This bill, titled the Homeless Children and Youth Act of 2025, significantly amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to better address the needs of homeless children, youth, and families. A primary change is the expansion of the definition of homelessness to include individuals verified as homeless under any other Federal program , such as the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act or the Head Start Act, without requiring further action from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This ensures broader eligibility for services and aligns definitions across various federal initiatives. The legislation specifically focuses on vulnerable populations, defining "child or youth defined as homeless under any other federal program" to include those identified under the McKinney-Vento education subtitle and unaccompanied youth up to 24 years old who lack safe living arrangements. It also expands the definition of "special needs populations" to include children under five, youth and young adults aged 14-24, and victims of trafficking. Programs serving families and youth will be required to designate staff to connect children and youth to educational and other vital community services. A key objective of the bill is to empower local communities by shifting decision-making authority. It prohibits HUD from prioritizing or weighting specific subpopulations, program components, or housing models in grant awards or bonuses, unless justified by local data or community plans . This ensures that funding decisions are based on the unique needs and priorities identified at the local level, rather than national mandates. The bill mandates that Continuum of Care (CoC) assessment systems use separate, age-appropriate criteria for children and youth, ensuring accessibility for unaccompanied youth and homeless families. Grant scoring will primarily consider how well applicants meet local priorities and the cost-effectiveness of their proposed projects. Furthermore, it explicitly states that bonuses or incentives should encourage strategies for local priority populations and not promote national priorities established by the Secretary. To enhance transparency and accountability, the bill requires annual submission of Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) data to HUD and mandates its public availability on HUD's website. This data must include cumulative counts of homeless individuals and families, patterns of assistance, and specific breakouts for homeless women by age, disability, and length of homelessness. Annual reports to Congress will synthesize this data, including information from other federal programs, and address potential duplication in homeless counts to ensure accuracy.