Valley Youth House (VYH) has received awards totaling $407,348 from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA).
In the summer of 2018, the availability of $4.5 million in Home4Good funding was announced and a Request for Proposals was issued. Valley Youth House received 9 percent of the total funding for the following programs:
– $66,814 for The Synergy Project – Allentown, a street outreach program for homeless youth in Allentown;
– $125,074 for Designated Access Point for Youth in Philadelphia, one of two Access Points in the City, providing assessments and housing referrals for homeless youth;
– $40,000 for Rapid Re-Housing in Lackawanna County, providing housing and supportive services to homeless Lackawanna youth; and
– $175,460 for Host Homes Program in four Western Pennsylvania counties, connecting homeless youth with volunteer families for short-term housing.
The Host Homes program brings a new program model to Valley Youth House and expands the organization’s footprint to a new geographic region in Western Pennsylvania, now serving Armstrong, Indiana, Washington, and Westmoreland counties. The goal is to prevent or divert youth under the age of 18 or still in school who would otherwise be homeless, unstably housed or placed into foster care.
Valley Youth House developed the Host Homes program in collaboration with the Western Pa. Continuum of Care Youth Subcommittee, nonprofits, and Offices of Children and Youth to address the needs of the region’s homeless youth. Using the agency’s expertise in residential services for youth, Valley Youth House will provide: recruitment and training to individuals/families that will be Host Homes to youth experiencing homelessness; background checks for Host Home providers; case management for youth to help them maintain stable housing after the conclusion of services; and 24-hour on-call crisis support for Host Homes providers.
The grant also allows for the creation of a Youth Advisory Board and the operation of a point-in-time count to identify the nature and extent of youth homelessness in the region.
Information about Home4Good is available at
fhlb-pgh.com, and
atphfa.org at the bottom of the homepage, under “Resources.”
