Special-purpose vouchers: HUD-VASH, Mainstream, FUP, and FYI

How targeted vouchers work

Congress funds several categories of vouchers for specific populations. Once issued, they generally work like regular Housing Choice Vouchers: the family rents from a private owner, pays about 30% of adjusted income toward rent and utilities, and the unit must pass inspection. The main differences are who qualifies, how people are referred, and in some cases time limits or supportive services.

HUD-VASH (veterans)

HUD-VASH combines a voucher from a housing authority with case management and clinical services from the VA.

• Eligibility: a veteran who is homeless (or in some cases at imminent risk), determined eligible and referred by the VA—including many veterans with other-than-honorable discharges.
• Income: since HUD’s August 2024 update to the operating requirements, initial eligibility is set at 80% of area median income, and VA service-connected disability compensation is excluded when determining income eligibility (it still counts when rent is calculated).
• Screening: housing authorities may deny only for lifetime sex-offender registration; other criminal-history screening is waived for HUD-VASH admissions.
• Housing First: the program is designed to move veterans into housing quickly and provide services afterward.

How to start: contact the homeless program at your nearest VA medical center, or call the National Call Center for Homeless Veterans at 877-424-3838 (24/7). See veteran housing help.

Mainstream and NED vouchers (people with disabilities)

• Mainstream vouchers serve households where at least one adult member age 18 to 61 has a disability. Many agencies prioritize people transitioning out of institutions, at serious risk of institutionalization, homeless, or at risk of homelessness.
• Non-Elderly Disabled (NED) vouchers serve similar households and were created to help people leave nursing homes or when some public housing was designated for elderly residents only.
• Families usually apply through the housing authority’s regular waiting list; the agency selects eligible applicants for these vouchers. Some agencies partner with state Medicaid or disability agencies for referrals.

Ask your housing authority whether it administers Mainstream or NED vouchers and how to indicate eligibility on your application. See housing for people with disabilities.

Family Unification Program (FUP)

FUP connects housing authorities with public child welfare agencies.

• Families qualify when the lack of adequate housing is a primary factor in the imminent placement of a child in out-of-home care or in delaying a child’s return home.
• Youth qualify if they are at least 18 and not older than 24, left foster care at age 16 or later, and are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Youth FUP assistance is time-limited (36 months, with possible extensions).

Referrals come from the child welfare agency, which certifies eligibility; the housing authority then determines program eligibility.

Foster Youth to Independence (FYI)

FYI vouchers serve young people 18 to 24 who have left foster care—or will leave within 90 days under a transition plan—and are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

• Assistance generally lasts 36 months, and can be extended up to 24 more months for youth who participate in the Family Self-Sufficiency program or meet education, workforce, or other requirements, with exceptions for certain circumstances.
• Housing authorities request FYI vouchers on demand as child welfare agencies identify eligible youth.

See housing help for youth aging out of foster care.

Stability Vouchers

Funded in 2023, Stability Vouchers target people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, people fleeing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking, and veterans and their families in those situations. Housing authorities partner with local Continuums of Care, which refer households through coordinated entry. Supplies are small, so availability varies by community.

Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV) in 2026

New EHV issuance is closed. Under PIH 2026-25, families under EHV leases on September 30, 2026 are to convert to tenant protection vouchers by December 31, 2026. Eligible families are continuously assisted, may remain in their units, and do not need a new waiting-list placement or rescreening. These vouchers cannot be reissued after turnover. Future renewal funding remains subject to appropriations.

If you have an EHV:

1. Contact your housing authority now and ask, in writing, what will happen to your assistance and when.
2. Keep reporting income and household changes and completing recertifications on time.
3. Ask whether you will transfer to a regular voucher and whether any rules will change.
4. If you receive a termination notice, request an informal hearing by the deadline and contact legal aid.
5. Work with your case manager or Continuum of Care on backup options.

Tenant Protection and Enhanced Vouchers

When a HUD-assisted property leaves a HUD program—through an owner’s opt-out of a project-based Section 8 contract, a mortgage prepayment, a conversion, or demolition—eligible residents may receive tenant protection vouchers. In opt-outs and prepayments, residents may receive enhanced vouchers that allow them to stay in their unit even if the new rent exceeds the normal payment standard, as long as it is reasonable. Residents should receive notices before these changes; contact the housing authority and legal aid if you receive an opt-out notice.

Tips for getting a referral

• Name the program. Ask the referring agency specifically about “HUD-VASH,” “FUP,” “FYI,” or “Stability Vouchers.”
• Get assessed through coordinated entry if you are homeless; many referrals are based on that assessment. Call 211 to find the access point.
• Keep documents ready: ID, Social Security card, income proof, and any homeless verification.
• Respond quickly. These vouchers often have short deadlines to complete paperwork and find a unit.
• Ask about housing navigation help, which many special-purpose programs include.

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