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Beatty, Stivers Continue Bipartisan Push to Support Foster Care Youth

April 4, 2019

Beatty, Stivers Continue Bipartisan Push to Support Foster Care Youth

Bipartisan duo has successfully secured over $40 million in federal funds to date

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) and U.S. Congressman Steve Stivers (OH-15) are joining forces this year to request $25 million in federal funds for the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Family Unification Program (FUP), a national initiative to prevent family separation due to homelessness and homelessness among foster care aging-out youth. Beatty and Stivers have been longtime FUP champions, successfully securing $20 million for the program in Fiscal Year 2018 and again in Fiscal Year 2019. Prior to their strong advocacy, FUP had not been funded by Congress since Fiscal Year 2011.

"Throughout my time in Congress, I have worked with Democrats and Republicans alike to shine a light on the countless young people and their families who do not know where they will sleep at night," Beatty said. "That is why I am working with Congressman Stivers to do something about it." She continued, "This additional funding will help the City of Columbus, the State of Ohio, and our country better address and meet the needs of countless families and young people who simply need a helping hand to get off the streets."

"No child should ever have to question where they will be sleeping that night, and we need to do everything in our power to help young people and families who are at risk of homelessness," Stivers said. "This money will allow the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority to continue their important work empowering families in our community so that they can work their way out of homelessness. I am grateful to have Congresswoman Beatty as a partner in this fight against youth homelessness."

FUP eligible families include those who are in imminent danger of losing their children to foster care because of housing problems, as well as those who are unable to regain custody of their children primarily due to housing problems. FUP eligible youth include those who were in foster care any time after the age of sixteen (currently between the ages of 18 to 21) and are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

In addition to their bipartisan FUP appropriations request, Beatty and Stivers previously introduced legislation to expand federal assistance eligibility to young people bouncing from house to house—commonly referred to as "couch surfing." Further, the bipartisan pair sent another letter in May 2017 to HUD urging them to allocate federal funds for the creation of a demonstration project in Ohio to fight youth homelessness. Their efforts proved crucial to securing a $6.07 million two-year funding agreement in 2018 for the City of Columbus' Community Shelter Board to tackle area youth homelessness.

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