CHA Receives 75 New Vouchers to Support Young Adults Transitioning out of Foster Care

CHICAGO (Feb. 24, 2023) – The Chicago Housing Authority this week received $1.1 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for 75 new vouchers that will provide housing assistance to young adults who are transitioning out of foster care and are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness.

HUD made the award as part of $12.9 million being distributed to 16 public housing authorities in nine states across the country. The new allotment will increase the number of vouchers that are available through CHA’s Foster Youth to Independence program (FYI) from 100 to 175. The new vouchers will be effective as of June 2023.  

The FYI program aims to create a community response to youth experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness who have been involved with the child welfare system. FYI makes Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) assistance available to public housing authorities who have a partnership with public child welfare agencies, in CHA’s case, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Under the program, public housing authorities can provide housing assistance to young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 years old who left foster care or will leave foster care in the next 90 days and are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

“Youth who are transitioning out of the foster care system are a particularly vulnerable population, and it is vitally important that public agencies are intentional about supporting them so that their transitions are successful. We are grateful to HUD for making these new vouchers available,” said CHA CEO Tracey Scott.

In addition to vouchers that are provided through the FYI program, CHA’s support for people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness includes:

More than 5,000 project and tenant-based vouchers targeting specific at-risk populations, including:  

• 2,061 Supportive Housing Project-Based Vouchers
• 1,308 HUD Veterans Administration Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers; and
• 751 Family Unification Program vouchers; and
• 1,165 Emergency Housing Vouchers.
• CHA also partners with the City of Chicago to support programs serving people experiencing homelessness:
• CHA has contributed more than $800,000 in funding to City of Chicago housing assistance programs that has been used to house 200 individuals and provide them with supportive services.
• CHA has an intergovernmental agreement with the City's Department of Family and Support Services to support frequent users of shelters by families, transition-aged youth and the chronic homeless. Through this initiative, CHA has housed 67 families (135 individuals).  

“Helping young adults to find a place to call home gives them the opportunity to focus on their goals and dreams without having to worry about where they are going to lay their head at night,” said Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “We are excited to work with Public Housing Agencies to help them meet the housing needs of youth who have aged out of the foster care program so that they have access to safe, stable, and affordable homes.”

About Chicago Housing Authority: CHA’s vision is to foster strong, vibrant communities throughout Chicago by increasing affordable housing choices for low-income families. As the largest rental housing provider in the City of Chicago, CHA serves more than 133,000 people in 63,000 households across the city through our Public Housing, Housing Choice Voucher, and Project-Based Voucher programs. For more information, visit www.thecha.org