Family and Youth Services Bureau
Street Outreach Program

History and Purpose

Today, in communities across the country, there are young people living on the streets, running from or being asked to leave homes characterized by abuse, neglect, or parental drug or alcohol abuse. Once on the streets, such youth are at risk of being sexually exploited or abused by adults for pleasure or profit.

To prevent the sexual abuse or exploitation of these young people, and to provide them with services that help them leave the streets, Congress established the Education and Prevention Services to Reduce Sexual Abuse of Runaway, Homeless, and Street Youth Program, through the Violence Against Women Act of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (Public Law 103-322). That program created Grants for the Prevention of Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (also known as the Street Outreach Program) to fund street-based outreach and education for runaway and homeless youth and youth on the streets who have been, or are at risk of being, sexually abused and/or exploited.

Congress assigned administration of the Street Outreach Program to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Within HHS, the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) has funded communities to operate projects through the Street Outreach Program since 1996.

Today, FYSB continues to fund the Street Outreach Program through the Runaway, Homeless, and Missing Children Protection Act of 2003 (Public Law 108-96), which reauthorizes the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act and provides funding for the organizations and shelters that serve and protect runaway, homeless, missing, and sexually exploited children (to view the act, you must first download and install the free Acrobat Reader, if you have not previously done so). In FY 2003, the Street Outreach Program funded 147 programs with $13.8 million.

Services Provided

The Street Outreach Program is part of FYSB's Runaway and Homeless Youth Program. Through the program, FYSB awards grants to private, nonprofit agencies to conduct outreach designed to build relationships between grantee staff and street youth. The goal of these efforts is to help young people leave the streets. The local grantees provide a range of services directly or through collaboration with other agencies, specifically those working to protect and treat young people who have been, or who are at risk of being, subjected to sexual abuse or exploitation. These services include the following:

• Street-based education and outreach
• Access to emergency shelter
• Survival aid
• Individual assessments
• Treatment and counseling
• Prevention and education activities
• Information and referrals
• Crisis intervention
• Followup support

In addition, FYSB encourages its grantee programs to support young people through a positive youth development approach. That approach suggests that the best way to prevent young people's involvement in risky behavior is to help them achieve their full potential. Youth development strategies, therefore, focus on giving young people the chance to exercise leadership, build skills, and become involved in their communities.

FYSB's Grant Award Process

FYSB solicits applications through an annual Federal Register announcement. Applications are competitively reviewed by peer panels, and successful applicants receive 3-year grants.

For More Information

For further information about FYSB's Street Outreach Program, contact the National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth, P.O. Box 13505, Silver Spring, MD 20911-3505; (301) 608-8098; fax: (301) 608-8721; e-mail: info@ncfy.com; Web site: www.ncfy.com.

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Last revised: March 10, 2004