Herrera Beutler helps secure $136,000 in funding for Vancouver Housing Authority to support foster care youth

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On Monday, Dec. 7, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that the Housing Authority of the City of Vancouver will be receiving a $136,159 grant to help prevent youth homelessness in the area.

As a senior member of the United States House Appropriations Committee, Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, helped secure the funding now being invested into the Homeless Foster Youth to Independence initiative. The initiative targets housing assistance to those under the age of 25 who have recently left the foster care system and are at risk of being homeless.



According to a news release from Herrera Beutler’s office, the United States Department of Health and Human Services found that more than 20,000 young people age out of foster care each year, and the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare (NCHCW) estimates that 25 percent of those young adults will experience homelessness within four years of leaving foster care.

“Young adults who age out of foster care face the incredible challenge of securing housing and are often left without the support they desperately need,” Herrera Beutler said in a news release. “I’m proud to have helped secure the funding necessary to jumpstart this initiative specifically targeted to help foster youth in Southwest Washington. Making sure these folks can access housing assistance so they can further their education or obtain and keep steady employment can make the difference in transitioning into a safe, secure adulthood.