[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