[2] TLPs also provide training and support services, either directly or by referral, to help youth develop the life skills needed to gain independence and live on their own.
Types of services include: life skills training, including financial planning and responsibility, food preparation, and parenting skills; educational opportunities, including GED preparation, high-school completion support, college counseling, and vocational training; employment opportunities and assistance like career counseling, resume writing, and interview skills; substance abuse treatment or prevention; group or individual counseling; and medical care, including routine physicals and emergency treatment.
[4] The United States Congress first authorized funding for Transitional Living Programs through the 1988 Amendments to the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act.
The program has since been funded through the Runaway, Homeless, and Missing Children Protection Act of 2003.
It is currently funded by FYSB under the Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act of 2008 (Public Law 110–378).