HUD PIH Notice § 2016-01
Family Unification Program and Family Self Sufficiency Demonstration (HUD PIH Notices)
HUD guidance — not codified law
In Force
Verified 10/14/2026 · Next check 10/21/2026
effective 10/6/2026FederalAffordable Housing ProgramsOperative Text
HUD PIH Notice § 2016-01
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Office of Public and Indian Housing
Special Attention of: Notice: PM
PIH 2016-01
2016-01
Public Housing Agencies with a
Family Unification Program; Issued: January 15, 2016
Directors of HUD Regional and Expires: Effective
Effective until
until amended,
Field Office of Public Housing superseded or rescinded
Cross references: PIH Notice 2011-52 (HA) and PIH Notice 2011-65(HA)
_____________________________________________________________________
Subject: Family Unification Program and Family Self Sufficiency Demonstration
1.
1. Announcement: PublicPublicHousing
HousingAgencies
Agencies (PHAs)
(PHAs) have
have the opportunity to
participate in a demonstration testing the effectiveness of combining housing choice
vouchers for eligible youth lacking adequate housing under the Family Unification
Program (FUP) with assistance under
under the
the Family
Family Self
Self Sufficiency
Sufficiency (FSS)
(FSS) program.
program. The
purpose is to increase opportunities for housing youth with support to achieve self-
sufficiency.
Specifically, this demonstration extends the 18-month time limit to match the length of
the FSS contract,
contract, typically
typically five years. HUD’s
five years. Appropriations'1 allows
Fiscal Year 2015 Appropriations
HUD's Fiscal
the Secretary to establish alternative requirements under section 8(x) of the United
States Housing Act of 1937 (42 (42 U.S.C.
U.S.C. 1437
1437 et
et seq.)
seq.) to
to establish
establish aa demonstration.
demonstration. This
demonstration does not waive or establish alternative requirements under the FSS
program.
HUD’s Fiscal
HUD's Fiscal Year
Year 2015
2015 Appropriations
Appropriations does
does not
not include
include an
an allocation
allocation of
of new
new FUP
FUP
Vouchers.
2. Eligibility: InInorder
orderto
toparticipate
participate in
in the
the demonstration,
demonstration, PHAs must currently
administer both FUP and an FSS program and be in compliance with all applicable civil
rights statutes and regulations.
3. Background: The Thecomprehensive
comprehensive document titled "Opening
document titled “Opening Doors: Federal
Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness”
Homelessness" sets the goal of ending homelessness
2020.2 FUP
for youth (along with families and children) by the year 2020.2 FUP is
is aa vital
vital tool in
achieving this goal. AA recent
recent study
study found
found that
that by
by age
age 26, one-third of youth who age
homelessness.3 FUP
out of foster care have had at least one episode of homelessness.3 FUP is is HUD's
HUD’s only
housing program explicitly targeted to youth aging out of foster care.
1
HUD’sFiscal
1 HUD's FiscalYear
Year2015
2015Appropriations
Appropriationsisisfound
found in
in Title
Title II,
II, Division
Division K
K of
of the
the Consolidated
Consolidated and
and Further
Further
Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015, Public Law 113-235, approved December 16, 2014.
2
2 See the full Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness at
http://usich.gov/opening_doors/ .
3
3 Courtney, M., Dworsky, A., Brown, A., Cary, C., Love, K., & Vorhies, V. (2011). Midwest evaluation of
the adult functioning of former foster youth: Outcomes at age 26. Chicago, IL: Chapin Hall at the
University of Chicago
1
In a HUD study of the FUP program, a major barrier to greater youth participation was
subsidy.4 PHAs
the time limit on the rental subsidy.4 PHAsandand public
public child
child welfare
welfare agencies (PCWAs)
suggested the 18-month time limit is too short, noting that landlords generally prefer
annual leases with full 12-month renewals. The limited
renewals. The limited time causes high turnover rates
demanding greater staff resources
resources and creating greater administrative
and creating greater administrativecosts.
costs. The 18-
month restriction also does not align with a standard academic term for youth enrolled in
an education program. Finally,
Finally, youth
youth require
require additional
additional time
time to become self-sufficient
and transition to independent living and adulthood.
4. Eligible
Eligible Youth: FUP FUPeligibility
eligibility requires
requires a dual-agency determination.
determination. The PCWA
certifies at the time of application for FUP that the youth is at least 18 years old and not
more than 21 years old (has not reached 22nd birthday) who left foster care at age 16 or
older and who does not have adequate
adequate housing.
housing. The PHA determines eligibility for
voucher assistance. Age
Age eligibility
eligibility (i.e. determining that a youth is between the ages of
18-21) is only performed at the time
time ofof admission. Youth can continue their assistance
admission. Youth
on the FUP-youth program until the time limit of the voucher is reached, even if the
youth is older than 21 at that time.
In addition, consistent with the requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
1973 (Section 504) and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990(ADA),
PHAs may be required to make reasonable accommodations in PHA policies and
practices for youth with disabilities.
Lack of adequate housing means youth is:
a) living in substandard or dilapidated housing;
b) homeless;
c) in imminent danger of losing their housing;
d) displaced by domestic violence;
e) living in an overcrowded unit; or
f) living in housing not accessible to the youth
youth or
or the
the youth’s disabled child
youth's disabled child or
or
children, due to the nature of the disability.
For additional details on youth eligibility, including definitions for the terms used to
define lack of adequate housing, see the 2010 FUP Notice of Funding Availability
(NOFA) at http://archives.hud.gov/funding/2010/fupsec.pdf.
5. Demonstration
Demonstration Outline: ProgramProgramparticipants
participants with
with aa FUP
FUP youth
youth voucher who
agree to sign an FSS Contract of Participation (Form HUD-52650) will maintain their
housing assistance for a period not exceeding the length of the FSS Contract of
In most
Participation. In most cases,
cases, this
this limit
limit will
will be
be no
no more
more than 5 years; however, if the FSS
Contract of Participation is extended, in accordance with 24 CFR 984.303(d), the FUP
youth voucher can be extended for the entire length of the FSS Contract of Participation.
4
4 See The Family Unification Program: A Housing Resource for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care available
http://www.huduser.org/portal/publications/Supportive_housing_for_youth.pdf.
at http://www.huduser.org/portal/publications/Supportive housing_for_youth.pdf.
2
Current FUP youth must be given the opportunity to participate. The FUP participant is
afforded the full length of the FSS Contract of Participation without regard to the
amount of time remaining on their original 18 month time limit.
limit
Families cannot be required to participate in the FSS program as condition of receipt of
assistance under the HCV program,
program, including
including receipt
receipt of
of aa FUP
FUP voucher.
voucher. However, only
FUP youth that sign an FSS Contract of Participation may benefit from the extension of
the time limit for voucher assistance. For example,
assistance. For 13th
example, a FUP youth participant in the 13th
month of participation is eligible to maintain assistance for the entire length of the FSS
Contract of Participation from the time the FUP youth signs such contract.
PHAs must review the availability of this demonstration with all FUP youth during the
(24 CFR
family briefing (24 CFR 982.301(a)).
982.301(a)). PHAs
PHAs must
must establish
establish written
written policies describing
how current FUP youth will be notified of this opportunity and the time frame to enroll
in the demonstration. HUDHUD encourages
encourages PHAs
PHAs to provide no less than 60 days following
notification to support FUP youth
youth enrollment. Current FUP youth participants are
enrollment. Current
eligible to enroll in this demonstration until the conclusion of the 18 month time limit of
the FUP youth voucher.
Consistentwith
6. Program Accessibility: Consistent withSection
Section 504
504 of
of the
the Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation Act and
Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and their implementing regulations, 24
CFR Part 8 (Section 504); 28 CFR Part 35 (Title II), PHAs participating in the
demonstration, must take appropriate steps to ensure effective communication with FUP
applicants, FUP participants, and members of the public with disabilities, including
during outreach, recruitment, enrollment, and trainings.
PHAs are required to provide appropriate auxiliary aids and services, such as qualified
sign language interpreters, large print, Braille, and other alternate format materials, where
necessary to afford an individual with a disability an equal opportunity to participate in,
and enjoy the benefits of, the demonstration
demonstration program
program or
or activities.
activities. PHAs must give
primary consideration to the requests of the individual with the disability in determining
what auxiliary aids and services
services are
are necessary.
necessary. PHAs participating in the demonstration
must make reasonable adjustments or modifications to their rules, policies, practices, and
procedures in order for individuals with disabilities to equally participate in and benefit
from the demonstration program
program and
and activities.
activities. PHAs must also ensure that meetings and
trainings are held in physically accessible locations.
For more information about PHA responsibilities under fair housing and civil rights laws
for individuals with disabilities, see HUD Notice
Notice PII-I
PIH 2010-26,
2010-26, at
http://www.hud.gov/offices/pih/publications/notices/10/pih2010-26.pdf.
Consistent with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, PHAs participating in the
demonstration must also take reasonable steps to ensure meaningful access to their
programs and activities to persons with
with limited
limited English
English proficiency
proficiency (LEP).
(LEP). For assistance
and information regarding LEP obligations, see
www.lep.gov/guidance/HUD_guidance_Jan07.pdf. For For more
more information
information on
on LEP, please
visit http://www.hud.gov/offices/fheo/lep.xml.
3
7. Termination: IfIfaaFUPFUPyouth
youth participating
participating in
in this
this demonstration
demonstration fails to comply
with the terms and conditions of the FSS Contract of Participation without good cause
and is terminated from the FSS program, the FUP youth is no longer considered a
participant in this demonstration. With
With FSS
FSS termination,
termination, the
the FUP youth is subject to the
statutory time limit of 18 months, beginning from the time the first HAP contract is
signed. IfIf the
the FUP
FUP youth
youth has
has been
been assisted
assisted for more than 18 months, the PHA
terminates assistance to the FUP youth household.
Prior to terminations, PHAs offer an informal hearing to a FUP youth wishing to appeal
a PHA decision to terminate. Policies
Policies specifying
specifying such
such hearing procedures are included
in
in the
the PHA’s FSS Action
PHA's FSS Action Plan.
Plan. See
SeeSection
Section 16
16 of
of this
this notice
notice for
for more information on
Plan.55 The
updating the FSS Action Plan. Therequirements
requirements ofof compliance
compliance and
and consequences for
not complying with the terms and conditions of the FSS Contract of Participation are
reviewed with the FUP youth at the time the FSS Contract of Participation is signed.
8. PCWA requirements: PCWA PCWArequirements
requirements remain
remain unchanged
unchanged under this
demonstration. TheThe PCWA
PCWA must
must offer
offer FUP
FUP youth services for the first 18 months of
their participation in FUP. A
A list
list of
of services
services the
the PCWAs
PCWAs must offer FUP youth is found
in the 2010 FUP Notice of Funding Availability under section C(1)(b)(5)(f):
http://archives.hud.gov/funding/2010/fupsec.pdf
9. Selection preference: AAPHA's
PHA’swaiting
waitinglists
listsfor
forenrollment
enrollment inin FSS
FSS can
can be a barrier
to FUP youth having access
access to
to the
the demonstration.
demonstration. To ensure prioritization and
enrollment for FUP youth before the 18 month time limit on their voucher, PHAs may
create a selection preference
preference in
in their
their FSS
FSS program.
program. This is allowed under 24 CFR
984.203 because
because the services provided through the
the services provided through the PCWA
PCWA are are considered
considered an
an “FSS
"FSS
related
related service
service program.” FUP youth
program." FUP youth participating
participating in
in the services or are on the waiting
list for the services may be considered eligible for the preference.
10.
10. Continuum of Care and Juvenile Justice System referrals: HUD HUD requires
requires
Continuums of Care (CoCs) to establish and operate a centralized or coordinated
assessment system
assessment system (commonly
(commonly referred
referred to
to as
as “coordinated
"coordinated entry”), which provides
entry"), which provides an
an
initial, comprehensive assessment of the housing and service needs of individuals and
families experiencing homelessness
homelessness (24
(24 CFR578.7(a)(8)).
CFR578.7(a)(8)). Coordinated entry helps
communities prioritize assistance based on vulnerability and severity of service needs to
more timely assist those with greatest need.
PCWAs and PHAs may accept referrals from CoCs and local Juvenile Justice Systems
for eligible youth
youth in
in support
support of community's effort
of aa community’s effort to
to prioritize
prioritize assistance.
assistance. PCWAs
and PHAs accepting referrals from CoCs and local Juvenile Justice Systems should
have a clear process outlined
outlined for
for coordinating
coordinating referrals.
referrals. PCWA certification of
5
5 This provision differs from the alternative requirement for FSS established in 79 FR 78100, Waivers and
Alternative Requirements for the Family Self-Sufficiency Program, which does not allow PHAs to terminate
voucher assistance for failure to comply
comply with
with the
the FSS
FSS Contract
Contract of
of Participation.
Participation. Because the demonstration
language that permits HUD to waive sections of Section 8(x) directly connects participation in FSS and
FUP, participation in FSS is required after
after current
current statutory
statutory time
time limit
limit of
of 18
18 months
months for
for FUP
FUP youth.
youth. PHAs
may not terminate voucher assistance for FUP youth because of failure to comply with with an
an FSS
FSS Contract of
Participation prior to the end of the first 18 months of assistance.
4
eligibility is still required, along
along with
with PCWA
PCWA services
services for
for the
the first
first 18
18 months.
months. CoC
contact information is found at:
www.hudexchange.info/grantees/?granteesaction=main.searchresults&programid=3
www.hudexchange. info/grantee s/?grantee s action=main. searchre sults &programid=3
How to
11. How to participate:
participate: PHAs
PHAsmust
mustsubmit
submit aa written
written request
request to participate in the
demonstration, signed by the PHA Executive Director and PCWA Executive Director,
and submitted electronically to FUPvouchers@hud.gov, copying the local HUD Office
of Public Housing. Submission
Submission indicates
indicates willingness
willingness to participate in the evaluation of
this demonstration, outlined in section
section 19
19 of
of this
this notice.
notice. The request must include the
following:
a) Copy of the MOU with the PCWA(s) to serve the target population;
b) Brief narratives sufficient to demonstrate:
i. Capacity to serve the target population, including outreach and engagement, a
description of plans for coordinating case management and services provided by
the PCWA with those provided through FSS, and voucher utilization.
ii. Success ofof the
the PHA’s
PHA's existing FSS program in serving residents.
iii. Partnerships, or intent to establish a partnership with local organizations that
serve homeless youth, including but not limited to participants in the CoC.
12. HUD
HUD review:
review: The
TheOffice
Officeof
ofHousing
Housing ChoiceChoice Vouchers
Vouchers Management and
Operations Division (MOD) in HUD headquarters will review submissions to ensure
completion and compliance with the requirements described in Section 11 and that the
PHA administers both FUP and an an FSS
FSS program.
program. IfIf any
any Section 11 element is missing,
or the PHA does not administer both FUP and an FSS program, HUD will notify the
PHA by email that the application is is denied
denied andand outline
outline the
the deficiencies.
deficiencies. PHAs may re-
add the
submit so to add the previously
previouslymissing
missingelements
elementsfrom
fromSection
Section1111 within
within the
the time limits
specified in the notification,
notification, subject
subject to
to aa limit
limit of
of 30
30 calendar
calendar days
daystotocorrect deficiencies. If
correctdeficiencies.
an application includes all the necessary elements outlined in Section 11 and HUD
determines sufficiency within the narrative requirements, HUD will notify the PHA of
its approval to participate via email within 30 days.
13. Deadline
Deadline to
to apply: HUD
HUDmust
mustreceive
receive all
all requests
requests to
to participate
participate in the
demonstration on or before Friday, July 15, 2016.
14. Demonstration
Demonstration period: PHAsPHAsmust
mustcontinue
continue to
to accept
accept participants
participants for the
demonstration until notified by HUD.
15. Updating
Updating PHA
PHA Policy: PHA PHApolicy
policychanges
changes in
in support
support of
of this
this demonstration
demonstration must
be adopted in the PHA’s
PHA's HCV program administrative plan plan (24
(24 CFR
CFR 982.54).
982.54). Where
amendments to
changes to policies are significant amendments to the
the PHA’s Annual Plan,
PHA's Annual Plan, the
the PHA
must comply with the amendment provisions (24 CFR 903.21), including soliciting
public comment and consulting with the resident advisory board.
16. Updating the FSS action plan: Prior
Priorto
toimplementing
implementing the
the demonstration,
demonstration, the PHA
must submit revisions of the FSS action plan to FUPvouchers@hud.gov and their HUD
Field Office. The
The review
review will
will be
be conducted
conducted by the HUD Field Office.
5
The FSS action plan must be amended in accordance with the outline provided in Section
5 of this notice and include the following:
• Description of notification and outreach
outreach to
to recruit
recruit FUP
FUP youth.
youth. See 24 CFR 984.201
(d)(6) for additional information regarding outreach;
• Requirements and expectations of participating FUP youth; and
• Description of PHA policies concerning termination of the FUP youth voucher as
described in 24 CFR 984.201(d)(9).
PHAs assess the need to amend the FSS action plan in the following areas:
• FSS family selection procedures per 24 CFR 984.203(a);
• Motivation as a selection factor per 24 CFR 984.203(c);
• Allowance of interim disbursements of escrow funds to the FUP youth per 24 CFR
984.305(c)(2)(ii); and
• FSS program size per 24 CFR 984.201(d)(2).
Per 24 CFR 984.201, revisions of an approved action plan require HUD approval,
requiring PHAs to submit changes
changes to
to HUD. In addition
HUD. In addition to action plan updates, PHAs
may incorporate the local PCWA on the FSS Program Coordinating Committee (PCC)
per 24 CFR 984.202.
PHAs should work in collaboration with the PCWA in developing FSS action plan
policies that seek to ensure successful
successful implementation
implementation of
of this
this demonstration.
demonstration. Such
policies include establishing outreach efforts that effectively recruit FUP youth and
determining suitable approaches
approaches for
for the
the FUP
FUP youth.
youth. Approach options include
education/training as a first phase (i.e. during FSS participation, participants focus on
activities such as securing a GED, job-specific skills, or a degree) or a work-first
approach (i.e. the participant focuses on seeking and maintaining employment).
PCWAs must provide or secure service commitments for FUP youth for the first 18
Services may
months. Services may include
include federal
federal and
and non-federal
non-federal sources, other than those
currently provided to FSS participants.
17.
17. IMS/PIC Reporting: PHAs PHAsmust
mustenter
entercode
code FUPY
FUPY in in line
line 2n
2n of
of the Family Report
(HUD-50058) or line 2p of the MTW Family Report (HUD-50058 MTW), as applicable,
to indicate participation in the demonstration
demonstration by by FUP-eligible
FUP-eligible youth.
youth. These codes remain
on the Family Report
Report for
for the
the duration
duration of
of the
the FUP youth's participation.
FUP youth’s PIH Notice
participation. See PHI
2011-52 for additional information on FUP reporting requirements.
Reporting requirements for the FSS program
program can
can be
be found
found in
in Notice
Notice PIH
PM 2011-65.
18.
18. Portability: Participation
Participationin
inthis
thisdemonstration
demonstration does
does not
not alter
alter portability provisions
under the FSS regulations and the FSS Program Contract of Participation (Form HUD-
52650).
19.
19. Evaluation: TheTheauthorizing
authorizingprovisions
provisions for
for this
this demonstration
demonstration include
include a requirement
for HUD to monitor and evaluate the demonstration and report on whether the
demonstration helped homeless youth
youth achieve
achieve self-sufficiency.
self-sufficiency. Participating PHAs must
agree to participate in an evaluation
evaluation of
of the
the demonstration
demonstration toto be
be carried
carried out
outby
byHUD.
HUD. To
6
analyze the implementation of the program and outcomes for program participants, any of
the following methodologies may be employed by HUD: phone interviews, site visits,
focus groups, online surveys, and/or the review of administrative data.
20. Paperwork Reduction Act: The Theinformation
informationcollection
collection requirements
requirements contained in
this notice are approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the
Paperwork Reduction
Reduction Act
Act (PRA)
(PRA) ofof 1995
1995 (44
(44U.S.C
U.S.0 3520). In accordance
3520). In accordance with the PRA,
HUD may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection
of information unless the collection displays a currently valid OMB control number. The
following active information collection contained in this notice has been approved under
OMB Control Numbers 2577-0083, 2577-0169, and 2577-0259.
21. Further Information: DirectDirectquestions
questions concerning
concerning this notice to:
FUPvouchers@hud.gov or your local HUD Office of of Public
Public and
and Indian
Indian Housing.
Housing. Contact
information
information isis available
available on
on HUD’s website at
HUD's website at
http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/public_indian_housing/about/
http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program offices/public indian housing/about/
field_office. Personswith
field office. Persons withhearing
hearingor
orspeech
speech impairments
impairments may
may access
access their local HUD
Office of Public Housing via TTY by calling the Federal Information Relay Service at
(800) 877-8339.
/s/
Lourdes Castro Ramírez,
Ramirez, Principal Deputy
Acting Assistant Secretary for
Public and Indian Housing
7
Source: Legislative text reproduced verbatim
Plain English
PIH Notice 2016-01 establishes a demonstration program that allows Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) to combine Family Unification Program (FUP) housing choice vouchers for eligible youth with the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program. Under this demonstration, the standard 18-month time limit on FUP youth vouchers is extended to match the length of an FSS Contract of Participation, typically up to five years. Youth who voluntarily sign an FSS Contract of Participation gain access to the extended voucher period, while those who do not sign remain subject to the original 18-month limit. Participation in the FSS program cannot be made a condition of receiving a FUP voucher in the first place.
Written by anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 · Reviewed on October 7, 2026
Plain English — not legal advice.
For Property Managers
Under PIH Notice 2016-01, PHAs administering both FUP and FSS programs may participate in this demonstration, which extends the rental subsidy period for eligible youth from 18 months to up to five years. Compliant PHAs establish written policies for notifying FUP youth of the opportunity, provide at least 60 days for enrollment, update their HCV administrative plan per 24 CFR 982.54, and submit revised FSS action plans to HUD before implementation. PHAs also ensure program accessibility for individuals with disabilities and limited English proficiency, and maintain proper IMS/PIC reporting using code FUPY on the Family Report (HUD-50058) as required by this notice.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
For Tenants
PIH Notice 2016-01 gives eligible FUP youth—those between ages 18 and 21 who left foster care at 16 or older and lack adequate housing—the opportunity to voluntarily extend their housing voucher assistance beyond the standard 18-month limit by signing an FSS Contract of Participation. Signing the FSS contract is entirely voluntary; a PHA cannot require FSS participation as a condition of receiving a FUP voucher. Youth who believe their rights under this notice have not been honored, including the right to be informed of the demonstration during their family briefing per 24 CFR 982.301(a), may contact their local HUD Office of Public Housing, reach out to a tenant-rights or youth-advocacy organization, or submit questions directly to FUPvouchers@hud.gov as outlined in Section 21 of the notice.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated October 7, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
Current
Oct 6, 2026
Click on timeline segments to view historical versions.
References Out
No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.
References In
No inbound references recorded yet for this provision.
Related Rules
§ 574.605
§ 574.605 Applicability of uniform administrative requirements, cost principles, and audit requirements for Federal awards.
§ 574.625
§ 574.625 Conflict of interest.
§ 574.645
§ 574.645 Coastal barriers.