This bill was introduced in the Senate and is currently being reviewed by the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. It is in the early stages of the legislative process and has no upcoming votes scheduled at this time. The bill is considered active as it waits for the committee to decide on its next steps.
Legislative Progress
Senate
House
President
Law
Could go either way
The bill has strong bipartisan support from high-ranking senators and addresses a non-partisan issue, but it faces the typical hurdles of new spending in a divided Congress.
Key Points
The bill creates two new grant programs to help cities, states, and tribal organizations stop youth homelessness before it starts. It focuses on people between the ages of 12 and 26 who are at risk of losing their housing or are leaving foster care and the juvenile justice system.
Communities can apply for five-year grants ranging from $3 million to $7.5 million. This money can be used for emergency housing, job training, mental health services, and childcare for young parents. It also helps different local agencies work together more effectively to catch kids falling through the cracks.
A second capacity grant program provides up to $1.5 million for 18 months to help local groups study why youth in their area are becoming homeless. This is designed to help smaller or less-prepared organizations get ready to run larger prevention programs in the future.
To ensure the programs actually work for the people they serve, every group receiving a grant must create a youth council. These councils must mostly consist of young people who have personally experienced homelessness or were at risk of it.
The bill sets aside specific funding for rural areas and Native American tribes to make sure help reaches outside of big cities. It also includes strict rules against discrimination based on race, religion, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
Impact Analysis
Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.
Milestones
2 milestones2 actions
Mar 26, 2026Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Mar 26, 2026
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
No votes, news coverage, or related bills recorded for this bill yet.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Preventing Youth Homelessness Demonstration Act of 2026
Bill NumberS 4261
Congress119th Congress
ChamberSenate
Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
