---
kind: "section"
citation: "34 U.S.C. § 11212"
title: "34"
title_heading: "Crime Control and Law Enforcement"
number: "11212"
heading: "Eligibility; plan requirements"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/34/11212"
units:
  - "Subtitle I — Comprehensive Acts"
  - "Chapter 111 — Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention"
  - "Subchapter III — Runaway and Homeless Youth"
  - "Part A — Basic Center Grant Program"
---

# §11212. Eligibility; plan requirements

- (a) **Runaway and homeless youth center; project providing temporary shelter; counseling services—** To be eligible for assistance under [section 11211(a) of this title](/usc/34/11211.md?p=a), an applicant shall propose to establish, strengthen, or fund an existing or proposed runaway and [homeless](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-17) [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52) center, a locally controlled project (including a host family home) that provides temporary shelter, and counseling [services](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-51) to [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52) who have left home without permission of their parents or guardians or to other [homeless](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-17) [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52).
- (b) **Provisions of plan—** In order to qualify for assistance under [section 11211(a) of this title](/usc/34/11211.md?p=a), an applicant shall submit a plan to the Secretary including assurances that the applicant—
  - (1) shall operate a runaway and [homeless](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-17) [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52) center located in an area which is demonstrably frequented by or easily reachable by runaway and [homeless](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-17) [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52);
  - (2) shall use such assistance to establish, to strengthen, or to fund a runaway and [homeless](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-17) [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52) center, or a locally controlled facility providing temporary shelter, that has—
    - (A) a maximum capacity of not more than 20 [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52), except where the applicant assures that the [State](/usc/34/11103.md?p=7) where the center or locally controlled facility is located has a [State](/usc/34/11103.md?p=7) or local law or regulation that requires a higher maximum to comply with licensure requirements for child and [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52) serving facilities; and
    - (B) a ratio of staff to [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52) that is sufficient to ensure adequate supervision and [treatment](/usc/34/11103.md?p=15);
  - (3) shall develop adequate plans for contacting the parents or other relatives of the [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52) and ensuring the safe return of the [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52) according to the best interests of the [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52), for contacting local government officials pursuant to informal arrangements established with such officials by the runaway and [homeless](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-17) [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52) center and for providing for other appropriate alternative living arrangements;
  - (4) shall develop an adequate plan for ensuring—
    - (A) proper relations with [law enforcement](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-23) personnel, health and mental health care personnel, social service personnel, school system personnel, and welfare personnel;
    - (B) coordination with McKinney-Vento school district liaisons, designated under section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento [Homeless](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-17) Assistance Act ([42 U.S.C. 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii)](/usc/42/11432.md?p=g-1-J-ii)), to assure that runaway and [homeless](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-17) [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52) are provided information about the educational [services](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-51) available to such [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52) under subtitle B of title VII of that Act [[42 U.S.C. 11431](/usc/42/11431.md) et seq.]; and
    - (C) the return of runaway and [homeless](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-17) [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52) from correctional institutions;
  - (5) shall develop an adequate plan for providing counseling and aftercare [services](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-51) to such [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52), for encouraging the involvement of their parents or legal guardians in counseling, and for ensuring, as possible, that aftercare [services](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-51) will be provided to those [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52) who are returned beyond the [State](/usc/34/11103.md?p=7) in which the runaway and [homeless](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-17) [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52) center is located;
  - (6) shall develop an adequate plan for establishing or coordinating with outreach programs designed to attract persons (including, where applicable, persons who are members of a cultural minority and persons with limited ability to speak English) who are eligible to receive [services](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-51) for which a grant under [subsection (a)](#a) may be expended;
  - (7) shall keep adequate statistical records profiling the [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52) and family members whom it serves (including [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52) who are not referred to out-of-home shelter [services](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-51)), except that records maintained on individual runaway and [homeless](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-17) [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52) shall not be disclosed without the consent of the individual [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52) and parent or legal guardian to anyone other than another agency compiling statistical records or a government agency involved in the disposition of criminal charges against an individual runaway and [homeless](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-17) [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52), and reports or other documents based on such statistical rec­ords shall not disclose the identity of individual runaway and [homeless](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-17) [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52);
  - (8) shall submit annual reports to the Secretary detailing how the center has been able to meet the goals of its plans and reporting the statistical summaries required by [paragraph (7)](#b-7);
  - (9) shall demonstrate its ability to operate under accounting procedures and fiscal control devices as required by the Secretary;
  - (10) shall submit a budget estimate with respect to the plan submitted by such center under this subsection;
  - (11) shall supply such other information as the Secretary reasonably deems necessary;
  - (12) shall submit to the Secretary an annual report that includes, with respect to the year for which the report is submitted—
    - (A) information regarding the activities carried out under this part;
    - (B) the achievements of the project under this part carried out by the applicant; and
    - (C) statistical summaries describing—
      - (i) the number and the characteristics of the runaway and [homeless](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-17) [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52), and [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52) at risk of family separation, who participate in the project; and
      - (ii) the [services](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-51) provided to such [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52) by the project; and
  - (13) shall develop an adequate emergency preparedness and management plan.
- (c) **Applicants providing street-based services—** To be eligible to use assistance under [section 11211(a)(2)(C)(i) of this title](/usc/34/11211.md?p=a-2-C-i) to provide street-based [services](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-51), the applicant shall include in the plan required by [subsection (b)](#b) assurances that in providing such [services](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-51) the applicant will—
  - (1) provide qualified supervision of staff, including on-street supervision by appropriately trained staff;
  - (2) provide backup personnel for on-street staff;
  - (3) provide initial and periodic training of staff who provide such [services](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-51); and
  - (4) conduct outreach activities for runaway and [homeless](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-17) [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52), and street [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52).
- (d) **Applicants providing home-based services—** To be eligible to use assistance under [section 11211(a) of this title](/usc/34/11211.md?p=a) to provide home-based [services](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-51) described in [section 11211(a)(2)(C)(ii) of this title](/usc/34/11211.md?p=a-2-C-ii), an applicant shall include in the plan required by [subsection (b)](#b) assurances that in providing such [services](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-51) the applicant will—
  - (1) provide counseling and information to [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52) and the families (including unrelated individuals in the family households) of such [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52), including [services](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-51) relating to basic life skills, interpersonal skill building, educational advancement, job attainment skills, mental and physical health care, parenting skills, financial planning, and referral to sources of other needed [services](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-51);
  - (2) provide directly, or through an arrangement made by the applicant, 24-hour service to respond to family crises (including immediate access to temporary shelter for runaway and [homeless](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-17) [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52), and [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52) at risk of separation from the family);
  - (3) establish, in partnership with the families of runaway and [homeless](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-17) [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52), and [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52) at risk of separation from the family, objectives and measures of success to be achieved as a result of receiving home-based [services](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-51);
  - (4) provide initial and periodic training of staff who provide home-based [services](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-51); and
  - (5) ensure that—
    - (A) caseloads will remain sufficiently low to allow for intensive (5 to 20 hours per week) involvement with each family receiving such [services](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-51); and
    - (B) staff providing such [services](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-51) will receive qualified supervision.
- (e) **Applicants providing drug abuse education and prevention services—** To be eligible to use assistance under [section 11211(a)(2)(C)(iii) of this title](/usc/34/11211.md?p=a-2-C-iii) to provide drug abuse education and prevention [services](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-51), an applicant shall include in the plan required by [subsection (b)](#b)—
  - (1) a description of—
    - (A) the types of such [services](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-51) that the applicant proposes to provide;
    - (B) the objectives of such [services](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-51); and
    - (C) the types of information and training to be provided to individuals providing such [services](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-51) to runaway and [homeless](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-17) [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52); and
  - (2) an assurance that in providing such [services](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-51) the applicant shall conduct outreach activities for runaway and [homeless](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-17) [youth](/usc/34/12291.md?p=a-52).

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 93–415, title III, § 312, Sept. 7, 1974, 88 Stat. 1130; Pub. L. 95–115, § 7(a)(2), (3), Oct. 3, 1977, 91 Stat. 1058; Pub. L. 96–509, § 18(d), Dec. 8, 1980, 94 Stat. 2762; Pub. L. 98–473, title II, § 652, Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2123; Pub. L. 100–690, title VII, § 7271(c)(1)–(3), Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4453; Pub. L. 102–586, § 3(c), Nov. 4, 1992, 106 Stat. 5019; Pub. L. 106–71, § 3(c), Oct. 12, 1999, 113 Stat. 1036; Pub. L. 108–96, title I, §§ 105, 106, 109, Oct. 10, 2003, 117 Stat. 1168, 1169; Pub. L. 110–378, § 3(b), Oct. 8, 2008, 122 Stat. 4069.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### References in Text

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, referred to in subsec. (b)(4)(B), is Pub. L. 100–77, July 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 482. Subtitle B of title VII of the Act is classified generally to part B (§ 11431 et seq.) of subchapter VI of chapter 119 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 11301 of Title 42 and Tables.

### Codification

Section was formerly classified to section 5712 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section. Some section numbers or references in amendment notes below reflect the classification of such sections or references prior to editorial reclassification.

### Amendments

2008—Subsec. (b)(13). Pub. L. 110–378 added par. (13).

2003—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 108–96, § 105, substituted “services to youth” for “services to juveniles” and “homeless youth” for “homeless juveniles”.

Subsec. (b)(2)(A). Pub. L. 108–96, § 106, inserted “, except where the applicant assures that the State where the center or locally controlled facility is located has a State or local law or regulation that requires a higher maximum to comply with licensure requirements for child and youth serving facilities” after “youth”.

Subsec. (b)(4)(B). Pub. L. 108–96, § 109, substituted “McKinney-Vento school district liaisons, designated under section 722(g)(1)(J)(ii) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11432(g)(1)(J)(ii)), to assure that runaway and homeless youth are provided information about the educational services available to such youth under subtitle B of title VII of that Act;” for “personnel of the schools to which runaway and homeless youth will return, to assist such youth to stay current with the curricula of those schools;”.

1999—Subsec. (b)(8). Pub. L. 106–71, § 3(c)(1)(A), substituted “paragraph (7)” for “paragraph (6)”.

Subsec. (b)(12). Pub. L. 106–71, § 3(c)(1)(B)–(D), added par. (12).

Subsecs. (c) to (e). Pub. L. 106–71, § 3(c)(2), added heading and text of subsecs. (c) to (e) and struck out former subsecs. (c) and (d) which related to street-based service projects and home-based service projects, respectively, but which specified more detailed lists of services applicants were to provide in order to qualify for assistance.

1992—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 102–586, § 3(c)(1), substituted “project (including a host family home) that provides” for “facility providing”.

Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 102–586, § 3(c)(2)(A), amended par. (2) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (2) read as follows: “shall have a maximum capacity of no more than twenty children, with a ratio of staff to children of sufficient proportion to assure adequate supervision and treatment;”.

Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 102–586, § 3(c)(2)(B), substituted “parents or other relatives of the youth and ensuring” for “child’s parents or relatives and assuring” and “youth” for “child” after “the” in two places.

Subsec. (b)(4). Pub. L. 102–586, § 3(c)(2)(C), amended par. (4) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (4) read as follows: “shall develop an adequate plan for assuring proper relations with law enforcement personnel, social service personnel, school system personnel, and welfare personnel, and the return of runaway and homeless youth from correctional institutions;”.

Subsec. (b)(5). Pub. L. 102–586, § 3(c)(2)(D), substituted “providing counseling and aftercare services to such youth, for encouraging the involvement of their parents or legal guardians in counseling, and for ensuring” for “aftercare counseling involving runaway and homeless youth and their families within the State in which the runaway and homeless youth center is located and for assuring” and “youth” for “children” after “those”.

Subsec. (b)(6). Pub. L. 102–586, § 3(c)(2)(G), added par. (6). Former par. (6) redesignated (7).

Subsec. (b)(7). Pub. L. 102–586, § 2(c)(2)(E), (F), redesignated par. (6) as (7) and substituted “youth and family members whom it serves (including youth who are not referred to out-of-home shelter services)” for “children and family members which it serves”.

Subsec. (b)(8) to (11). Pub. L. 102–586, § 3(c)(2)(F), redesignated pars. (7) to (10) as (8) to (11), respectively.

Subsecs. (c), (d). Pub. L. 102–586, § 3(c)(2)(H), added subsecs. (c) and (d).

1988—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 100–690, § 7271(c)(1), (2), substituted “section 5711(a) of this title” for “this part” and “runaway and homeless youth center” for “runaway center”.

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 100–690, § 7271(c)(1), (3)(A), substituted “section 5711(a) of this title” for “this part” and “including assurances that the applicant” for “meeting the following requirements and including the following information. Each center” in introductory provisions.

Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 100–690, § 7271(c)(3)(B), substituted “shall operate a runaway and homeless youth center” for “shall be” and “runaway and homeless youth” for “runaway youth”.

Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 100–690, § 7271(c)(3)(C), substituted “runaway and homeless youth center” for “runaway center”.

Subsec. (b)(4). Pub. L. 100–690, § 7271(c)(3)(D), substituted “runaway and homeless youth” for “runaway youths”.

Subsec. (b)(5). Pub. L. 100–690, § 7271(c)(3)(C), (E), substituted “runaway and homeless youth” for “runaway youth” and substituted “runaway and homeless youth center” for “runaway center” in two places.

Subsec. (b)(6). Pub. L. 100–690, § 7271(c)(3)(D), (E), substituted “individual runaway and homeless youth” for “individual runaway youths” in two places and “against an individual runaway and homeless youth” for “against an individual runaway youth”.

1984—Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 98–473, § 652(1), substituted “proportion” for “portion”.

Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 98–473, § 652(2), struck out “(if such action is required by State law)” before “and assuring”.

Subsec. (b)(4). Pub. L. 98–473, § 652(3), inserted “school system personnel”.

Subsec. (b)(5). Pub. L. 98–473, § 652(4), substituted “families” for “parents”.

Subsec. (b)(6). Pub. L. 98–473, § 652(5), substituted “family members” for “parents”.

1980—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 96–509, § 18(d)(1), substituted “center” for “house” and inserted “or to other homeless juveniles” after “parents or guardians”.

Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 96–509, § 18(d)(2), substituted “center” for “house” wherever appearing, and in par. (4) inserted reference to social service personnel and welfare personnel.

1977—Subsec. (b)(5), (6). Pub. L. 95–115 substituted “aftercare services” for “aftercase services” in par. (5), and “the consent of the individual youth and parent or legal guardian” for “parental consent” in par. (6).

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date of 1988 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 100–690 effective Oct. 1, 1988, see section 7296(a) of Pub. L. 100–690, set out as a note under section 11101 of this title.

### Effective Date of 1984 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 98–473 effective Oct. 12, 1984, see section 670(a) of Pub. L. 98–473, set out as a note under section 11101 of this title.

### Effective Date of 1977 Amendment

Amendment by Pub. L. 95–115 effective Oct. 1, 1977, see section 263(c) of Pub. L. 93–415, as added by Pub. L. 95–115 and repealed by Pub. L. 100–690, title VII, § 7266(2), Nov. 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 4449, formerly set out as a note under section 11101 of this title.