Federal Policy Update NAEHCY 19th Annual Conference November 13, 2007 Portland, OR.

Federal Policy Update

NAEHCY 19th Annual Conference

November 13, 2007

Portland, OR

Overview of Session HUD Homeless Assistance Programs

Reauthorization in House and Senate

A Place to Call Home Act Omnibus youth legislation in the House

Reauthorization of HUD’s Homeless Assistance Programs

Why is this important? Hasn’t been done since 1994. In the interim HUD has implemented a lot of

policies administratively, without input from Congress and the public, that have damaged the ability of educators and other people who work with homeless children, youth, and families to ensure that those people can access HUD’s homeless assistance programs.


Key issues in reauthorization Aligning HUD’s definition of homelessness with

the definition used by the US Department of Education.

Giving local communities the flexibility to address homelessness as it exists in the community.

Ensuring broad community participation as local communities determine how to spend HUD homeless assistance funding.


How are these priorities being addressed by Congress? House bill – Homeless Emergency Assistance and

Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act (H.R. 840), endorsed by NAEHCY and a broad coalition of national, state, and local groups, addresses all 3 issues well.

Senate bill – Community Partnership to End Homelessness Act (CPEHA) (S. 1518), has serious shortcomings in all 3 areas.


HEARTH Act• Would align HUD’s definition of homelessness

with the Ed definition, with limited exceptions.• Eliminates existing restrictive set-asides and

bonuses that inhibit the ability of local communities to serve homeless children, youth, and families.

• Ensures that education liaisons and other key stakeholders have a seat at the table as local decisions on how to spend limited federal homeless assistance funds are made.


CPEHA Individuals and families living doubled up

and in hotel/motels would only be considered homeless, if:

They have moved 2 times in 21 days or 3 times in a year, AND

They are not able to contribute to rent, AND They have been told they can only stay for a

short time.


CPEHA (continued) Diminishes local control by requiring 40%

of funds to be set aside for permanent housing; includes significant incentives for focus on “chronic” homelessness – defined as a disabled individual or a family with a disabled head of household, living on the street or in an emergency shelter for more than a year or four times in three years.


CPEHA (continued) Fails to ensure that key stakeholders

(education liaisons, people experiencing homelessness, DV, and youth providers) are at the table when local communities set priorities for use of HUD funding.


How to influence this legislation? To find out if your local Representative or Senator is a

House co-sponsor of HEARTH (H.R. 840) or a Senate co-sponsor of CPEHA (S. 1518), go to http://thomas.loc.gov.

Contact your Representative (contact info available at www.house.gov) and either thank them for co-sponsoring HEARTH or urge them to become a co-sponsor of HEARTH.

Point out the 3 key provisions of HEARTH, and be clear that any final homelessness legislation must contain them.


How to influence this legislation (cont.)? CPEHA has passed through the Senate Banking

Committee, but has yet to be brought to the Senate floor.

When you contact Senate offices, urge them to push for amendments to CPEHA that would align it with the 3 key provisions in the HEARTH bill.

There is still time – if the bill’s lead sponsors continue to face pressure to make changes, they may amend the bill before bringing it to the Senate floor.


Contact: Barbara Duffield at NAEHCY, at

[email protected] or (202) 364-7392 Bob Reeg at NN4Youth, at

[email protected] or (202) 265-7271 Jeremy Rosen at NPACH, at

[email protected] or (202) 714-5378.

Federal Policy Update NAEHCY 19th Annual Conference November 13, 2007 Portland, OR.

Documents

Transcript of Federal Policy Update NAEHCY 19th Annual Conference November 13, 2007 Portland, OR.