# 119-s-4854: Foster Youth Housing Opportunity Act

119-s-4854, Foster Youth Housing Opportunity Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA] (R-IA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-29).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4854
- As of: 2026-07-29
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4854
- Congress: 119
- Title: Foster Youth Housing Opportunity Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-06-23
- Sponsor: Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA] (R-IA)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Families
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-07-29

## Summary

**Expands housing access for foster youth** by linking federal foster care services to HUD housing programs and letting states fund housing-focused supportive services for older youth. - Current and former foster youth would get explicit access to housing supports, including youth age 18 and older and those who have not attained 26 years of age. - Public housing agencies and state child welfare agencies would be pushed to coordinate, especially for housing assistance under section 8(x) of the U.S. Housing Act, and HHS and HUD would have to issue joint guidance within 1 year to align policies and best practices. - States could use their section 477 allotments to offer "housing supportive services" such as life skills, financial literacy, rental lease counseling, help with security deposits, utility connection fees, and moving costs; those expenditures would not count as room and board and the spending cap would be an average of not more than 30 percent over the 5 fiscal years covered by a state application.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT), 2026-06-23T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- HHS and HUD guidance for housing: benefit, low. This bill would require the HHS and HUD Secretaries to issue joint guidance within one year. The guidance would explain how child welfare and public housing agencies should work together, clarify use of section 477 funds for housing supports, and describe best partnership practices. It would also r…
- Report on foster youth housing outcomes: benefit, low. This bill would add housing access to the list of outcomes States must measure under section 477 evaluations. If enacted, HHS, working with HUD, would have to send Congress a report within three years. The report would show how many eligible youth with foster care histories receive federal housing…
- One-year delay before changes: cost, low. This bill would make all of its amendments take effect one year after enactment. If enacted, any new services, guidance, or reporting requirements would be delayed until that date.
- More housing help for foster youth: mixed, medium. This bill would let States use section 477 funds to help eligible foster youth get and keep housing. If enacted, eligible youth who receive HUD section 8(x) help could get counseling on leases and credit, and direct help with security deposits, utility hookups, moving costs, and other tenancy fees.…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-836: Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act
- 119-s-2904: SHADOW Fleet Sanctions Act of 2026
- 119-s-2355: Patients Deserve Price Tags Act
- 119-s-2461: Promotion and Expansion of Private Employee Ownership Act of 2025
- 119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-4854 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4854)

## Related
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-836: Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-836)
- [119-s-2904: SHADOW Fleet Sanctions Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2904)
- [119-s-2355: Patients Deserve Price Tags Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2355)
- [119-s-2461: Promotion and Expansion of Private Employee Ownership Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2461)
- [119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1241)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4854 (as of 2026-07-29).