HR6403-119

What This Bill Does

The Homeless Children and Youth Act of 2025 makes the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act definition and data rules more inclusive. It expands homeless status for children or youth already verified as homeless under another federal program without further HUD action, lengthens certain temporary-sharing or accommodation periods from 14 days to 30 days, and updates the domestic-violence standard to include people experiencing or having experienced domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, human trafficking, or other dangerous or life-threatening conditions that made current housing unsafe or caused homelessness. It directs HUD, when issuing rules, guidance, funding notices, or conditions, to make all people defined as homeless under the amended provisions eligible for any McKinney-Vento program or component and to give proposed programs and housing or service models equal priority, points, or weight. It also revises cross-program definitions, adds references to children under 5, youth and young adults ages 14 through 24, and trafficking victims, requires annual HMIS submissions, makes HMIS data publicly available on HUD website, and requires annual reports to Congress on activities, data from other federal statutes, duplication in point-in-time counts, and methods to avoid double counting.

Who Benefits and How

Homeless children, youth, young adults, and families benefit because verification under another federal program can make them eligible for HUD homelessness programs without a second HUD-specific determination. Survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, trafficking, and other dangerous housing conditions benefit because the definition better captures unsafe housing situations. Service providers benefit if HUD scoring and guidance can no longer downgrade models serving newly included groups. Researchers, advocates, and Congress benefit from public HMIS data and annual reports on counts, assistance patterns, women experiencing homelessness, and duplication across programs.

Who Bears the Burden and How

HUD must revise rules, guidance, funding notices, eligibility conditions, HMIS publication practices, and annual congressional reports. Continuum of Care collaborative applicants and service providers must adjust eligibility screening, HMIS submissions, and program applications. HUD and local administrators must manage duplication concerns in point-in-time counts. Some existing program applicants may face more competition as more children, youth, families, and survivors qualify for equal priority.

Key Provisions

• Amends McKinney-Vento to recognize children or youth verified as homeless under other federal programs without further HUD action.
• Expands unsafe-housing language to include domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, human trafficking, and other life-threatening conditions.
• Requires HUD guidance and funding conditions to give all amended-definition homeless populations and service models equal eligibility and priority.
• Adds references to children under 5, youth and young adults ages 14 through 24, and trafficking victims in program definitions.
• Requires annual HMIS data submission and public HUD posting of counts, assistance patterns, collaborative-applicant counts, and data on homeless women.
• Requires annual reports to Congress on activities, other federal program data, possible duplication, and point-in-time count practices.