Family Unification Program (FUP)

Families for whom the lack of adequate housing is a primary factor in either the imminent placement of the family’s child or children in out-of-home care or  the delay in the discharge of the child or children to the family from out-of-home care and Youth 18 to 24 years of age (who have not reached their 25th birthday) who left foster care – or will within 180 days – and are homeless or are at risk of becoming homeless.

For children/adolescents ages: 18 - 24

For parents/caregivers of children ages: 18 - 24

Public housing agencies (PHAs) administer FUP in partnership with Public Child Welfare Agencies (PCWAs). The PCWA initially determines if the family or youth meets the FUP eligibility requirements, certifies that the family or youth is eligible, and refers those families and youth to the PHA. Once the PCWA makes the referral, the PHA places the FUP applicant on its Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) waiting list and determines whether the family meets HCV program eligibility requirements, including income eligibility. The PHA conducts all other processes relating to voucher issuance and administration. The program does not require PCWAs to provide supportive services for families; however, PCWAs may make them available to families as well. Examples of the skills targeted by these supportive services can include money management skills, job preparation, educational counseling, and proper nutrition and meal preparation.

Department of Housing and Urban Development

• www.hud.gov/helping-americans/housing-choice-vouchers-family
• Email: fupvouchers@Hud.gov

The goals of the Family Unification Program (FUP) are:

• Prevent and reduce homelessness for families and youth involved in the child welfare system.
• Provide a safe and stable environment for families and youth to achieve self-sufficiency.

The essential components of the Family Unification Program (FUP) include:

• • Rental assistance in the form of a housing choice voucher
  • Supportive services such as job preparation, money management, educational counseling
  • Interpretative language services may be available at the Public Housing Authority agency.

Child/Adolescent Services

Family Unification Program (FUP) directly provides services to children and addresses the following:

• 18 to 24 years of age (who have not reached their 25th birthday) who left foster care – or will within 180 days – and are homeless or are at risk of becoming homeless.

Parent/Caregiver Services

Family Unification Program (FUP) directly provides services to parents/caregivers and addresses the following:

• Families for whom the lack of adequate housing is a primary factor in either the imminent placement of the family’s child or children in out-of-home care or the delay in the discharge of the child or children to the family from out-of-home care

Recommended Intensity

Families apply for the program and may receive supportive services which vary in length and frequency. There is no time limit on vouchers issued to families. Vouchers issued to youth are time-limited and encourage self-sufficiency and participation in the workforce. Youth receive housing assistance for 36 months, unless the youth meets the requirements to extend assistance under the Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities (FSHO). Under these amendments, youth may receive up to an additional 24 months of assistance if they meet certain requirements, including participation in a Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program or engagement in education, workforce development, or employment activities.

Recommended Duration

Once the family is approved, the family is in the program. Eligibility is reviewed on an annual basis.

Delivery Settings

This program is typically conducted in a(n):

• Other

Homework

This program does not include a homework component.

Resources Needed to Run Program

The typical resources for implementing the program are:

Office workers to receive and process the applications. Staff to provide supportive services if provided.

Prerequisite/Minimum Provider Qualifications

Only Public Housing Authority agencies can administer this program.

Manual Information

There is a manual that describes how to deliver this program.

Program Manual(s)

This is a federal program that Public Housing Agencies can apply to implement. For more information on the program, please see this webpage that describes program specifics: https://www.hud.gov/helping-americans/housing-choice-vouchers-family

Training Information

There is no training information available for this program.

Pre-Implementation Materials

There are no pre-implementation materials to measure organizational or provider readiness for Family Unification Program.

Formal Support for Implementation

There is no formal support available for implementation of Family Unification Program.

Fidelity Measures

There are no fidelity measures for Family Unification Program.

Established Psychometrics

There are no established psychometrics for Family Unification Program.

Fidelity Measures Required

No fidelity measures are required for Family Unification Program.

Implementation Guides or Manuals

There are no implementation guides or manuals for Family Unification Program.

Implementation Cost

There are no studies of the costs of Family Unification Program.

Research on How to Implement the Program

Research has not been conducted on how to implement Family Unification Program.

Child Welfare Outcomes: Child/Family Well-Being, Permanency, Safety

“What is included in the Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research section?”

• Fowler, P. J., Brown, D. S., Schoeny, M., & Chung, S. (2018). Homelessness in the child welfare system: A randomized controlled trial to assess the impact of housing subsidies on foster care placements and costs. Child Abuse & Neglect, 83, 52–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.07.014

  Type of Study: Randomized controlled trial

  Number of participants: 514

  Population:

  • Age — Intervention: Mean=6.28 years; Control: Mean=6.5 years
  • Race/Ethnicity — Intervention: 74% Black/African American, 14% Other, 9% White, and 3% Hispanic; Control: 72% Black/African American, 14% Hispanic, 11% White, and 4% Other
  • Gender — Intervention: 47% Female; Control: 51% Female
  • Status —

    Participants were children referred to child welfare.

  Location/Institution: Chicago, Illinois

  Summary:

  The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of the Family Unification Program (FUP) on foster care placement and costs. Participants were randomized to either FUP + housing advocacy or housing advocacy alone. Measures utilized include child welfare administrative data. Results indicate that FUP exhibited slower increases in rates of foster placement following housing intervention compared with families referred for housing advocacy alone. The program generates average savings of nearly $500 per family per year to the foster care system. Housing subsidies provide the foster care system with small but significant benefits for keeping homeless families together. Limitations include the utilization of a single-study site; the exclusion of families working toward reunification with children already placed out of the home; the active control condition provides more housing resources than are available in most communities, which may obscure larger effects in other child welfare agencies; and finally, a lack of controlled postintervention follow-up.

  Length of controlled postintervention follow-up: None.

• Note: The following studies were not included in rating Family Unification Program on the Scientific Rating Scale.

  Fowler, P. J., & Chavira, D. (2014). Family Unification Program: Housing services for homeless child welfare–involved families. Housing Policy Debate, 24(4), 802–814. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511482.2014.881902

  Summary:

  The purpose of the study was to test the effectiveness of the Family Unification Program (FUP) in stabilizing families at risk for parent–child separation by addressing housing needs. Participants were randomized to either FUP or services-as-usual. Measures utilized include a life events calendar recording family homelessness and out-of-home placement. Results indicate that families referred to FUP experienced a lower risk for homelessness and out-of-home placement compared with child welfare services as usual. Limitations include the lack of standardized measures and the lack of controlled postintervention follow-up. Note: This article was not used in the rating process due to the lack of standardized measures.

• Pergamit, M., Cunningham, M., & Hanson, D. (2017). The impact of Family Unification housing vouchers on child welfare outcomes. American Journal of Community Psychology, 60(1-2), 103–113. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12136

  Summary:

  The purpose of the study was to address whether providing housing vouchers through the Family Unification Program (FUP) to families involved in the child welfare system reduces child maltreatment and the need for child welfare services. Participants were either a part of the FUP group or the waitlist comparison group. Measures utilized include child welfare administrative data. Results indicate there was little impact of FUP on preventing child removal from the home, but some positive impact on reunification among children already placed out of the home. Hazard estimations show receipt of FUP speeds up child welfare case closure. Impacts on new reports of abuse and neglect are mixed but point toward reduced reports. Low rates of removal among intact comparison families and high rates of reunification for children in out-of-home care suggest poor targeting of housing resources. Housing vouchers are being given to families, not bearing the risks the program is intended to address. Limitations include a weakness in the research design, such as families being able to move from the waitlist and be referred to the housing authority for treatment as time passes, which creates difficulties in defining the appropriate treatment and comparison groups, and a lack of controlled postintervention follow-up. Note: This article was not used in the rating process due to the lack of standardized measures.