Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) vouchers help pay rent for young adults ages 18–24 who have left foster care, or are about to, and have been homeless or at risk of homelessness at any point after age 16. Your child welfare agency must refer you. No cost to ask; you may still owe part of the rent.
Step by Step Options
Tell your caseworker or independent living worker you want an FYI voucher.
If you've already left care, enter your ZIP code in the box below and tap FIND FYI CONTACTS. Housing offices nearest you appear right under the box, closest first, each with a website, email, or phone number you can tap.
Contact the housing agency that serves your address. If it does not have an FYI voucher ready, ask it to request one from HUD for you. You can also ask about FUP youth vouchers.
Another option: scroll below to the list of states and open your state to see every housing office listed there, each with its website, email, or phone.
If you cannot locate a local housing agency, call HUD's free help line. Someone there can look up the agency that serves your address, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern.
A short message for your housing office — by phone or email.
Find Housing Offices Near You
You don’t need to know your county. Type your 5-digit ZIP code and tap FIND FYI CONTACTS — the page jumps right to the offices nearest you, closest first, each with a website, email, or phone to tap.
Know Your Rights
If you qualify, you should not be turned away without help.
Ask your caseworker to refer you for an FYI voucher — in writing if you can.
Ask the housing agency to request a voucher from HUD if none is ready.
Told no? Ask for the reason in writing and ask for a supervisor.
Still turned away? Contact HUD using the help line below.
Who qualifies: Youth who have left foster care or will leave soon qualify if they have been homeless or at risk of homelessness at any point after age 16.
When to ask: You can be referred for an FYI voucher up to 180 days before you leave care. HUD describes an intended funding process of 60 business days for the agency's paperwork — not a promise that you will receive a voucher or housing within that time.
How long help lasts: FYI assistance generally lasts up to 36 months; qualifying youth may receive an extension of up to 24 months. FUP has a separate youth pathway as well as a family pathway; the contacts here are for youth housing help.
How to earn the extension: The extension is generally earned by working, attending school, or joining HUD's Family Self-Sufficiency program.
What you pay toward rent: You generally pay about 30% of your monthly income toward rent, and the voucher covers the rest.
Where your request goes: Your local HUD office and your public housing agency (PHA) can tell you which housing resources and opportunities exist in your community. A county with no listing here is not a dead end: HUD can tell you which agency serves your address and whether it is taking youth referrals now. There is no cost to ask.
Do not send your housing request to FYI@hud.gov. That address does not take individual housing requests — your request has to go to the office and agency that serve where you live.
You can browse this directory without an account or sharing personal information. The housing or child welfare agency will handle any eligibility documents directly.
Nationwide
Melania Trump Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) Housing Vouchers
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Nationwide
The Melania Trump Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) program makes Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance available through local Public Housing Agencies working with child welfare agencies, for young people who have left or are leaving foster care and are homeless or at risk of homelessness. FYI referrals come from your child welfare agency, so ask your caseworker or independent living worker to make an FYI referral, then use the locator to find and contact the housing agency for your area.
Who Qualifies: As stated by HUD: youth at least 18 years and not more than 24 years of age (have not reached their 25th birthday) who left foster care, or will leave foster care within 180 days in accordance with a transition plan described in Section 475(5)(H) of the Social Security Act, and are homeless or are at risk of becoming homelessness at age 16 or older.
How to Access: Referral required. Vouchers are requested by the Public Housing Agency, not by individuals. Contact your local Public Housing Agency and your child welfare worker to ask whether FYI vouchers are available in your area.
Available nationwide, but only where the local Public Housing Agency participates and has vouchers available.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Nationwide
Enter your ZIP code to find housing agencies that run housing vouchers, with verified office addresses and phone numbers from HUD's official contact list. Call and ask whether the office serves your address and handles FYI, FUP and Section 8 vouchers. If no local office is listed, statewide agencies and HUD's help line are shown. There is no cost to ask.
Who Qualifies: Open to anyone.
How to Access: Free to use. Waitlists and income limits apply to the housing you find.
Family Unification Program (FUP) Rent Vouchers for Youth Leaving Foster Care
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Nationwide
FUP rent vouchers help pay rent for up to 36 months (sometimes longer) for young people 18 up to their 25th birthday who left or are leaving foster care within 90 days and are homeless or at risk. You cannot apply to HUD directly — ask your caseworker or child welfare agency to refer you to the housing authority that runs FUP in your area.
Who Qualifies: Ages 18 up to the 25th birthday, leaving foster care within 90 days, homeless or at risk of homelessness since age 16.
How to Access: Referral must come from your public child welfare agency. Not every housing authority has FUP vouchers.
FYI Housing Information for Young Adults Leaving Foster Care
National Center for Housing and Child Welfare (NCHCW)
Nationwide
NCHCW explains HUD’s Foster Youth to Independence (FYI) initiative and how child-welfare agencies and public housing agencies work together on voucher referrals. Use it to understand the process, then ask your caseworker or child-welfare agency about a referral. NCHCW does not issue vouchers, provide housing or make eligibility decisions.
Who Qualifies: Current and former foster youth and young adults aging out of care who want to understand FYI and youth housing referral pathways. FYI eligibility is decided by the participating agencies.
How to Access: Read the public FYI overview; no account is required to view it. For voucher help, ask your child-welfare agency or caseworker to identify the participating public housing agency for your address.
Contact: 301-699-0151 · info@nchcw.org
Information and advocacy only: NCHCW does not issue vouchers or provide housing. Ask your caseworker or child-welfare agency to identify the participating housing agency and required referral. FYI assistance is not guaranteed; participation, referral acceptance and openings vary. A voucher helps cover rent, and you may still be responsible for part of it. There is no cost to ask an agency about a referral.
Every verified office in our contact directory is listed below. Confirm that an office serves your address and handles FYI or FUP youth referrals; a listing does not mean youth vouchers are available.