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Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program

YHDP Local Competition

YHDP is a HUD grant that pays for housing and support services for people age 24 and under who are experiencing homelessness. The Maricopa Regional CoC is preparing to compete for it, and youth-serving organizations can be part of that. We are still building the local competition, and this page is where we will post each piece as it comes together.

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Who it serves
Youth age 24 and under
What it funds
Housing and services
Award range (HUD)
$500,000 to $15 million
Local application
Due July 27, 2026, 11:59 p.m.

The local application is due 11:59 p.m. on July 27, 2026.

Apply Now (opens in a new tab)

About the competition

What YHDP is

The Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program is a HUD grant for communities that want to build a stronger response to youth homelessness. It funds housing for people age 24 and under, along with the services that help young people stay housed: physical and mental health care, substance use support, help after abuse or violence at home, and support finding work. HUD published the funding notice, the "Youth Homelessness NOFO for FY24 and FY25" (No. CPD-2600-DC-0035), on June 10, 2026.

How the local competition fits in

Providers do not apply to HUD on their own. The region runs a local competition instead: youth-serving organizations propose projects, a review committee scores and ranks them, and the strongest projects go into the application the region sends to HUD. This year the competition runs on a tight schedule, at the same time as the application, so organizations need to be ready to move quickly.

New applicants are welcome

This works differently from the annual CoC NOFO. There are no renewal projects, so every organization is applying for the first time. If you have never taken on a federal grant, we understand it can feel like a lot, and we still want you to apply. What matters most is that you know how to reach young people and support them well. If the process is new to you, the CoC will walk you through it. Reach us at hsinfo@azmag.gov.

How the local competition works

  1. 1

    Notice of Intent to Apply

    Tell us you might apply. It is short and not binding, and it is open now through July 6.

  2. 2

    Local application

    Submit a project through the local application portal.

  3. 3

    Review and ranking

    A trained committee with no stake in the outcome scores each project against a scorecard and ranks them. Scorecards may be found in the Documents section below.

  4. 4

    Submission to HUD

    The Maricopa Youth Action Board approves the ranked list. Maricopa's list joins the Balance of State CoC's, and MAG sends the combined application to HUD.

How to get ready

The competition will move fast once it opens. A few things you can do now:

Submit the Notice of Intent

The one thing that matters right now. It takes a few minutes and is due July 6. Open the form.

Read the grant announcement

HUD's FY24/FY25 Youth Homelessness NOFO spells out what the money can pay for and who can apply.

Check your registrations

Make sure your SAM.gov registration is active. It can take a few weeks to sort out, so start now if you are not sure.

Get involved with the CoC and youth

Come to Board and committee meetings, talk with young people about what they need, and put your partnerships in writing.

Sign up for the CoC newsletter

It is how we will announce the timeline, scorecard, and portal as soon as they are ready. Sign up here.

Learn how CoC grants work

Two recorded webinars from the CoC team cover the basics of the CoC Program and what it takes to run a federal grant. If HUD funding is new to you, they answer a lot of the early questions about grant administration and readiness.

Worth knowing: both sessions were recorded for the annual CoC Program competition, not for YHDP. The two are different grants, so the eligibility, timeline, and application steps do not all carry over. Use them as general background on how CoC grants and grant readiness work, and follow this page for anything specific to YHDP.

CoC 101 and NOFO Preparedness Webinar. An overview of the CoC Program and how to get ready to apply, with a roundtable of local providers.
NOFO Local Competition Launch Session. A walk through how the annual CoC local competition runs, start to finish.

Documents

This section contains local competition materials

Have a question, or want to talk through a project idea? Email the CoC team at hsinfo@azmag.gov. We are glad to help newer applicants figure out where to start.

Questions we are hearing

A HUD grant that funds a community's response to youth homelessness for people age 24 and under. It pays for housing and the services young people need to stay housed. HUD released the funding notice, the "Youth Homelessness NOFO for FY24 and FY25" (No. CPD-2600-DC-0035), on June 10, 2026.
Yes. If your organization might apply, complete the Notice of Intent to Apply by 11:59 p.m. on July 6. It is short and not binding. It helps us plan the competition and makes sure you get the timeline, scorecard, and portal as soon as they are out.
We encourage you to apply regardless of your experience with federal funding. This is not the annual CoC NOFO, so there are no renewal projects and every applicant is new. What we are looking for is organizations that know how to serve and support young people. If a HUD application is new to you, say so and the CoC will help you through it. Under the NOFO, eligible applicants include nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status, state and local governments, tribes and tribal organizations, public housing agencies, and public or state colleges and universities. Individuals, foreign entities, and sole proprietorships cannot apply.
It is still being built. The timeline, the scorecard, and the application portal are all in progress, and each will be posted here as it is finished. In general, you will submit a local application, a trained committee will score and rank it against a scorecard, and the CoC Board will approve the ranked list the region sends to HUD. One thing to plan for: the competition runs on a short window this year, so it will move faster than in the past.
Yes. This year's NOFO lets neighboring regions apply together for the first time. The Maricopa Regional CoC and Arizona's Balance of State CoC are applying jointly, which mirrors the way the two already work together through the YHSI initiative. Each region runs its own local competition and ranking, and the two lists are combined into one application that shares funding across the regions.
MAG does, as the Collaborative Applicant for the Maricopa Regional CoC, together with the Balance of State CoC in one application. Providers take part through the local competition rather than applying to HUD on their own. The projects chosen and ranked here are the ones carried into the region's application.
Two steps: submit the Notice of Intent to Apply, and sign up for the CoC newsletter on this page. Everything, including the timeline, scorecard, portal, and any change in plan, will be posted here and sent through those channels.
Yes, Supportive Services Only outreach activities are eligible under YHDP.
Yes, YHDP offers funding for programs serving youth as defined by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, including those aged 18-24, as well as unaccompanied minors.

Keep up as the competition takes shape

The timeline, scorecard, and portal are still on the way. Submit your Notice of Intent to Apply and sign up for the CoC newsletter so you do not miss anything.

Notice of Intent to Apply (opens in a new tab) Sign up for the newsletter