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Lavain Henderson, a youth mentor with Youth United for Community Action (YUCA), sits outside the organization’s office in East Palo Alto on Dec. 11, 2025. Henderson, who previously experienced homelessness, works with young people as YUCA faces uncertainty tied to federal cuts to permanent supportive housing funding.

In fiscal year 2018, California began reserving 5% of homelessness funding for youth — what it calls the “youth set aside.” And by fiscal year 2021, the state had increased that set-aside to 10%.

“We’re seeing something different than what’s happening nationally and what’s happening among the general population in California,” Tureck Lee said. “We really attribute those changes to these major state investments that came after years of lack of investment.”

But in November, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued new guidelines for homelessness funding. The changes include tighter restrictions on which organizations qualify for support and how funds can be used, a change that Tureck Lee said could impact youth homelessness organizations in California.