In the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), young adults and adults, ages 18-49, who do not have dependents and are not pregnant, are considered Able-Bodied Adults Without Dependents (ABAWDs). ABAWDs cannot receive SNAP benefits for more than 3 months within a 3-year period unless they meet the ABAWD work requirement or are exempt. This Administration for Children and Families letter provides information and resources on new exceptions for the ABAWD time limits and work requirements in SNAP. The information can assist youth and young adults experiencing homelessness and transitioning out of foster care who are eligible for SNAP benefits.

COTS Detroit, an organization with a long history of providing support to individuals and families experiencing or overcoming homelessness, achieved a milestone by becoming the first organization in the EMPath Economic Mobility Exchange to receive certification in a research-backed economic mobility coaching method. In this Question-and-Answer resource, the COTS Detroit Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships discusses their mission and the impact of economic mobility coaching on the communities they serve.

In 2021, over 46.3 million people ages 12 and up in the United States met the criteria for having substance use disorder (SUD). Compared to other developmental periods, the co-occurrence of serious mental health conditions and SUD is concentrated in young adulthood. Young adults experiencing homelessness or housing instability are at particularly high risk for developing a SUD and experiencing challenges accessing care and support. Harm reduction is an evidence-based approach critical to engaging with people who use drugs and equipping them with life-saving tools. This Administration for Children and Families brief provides information and resources about harm reduction services for young adults experiencing homelessness.

This Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) provides information on four programs operated by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) whose funding may be used to provide post-disaster housing assistance following a natural disaster: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and Social Services Block Grant (SSBG). Funds can be used for temporary housing such as motels or hotels, minor home repairs, cooling centers during the day, or short-term rental or mortgage assistance.  A summary chart outlines the benefits, availability of assistance, eligibility, the form of benefits, and contact for more information for the TANF, CSBG, LIHEAP, and SSBG programs. The DCL and an accompanying factsheet will be featured in an ACF-sponsored webinar on September 20, 2023. 

In observance of National Preparedness Month, the Office of Human Services Emergency Preparedness and Response, the Office of Family Assistance, and the Office of Community Services held a webinar on September 20, 2023. This webinar featured a panel discussion on an Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Dear Colleague Letter and a factsheet on post-disaster housing assistance for disaster survivors that may be available through four ACF programs. These programs include Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Community Services Block Grant (CSBG), Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and Social Services Block Grant (SSBG).

Since 1996, many childless adults between the ages of 18 and 50 can only get Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for three months in a 36-month period unless they are exempt or are able to document sufficient work hours. This vulnerable population includes veterans, youth aging out of foster care, individuals reentering the workforce after incarceration, and the chronically unhoused. Many of the people subject to time limits either cannot find jobs or get too few hours of work in the jobs they do have. This Food Research and Action Center’s research brief explains the SNAP time limit provisions and discusses priorities for outreach, proper screening for time limit exemptions, and use of discretionary exemptions and waivers for areas that have 10 percent or higher unemployment or other indicators of insufficient jobs.

The child support program serves parents in the context of their community. Child support agencies work with community-based organizations to help meet parent needs,and enhance the success of families in child support programs. This compendium reflects the diversity of child support partnerships across the country; it includes resources and fact sheets on employment, reentry, family violence, responsible fatherhood, homelessness, parental education, and preventing the need for child support services by addressing the importance of being emotionally and financially prepared to support a child.

The New Jersey Keeping Families Together (KFT) program is a supportive housing program that combines subsidized housing with voluntary supportive services for child welfare-involved families at risk of homelessness. Urban Institute conducted an evaluation of New Jersey’s KFT program, including the interviews of staff members representing all eight service providers as well as local departments involved in the development and implementation of the program to examine the program model. This report explores the findings of their evaluation, which can be helpful at both the policy and programmatic levels in developing program changes to most effectively ensure consistent and standard models of practice across KFT service providers.

This blogpost profiles how Covenant House in New York City, the largest service provider for homeless youth, has used motivational interviewing techniques since 2018. These techniques have been shown to be particularly effective in helping this population deal with depression, anxiety, or other mental health issues. It also explains how the Annie E. Casey Foundation supported Covenant House partnering with mental health technology startup, Lyssn, to tailor their motivational interviewing artificial intelligence to a more diverse youth population. The software, which complies with federal health privacy law, records motivational interviewing sessions and uses an algorithm to evaluate the interviewer’s performance. Additionally, a chatbot app, ClientBot, was created to simulate interviewing scenarios that help Covenant House staff practice motivational interviewing techniques.

This U.S. Department of Labor tipsheet identifies resources for workforce programs that provide educational, occupational, and other skills training and services to prepare homeless and runaway youth for current and future job opportunities. The tipsheet includes strategies for serving homeless and runaway youth, models of collaboration, and Federal and non-Federal resources.