BOISE — Idaho has received $7 million in federal grants to develop resources for homeless youth.
Two separate grants were awarded Monday: $3.2 million was awarded to the city of Boise’s Our Path Home and $3.8 million was awarded to the Idaho’s Housing and Finance Association (IHFA). The funding is part of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program that provides funding for select communities across the country in the effort to provide resources for the youngest members of the homeless population — specifically those aged 23 and younger.
In Idaho, there are thousands of kids in the state that are either in unstable housing, living out of their car or couch surfing, Brady Ellis, IHFA’s community housing vice president, said. According to the organization’s 2023 report on homelessness in Idaho, there were 2,614 homeless youth — defined as being under the age of 18 — in Idaho, including those living alone and those living with families.