[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 14, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5777-5780]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-3299]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Administration for Children and Families
[Proposed Program Priorities--ACF/ACYF/RHYP 96-1]
Runaway and Homeless Youth Program: Fiscal Year (FY) 1996
Proposed Program Priorities
AGENCY: Family and Youth Services Bureau, Administration on Children,
Youth, and Families (ACYF), Administration for Children and Families
(ACF), HHS.
ACTION: Notice of Fiscal Year 1996 Proposed Runaway and Homeless Youth
(RHY) Program Priorities for the following programs for runaway and
homeless youth: Basic Center, Street Outreach for Runaway and Homeless
Youth and the Transitional Living Program for Homeless Youth.
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SUMMARY: The Family and Youth Services Bureau of the Administration on
Children, Youth and Families is publishing proposed program priorities
and soliciting comments from the public regarding programmatic
activities in fiscal year 1996 for the following programs:
Runaway and Homeless Youth Basic Center Grant Program (BCP): The
purpose of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Basic Center Grant Program is
to provide financial assistance to establish or strengthen locally-
controlled centers that address the immediate needs (e.g., outreach,
temporary shelter, counseling, and aftercare services) of runaway and
homeless youth and their families.
Street Outreach for Runaway and Homeless Youth: Grants will be
awarded for street-based outreach and education and referral for
runaway, homeless, and street youth who have been subjected to or are
at risk of being subjected to sexual abuse.
Transitional Living Program for Homeless Youth (TLP): The purpose
of the Transitional Living Program for
[[Page 5778]]
Homeless Youth is to support projects which provide long term shelter,
skill training and support services in local communities to homeless
youth to assist them in making a smooth transition to self-sufficiency
and to prevent long-term dependency on social services.
The Family and Youth Services Bureau also administers the Drug
Abuse Prevention Program (DAPP) which provides drug prevention and
education services to runaway and homeless youth. At this time, neither
the U.S. House of Representatives nor the U.S. Senate have proposed
funding for this grant program in FY 1996. In the event that funds
become available, applications for the program will be solicited and a
grant competition will be held during FY 1996.
The proposed priorities for FY 1996 are similar to those of recent
years in that the Department proposes to award 90 percent or more of
the funds appropriated under the BCP and approximately 90 percent of
the funds appropriated under the TLP to grantees providing direct
services to runaway and homeless youth.
The proposed priorities are further similar to those of earlier
years in that the Department proposes to award continuation funding to
the National Communications System and to fund a number of program
support activities.
Grants awarded under FYSB's discretionary activities in FY 1996 are
subject to the availability of funds.
Central to all FYSB's programs and activities is a priority for a
comprehensive youth development approach. Over the past several
decades, the Federal government has established many programs designed
to alleviate discrete problems identified among American youth.
Examples are programs for school dropout prevention, juvenile
delinquency prevention, abuse and neglect prevention, adolescent
pregnancy prevention, youth gang prevention, drug abuse prevention, and
compensatory programs to improve the performance of minority and non-
English-speaking youth in the public schools. Among these many programs
are the BCP, the DAPP, and the TLP.
A shared feature of all these programs is their emphasis on
undesirable behavior, with a number of negative consequences. Youth
``problems'' are commonly used to define and blame, even to punish, the
youth. Further, the labeling of a youth as a drug abuser or a
delinquent may lead to interventions too narrow to take into account
the full array of causes leading to the abuse or delinquency, such as
parental neglect, school failure, or poverty. Practicing youth workers
are well aware that ``single-problem'' youth are rare, and that
interventions from many different perspectives, and supports, including
funding, from many different sources, are required to effectively help
troubled youth.
The disjointed services that often follow from this Federal pattern
of categorical funding to correct undesirable behavior (funding that
targets a single problem behavior of the youth) may be avoided if
interventions are viewed from a ``developmental'' perspective which
views adolescence and youth as the passage from the almost total
dependence of the child into the independence and self-sufficiency of
the young adult. The various emotional, intellectual and physical
changes, stages, and growth spurts of the passage may be considered as
the youth's natural, healthy responses to the challenges and
opportunities provided by functional families, peers, neighborhoods,
schools and churches.
The tasks of youth services providers are seen, thus, not as
correcting the ``pathologies'' of troubled youth, but rather as
providing for the successive ``needs'' of maturing individuals: the
psychological need to develop a clear self-identity; the sociological
need to resolve disagreements through talking and negotiating not
through flight or fighting; the economic need to prepare for and enter
into a career; and the familial needs for sharing, for trusting, for
giving love and receiving love, for commitment, and for all that
establishing a family entails. This developmental approach is
fundamental to all of FYSB programs and activities.
a. Basic Center Program Grants
Approximately 340 Basic Center grants, of which about one-third
will be competitive new starts and two-thirds will be non-competitive
continuations, will be funded in FY 1996.
Eligible applicants for the new starts are current grantees with
project periods ending in FY 1996 and otherwise eligible applicants not
holding current grants. The applications will be reviewed by State, and
awards will be made during the last quarter of FY 1996 (July-September
1996).
Section 385(a)(2) of the Act requires that 90 percent of the funds
appropriated under Part A (The Runaway and Homeless Youth Grant
Program) be used to establish and strengthen runaway and homeless youth
Basic Centers.
b. Transitional Living Program Grants
Part B, Section 321 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, as
amended, authorizes grants to establish and operate transitional living
projects for homeless youth. This program is structured to help older,
homeless youth achieve self-sufficiency and avoid long-term dependency
on social services. Transitional living projects provide shelter,
skills training, and support services to homeless youth ages 16 through
21 for a continuous period not exceeding 18 months. It is projected
that all potential FY 1996 TLP funds will be awarded in the form of
continuation grants during the first and second quarter. In
consequence, no applications for new start Transitional Living Program
grants were solicited in FY 1995 for the use of FY 1996 funds. However,
applications will be solicited in FY l996 for TLP grants to be awarded
in the first quarter of FY l997.
Eligible applicants for the new starts are current grantees with
project periods ending in FY 1996 and otherwise eligible applicants not
holding current grants. The applications will be reviewed in a national
competition, and awards will be made during the last quarter of FY 1996
(July-September 1996).
c. National Communications System
Part C, Section 331 of the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, as
amended, mandates support for a National Communications System to
assist runaway and homeless youth in communicating with their families
and with service providers. In FY 1994, a five-year grant was awarded
to the National Runaway Switchboard, Inc., in Chicago, Illinois, to
operate the system. Non-competitive continuation funding will be
awarded to the grantee in FY 1996.
d. Street Outreach for Runaway and Homeless Youth
The Domestic Violence/Violence Against Women Act of the 1994 Crime
Bill provides for education and prevention grants to reduce the sexual
abuse of runaway, homeless, and street youth. Should FY 1996
appropriations become available, they will be used to fund agencies for
street-based outreach as well as education and referral for runaway,
homeless, and street youth who have been or at risk of being sexually
abused.
e. Support Services for Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs
(1) Training and Technical Assistance
Part D, Section 342 of the Act authorizes the Department to make
grants to statewide and regional nonprofit organizations to provide
training and technical assistance
[[Page 5779]]
(T&TA) to organizations that are eligible to receive service grants
under the Act. Eligible organizations include the Basic Centers
authorized under Part A of the Act (The Runaway and Homeless Youth
Grant Program) and the service grantees authorized under Part B of the
Act (The Transitional Living Grant Program). Section 3511 of the Anti-
Drug Abuse Act of 1988, which authorizes the Drug Abuse Prevention
Program for Runaway and Homeless Youth (DAPP), also authorizes support
for T&TA to runaway and homeless youth service providers. The purpose
of this T&TA is to strengthen the programs and to enhance the knowledge
and skills of youth service workers.
In FY 1994, the Family and Youth Services Bureau made ten
Cooperative Agreement Awards, one in each of the ten Federal Regions,
to provide T&TA to agencies funded to provide services to runaway and
homeless youth. Each Cooperative Agreement is unique, being based on
the characteristics and different T&TA needs in the respective Regions.
Each has a five-year project period that will expire in FY 1999.
Non-competitive continuation funding will be awarded to the ten
T&TA grantees in FY 1996.
(2) National Clearinghouse on Runaway and Homeless Youth
In June 1992, a five-year contract was awarded by the Department to
establish and operate the National Clearinghouse on Runaway and
Homeless Youth. The purpose of the Clearinghouse is to serve as a
central information point for professionals and agencies involved in
the development and implementation of services to runaway and homeless
youth. To this end, the Clearinghouse:
Collects, evaluates and maintains reports, materials and
other products regarding service provision to runaway and homeless
youth;
Develops and disseminates reports and bibliographies
useful to the field;
Identifies areas in which new or additional reports,
materials and products are needed; and
Carries out other activities designed to provide the field
with the information needed to improve services to runaway and homeless
youth.
Non-competitive continuation funding will be awarded to sustain the
Clearinghouse in FY 1996.
(3) Runaway and Homeless Youth Management Information System (RHYMIS)
In FY 1992, a contract was awarded to implement the Runaway and
Homeless Youth Management Information System (RHYMIS) across three FYSB
programs: the BCP, the TLP, and the DAPP. In FY 1993, using an existing
computer-based, information gathering protocol, the contractor began
providing training and technical assistance to these grantees in the
use of the RHYMIS. The data generated by the system are used to produce
reports and information regarding the programs, including information
for the required reports to Congress on each of the three programs. The
RHYMIS also serves as a management tool for FYSB and for the individual
programs.
Non-competitive continuation funding for the RHYMIS will be an
option in FY 1996.
(4) Monitoring Support for FYSB Programs
In FY 1992, FYSB began developing a comprehensive monitoring
instrument and set of site visit protocols, including a peer-review
component for the BCP, the TLP, and the DAPP. Pilot implementation of
the instrument and related protocols began in FY 1993. Also in FY 1993
a new contract to provide logistical support for the peer review
monitoring process was awarded, including nationwide distribution of
the new materials. Use of the new instrument and peer review process
during the first full year of operation has resulted in identification
of a number of strengths and areas for improvement among individual
grantees. These findings have been used by the Regional T&TA providers
as a basis for their activities. In FY 1996 a new procurement for this
activity will be awarded.
f. Research and Demonstration Initiatives
Section 315 of the Act authorizes the Department to make grants to
States, localities, and private entities to carry out research,
demonstration, and service projects designed to increase knowledge
concerning and to improve services for runaway and homeless youth.
These activities serve to identify emerging issues and to develop and
test models which address such issues.
(1) Services for Youth in Rural Areas
Because of geographic distances, population density and, in some
cases, cultural differences, it is difficult to provide effective
services to runaway and homeless youth in rural areas. In many such
areas, scarcity of funds and other resources precludes funding of
separate, autonomous Basic Center programs. The need exists for
innovative and effective models for the provision of runaway and
homeless youth services in rural areas, including Indian reservations.
The new models should make services accessible to youth without setting
up inordinately expensive service agencies in low populated areas. In
FY 1993, first-year funding was awarded to eight grants to develop such
models. Non-competitive continuation funding was provided in FY 1994
and 1995. These programs will complete their efforts during FY 1996 and
information on their activities and findings will be developed and
distributed.
(2) Analysis, Synthesis, and Interpretation of New Information
Concerning Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs
Over the past few years, considerable new knowledge and information
has been developed concerning the runaway and homeless youth programs
administered by FYSB, and concerning the youth and families served. The
main sources of this new information are the Runaway and Homeless Youth
Management Information System (RHYMIS), the results of RHY monitoring
visits, and a number of evaluation studies underway or recently
completed. The RHYMIS, monitoring reports, and the evaluation studies
contain descriptions of FYSB's grantee agencies, along with detailed
data on the youth and families served, such as demographic profiles,
presenting problems, services provided, and service outcomes. There is
need for analysis, synthesis, and interpretation of this new
information that will be useful in development of RHY plans and
policies for the Family and Youth Services Bureau.
A contract was awarded in FY 1995 to analyze and synthesize
valuable data and to explore program and policy implications. The study
will be developed within a context of the most significant, current
comprehensive theories of youth development.
(3) Youth Development Framework
In FY 1995 a contract was awarded to develop a youth development
framework from a theoretical perspective. This framework will be
designed to enhance the capacity of policy and program developers,
program managers, and youth services professionals to develop service
models and approaches that will redirect youth in high risk situations
toward positive pathways of development.
(4) Consolidated Youth Services Demonstration Grants
The Family and Youth Services Bureau now administers three programs
targeting runaway and homeless youth:
[[Page 5780]]
the BCP, the TLP, and the Drug Abuse Prevention Program (DAPP). Each
program was established independently by the Congress to address a
specific need or problem related to runaway and homeless youth. Funds
for each program are appropriated annually by the Congress and are
awarded to individual grantees across the country following submission
and review of separate applications. In practice, there is considerable
overlap among the populations and problems as well as considerable
overlap among the grantee-administrators of the local projects; some
grantees administer two of the three programs (BCP and DAPP, for
example) and a few administer all three programs.
The overlap among targeted youth populations and youth services
grantees suggests that program efficiency and coordination might be
improved by consolidating the three programs into one, setting up
comprehensive youth services programs designed to address the broad
range of needs of at-risk runaway and homeless youth populations. An
obvious immediate benefit would be that applicants wishing to provide
services in all three areas would have to submit only one application
instead of the three now required.
To this end and subject to the availability of funds, ACYF may
consider funding in FY 1996 four to six ``Consolidated Youth Services
Demonstration Grants,'' each for a four-year project period and each at
a funding level of $325,000 to $400,000 per year. Applicants would be
invited to design and, if successful in the competition, to implement
youth service models combining features of the BCP, the DAPP, and the
TLP. Successful applicants would, in fact, be required to provide in
their respective geographic areas the complete array of services
mandated for the three programs and to coordinate these services
through a single administration. In consequence, it would be
appropriate to fund these demonstration grants from the regular runaway
and homeless youth appropriations from the Congress. Each grantee would
document the advantages and disadvantages of the consolidated approach
and would participate in a comprehensive evaluation of the projects.
g. Priorities for Administrative Changes
A number of management or administrative changes will be
implemented in the near future in order to effectuate a more
streamlined process for soliciting applications, awarding grants and
maintaining reasonable funding levels for grantee program operations.
Those changes include the following:
The Regional Offices have and will continue to play a
significant role in the assessment of grant applications. This role
includes Regional staff involvement (1) as chairpersons for peer review
panels and (2) in conduct of administrative reviews of new start
applications that take into account knowledge about the applicant's
experience, effectiveness, and potential and of the geographic
distribution of the grantees in their respective States and Regions.
Final funding decisions will remain the responsibility of the
Commissioner of the Administration on Children, Youth and Families.
The Administration on Children and Families (ACF) will
again change the deadline for receipt of a Runaway and Homeless Youth
grant application from the postal date of the application to the actual
receipt date of the application by ACF. Applicants should carefully
examine receipt dates in this announcement to assure that they meet
deadlines in the manner prescribed.
Efforts will be continued to avoid the problems of gaps in
financial support between the expiration of one grant and the beginning
of a new grant for current grantees that are successful in competition.
Where possible, FYSB will attempt to increase minimum
grant funding levels to amounts sufficient to support the required
youth services. However, no minimum levels will be established at this
time and the recommendations of Regional staff will be considered in
this matter. We suggest that all applicants examine carefully the
program announcements to ensure that they request sufficient funds.
The closing time and date for receipt of comments is 4:30 p.m.
(Eastern Time Zone) on April 15, 1996. Applications received after 4:30
p.m. (Eastern Time Zone) will be classified as late. Please address
comments to: Olivia A. Golden, Commissioner, Administration on
Children, Youth and Families. Attention: Family and Youth Services
Bureau, P.O. Box 1182, Washington, D.C. 20013.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 93.623, Runaway and
Homeless Youth Program; and Number 93.550, Transitional Living
Program for Homeless Youth)
Dated: February 6, 1996.
Olivia A. Golden,
Commissioner, Administration on Children, Youth and Families.
[FR Doc. 96-3299 Filed 2-13-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4184-01-P
