The Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) program serves as the national leader for the provision of shelter and supportive services to youth experiencing homelessness. The RHY program administers grants to public and private organizations to establish and operate youth emergency shelters and transitional living programs. These grant recipients are located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories.
The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA), as reauthorized by the Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act of 2008 (P.L.110-378 ) through FY 2013 and more recently reauthorized by the Juvenile Justice Reform Act through FY 2019, mandates that Runaway and Homeless Youth programs provide statistical records profiling the youth and family members whom it serves and also mandates that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) report regularly to Congress on the status of RHY-funded programs serving runaway and homeless youth. Further, these requirements include maintenance of client statistical records and submission of annual program reports regarding the characteristics of the youth and families served and the services provided to them. The October 2008 reauthorization of the Act and the reauthorization through FY 2019, maintained the longstanding requirements, as described in the legislation.
This information collection request is for the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) to continue to collect the data standards to meet these legislative requirements. All RHY funded organizations are required to collect and submit their statistical information/data through a larger system of data standards housed by the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). FYSB’s data standards within that system are referred to as the Runaway and Homeless Youth Homeless Management Information System (RHY-HMIS). RHY grant recipients are required to enter their RHY-HMIS data through their local HUD’s Continuums of Care (CoC) HMIS. Quarterly to meet the legislative requirements, RHY grant recipients work with their HMIS Leads to extract their data for uploading to FYSB. See sections A3 and A4 for more information about the partnership with HUD and its HMIS.
ACF has implemented changes to remove sexual orientation from the RHY data standards in current approved information collection requests to comply with the Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government Executive Order (Defending Women EO).
US Code:
34 USC 10101
Name of Law: Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2018
PL:
Pub.L. 110 - 378 RHYA
Name of Law: Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA), as reauthorized by the Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act of 200
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.