including the building of a new structure or building an addition to an existing structure for use as supportive housing; 4. Leasing of a new structure or structures, or portions thereof, to provide housing or supportive services; 5. Rental assistance, which may be short-term, medium-term, or long-term, as well as tenant-based, project-based, or sponsor-based, for transitional or permanent housing; 6. Supportive services to assist program participants obtain and maintain housing; 7. Operating costs of supportive housing; 8. Costs of implementing and operating homeless management information system (hmis); 9. Program administrative costs; 10. Relocation costs; and 11. Indirect costs in accordance with 2 CFR part 200, as applicable. No assistance provided under this program (or any state or local government funds used to supplement this assistance) may be used to replace state or local funds previously used, or designated for use, to assist homeless persons or persons at-risk of homelessness.

Expected outcomes

As a result of developing and implementing a coordinated community approach to preventing and ending youth homelessness, there will be: • significant decrease in the number of youth experiencing homelessness. • increased income, education, health, and social/emotional well-being of participants. • community-level understanding of the number and needs of youth at-risk of and experiencing homelessness. • new or improved partnerships between youth-serving organizations in the community.

Intended beneficiaries

Homeless unaccompanied youth (age 24 and younger) and homeless youth (age 24 and younger) with children.

Subrecipient activities

The subrecipient activities are unknown at the time of award.