IN WASHINGTON D.C.                      

 

The Coalition advocates for policies and funding at the national level that will create lasting solutions to homelessness.  Visit this page for the latest news and policy being considered in Washington D.C. For more information related to all federal legislative activity please visit: Thomas.gov

Current Federal Legislation and Issues

 
1.   Super Committee

2.   Fiscal Year 2012 HUD Budget

3.   National Housing Trust Fund  

4.   Federal Definition of Homelessness

 

1.    Super Committee  

In an effort to significantly scale back federal spending, Congress and the Senate passed the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA), which created the new Congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (“Super Committee”). Made up of 12 bipartisan members of the House and Senate, the Super Committee was charged with crafting a $1.2 trillion deficit reduction bill. On Monday, November 19th, 2011, the Super Committee announced their failure to come to an agreement on spending cuts. That failure sets in motion an alternative timetable for $1.2 trillion in spending reductions starting in January 2013.

These cuts will come from domestic, defense and security programs. Several programs that affect low-income people and people experiencing homelessness are exempt including: Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security, Medicaid, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Food Stamps (SNAP) and all Veterans Administration (VA) programs. However, programs that are not exempt include U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs, Health Care for the Homeless programs, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) homelessness grants, and others.

2.    Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 HUD Budget .

On November 14, 2011, the H.R. 2112 Conference Committee made public the final, compromise version of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 HUD funding legislation, also known as the minibus spending bill. President Obama signed the bill on Friday, November 18. There are four highlights of the legislation:

• The bill cut funding for HUD programs by $3.7 billion compared to FY 2011. HUD’s FY2012 total budget is $37.4 billion.
• The bill includes the same amount of funding - $1.901 billion – for HUD’s McKinney-Vento programs as in FY 2011.
• The bill includes $75 million for new HUD-VASH vouchers, enough to house another 11,500 homeless veterans or more.
• HUD claims that the $9.34 billion that the bill would provide for Project Based Rental Assistance would allow renewals of all contracts for 12 months. Advocates are unsure if this claim is true.

To see a comparison of FY2010, 2011 and 2012 funding from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, click here .

3. National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF)    

President Obama’s proposed FY2012 budget includes adding a full $1 billion for the never-funded National Housing Trust Fund. It is reported as part of HUD’s budget, but on the mandatory funding side of the budget. This means that the President is not seeking funding for the NHTF through discretionary appropriations that fund other HUD low income housing programs.  The budget proposal does not identify a specific funding source for the NHTF. Rather, HUD officials plan to look for “opportunities” to include it in legislative vehicles as they arise. Finding a funding source (“pay-for” or “offset,” in federal budget speak) that can gain bipartisan support in the Congress is key to getting it funded this year. The NHTF Campaign states that it will accept any offset that does not involve cuts to other services or benefits for low income people.

4.  Federal Definition of Homelessness 

On May 20, 2009, President Obama signed the Homeless Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009. The HEARTH Act amends and reauthorizes the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act with substantial changes, including a change in the definition of homelessness and chronic homelessness.   The new definition includes four broader categories of homelessness:

• People who are living in a place meant for human habitation, in emergency shelter, in transitional housing, or are exiting an institution where they temporarily resided. The only significant change from existing practice is that people will be considered homeless if they are exiting an institution where they resided for up to 90 days (it was previously 30 days), and were homeless immediately prior to entering that institution;
• People who must leave their housing, which may include a motel or hotel or doubled up situation, within 14 days and have no other resources or support networks to obtain housing are considered homeless (the previous standard was 7 days);
• Unaccompanied youth and families with children are considered homeless if they experience persistent instability (have not had a lease and have moved at least 3 times in 90 days) and are likely to continue in that status because of disability, multiple barriers to employment, or other factors;
• People who are fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, have no other residence, and lack the resources or support networks to obtain other permanent housing

For more information please contact Meg Costello at 303-285-5220 or mcostello@coloradocoalition.org.