OJJDP FY 2022 Supporting Vulnerable At-Risk Youth and Youth Transitioning Out of Foster Care

OJP is committed to advancing work that promotes civil rights and racial equity, increases access to justice, supports crime victims and individuals impacted by the justice system, strengthens community safety and protects the public from crime and evolving threats and builds trust between law enforcement and the community. OJJDP envisions a nation where children are free from crime and violence. Youth contact with the justice system should be rare, fair, and beneficial to them.

The OJJDP FY 2022 Supporting Vulnerable At-Risk Youth and Youth Transitioning Out of Foster Care solicitation supports the establishment of a pilot demonstration program to develop, implement, and build replicable treatment models for residential-based innovative care, treatment, and services. The primary population served by such pilot programs shall include adolescents and youth transitioning out of foster care who have experienced a history of foster care involvement, child poverty, child abuse or neglect, human trafficking, juvenile justice involvement, substance use or misuse, or gang involvement. Eligible applicants can provide services to youth and young adults up to and including age 25.

Consistent with the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 (Family First), OJJDP believes that children should be kept safely with their families to avoid the trauma that results when children are placed in out-of-home care. To increase the number of children who can remain safely at home with their families, Family First provides families with greater access to mental health services, substance use treatment, and/or improved parenting skills. This law significantly shifts how the country provides services for families and youth. In particular, it changed the role of community service providers, how courts advocate and make decisions for families, and the types of placements that youth placed in out-of-home care experience. Similar to Family First, the 2018 reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act also emphasizes the value of keeping youth in their homes and families, over out-of-home placements and incarceration. Other common values between the two Acts include: commitment to evidence-based and promising practices, increasing access to education and workforce development opportunities, and a focus on prevention. This solicitation recognizes the need to offer high quality services and treatment to help put youth who are transitioning from foster care on a track for success. Funding may not be used to expand the capacity of residential- facilities through construction of additional units or bed capacity.

Category 1: Project Sites. Funding under this category will support the efforts of eligible applicant organizations to develop or enhance their capacity to support at-risk and vulnerable youth transitioning out of foster care by funding implementation of replicable models for residential-based innovative care, treatment, and services. Funds may not be used for construction of new units or increased bed capacity for youth.

Category 2: Training and Technical Assistance. Funding under this category will support a training and technical assistance provider to support the Category 1 project sites and increase awareness of innovative treatment models for vulnerable and at-risk youth transitioning out of foster care for other interested communities.