BETHLEHEM, PA, January 25, 2019 – Valley Youth House (VYH) is pleased to announce that it received awards totaling $407,348 from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh, in cooperation with the PA 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% of the total funding for the following programs:
· $66,814 – The Synergy Project – Allentown, a street outreach program for homeless youth in Allentown, PA;
· $125,074 – Designated Access Point for Youth in Philadelphia, PA, one of two Access Points in the City, providing assessments and housing referrals for homeless youth;
· $40,000 – Rapid Re-Housing in Lackawanna County, PA, providing housing and supportive services to homeless Lackawanna youth; and
· $175,460 – Host Homes Program in 4 Western PA counties, connecting homeless youth with volunteer families for short-term housing.
The PHFA press release states: “There is no single program that alone can end homelessness in the state. That’s why Home4Good is funding a variety of different programs that together should make real progress getting people off the streets and into housing.”
The Host Homes program brings an exciting 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 & 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. In combination, the Advisory Board and point-in-time counts will be used to inform interventions to ensure that youth homelessness is rare, brief, and nonrecurring.
The Home4Good funding for this program was created by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh and is being administered by PHFA. The funding is being distributed as grants to organizations that help individuals retain or find housing, provide supportive services to those facing homelessness or address other unmet needs within the existing homeless provider network.
Information about Home4Good is available at www.fhlb-pgh.com, and at www.phfa.org at the bottom of the homepage, under “Resources.”
About Valley Youth House
Valley Youth House (ValleyYouthHouse.org) does more than just provide homes for Pennsylvania’s vulnerable, abused and homeless youth. We partner with thousands of individuals each year to build a solid foundation for young people and their families. With dedicated street outreach, housing, counseling, skills training, health, prevention, and intervention services, we empower resilient young people in establishing promising futures.
About FHLBank Pittsburgh
As an intermediary between global capital markets and local lenders, FHLBank Pittsburgh provides readily available liquidity, as well as affordable housing and community development opportunities, to member financial institutions of all sizes in Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The Bank is part of the Federal Home Loan Bank System, which was established by Congress in 1932 and serves as a
reliable source of funds for housing, jobs and growth in all economic cycles. To learn more, visit www.fhlb-pgh.com.
About PHFA
The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency works to provide affordable homeownership and rental housing options for older adults, low- and moderate-income families, and people with special housing needs. Through its carefully managed mortgage programs and investments in multifamily housing developments, PHFA also promotes economic development across the state. Since its creation by the legislature in 1972, it has generated more than $14 billion of funding for more than 174,150 single-family home mortgage loans, helped fund the construction of 134,507 rental units, and saved the homes of nearly 49,500 families from foreclosure. PHFA programs and operations are funded primarily by the sale of securities and from fees paid by program users, not by public tax dollars. The agency is governed by a 14-member board.
Information & Image Provided By:
Emily Conners
Valley Youth House Development Officer
https://www.valleyyouthhouse.org/
