Category Archives: Homelessness

The Emergency Food and Shelter Program Provides Shelter, Rent/Mortgage Assistance, and Utility Assistance for Thousands and a Funding Increase of $100 Million Could Prevent and End Unsheltered Homelessness

With millions of persons who experience homelessness every year and hundreds of thousands of them without shelter and susceptible to death, serious bodily injury, or trauma from cold weather, violent acts, and sexual violence and other traumatic events, the funding for emergency shelters, transitional housing, rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing, and other homeless and housing services for persons experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness should be accessed to determine the adequacy of the funding levels to provide shelter for every single person who is experiencing homelessness.
Continue reading The Emergency Food and Shelter Program Provides Shelter, Rent/Mortgage Assistance, and Utility Assistance for Thousands and a Funding Increase of $100 Million Could Prevent and End Unsheltered Homelessness

Latest ACS Census Data Show That Homelessness is Related to Housing, Employment, and Poverty

In 2016, 549,000 persons were homeless on a given night in unsheltered locations, emergency shelters, and transitional housing in the United States.  Of the half a million homeless persons, 355,000 were unaccompanied adult individuals, including youth between the ages of 18 and 24, and 194,000 were adults and children in families.
Continue reading Latest ACS Census Data Show That Homelessness is Related to Housing, Employment, and Poverty

The FY2018 House and Senate Appropriations Committee Bills Cut $200 Million and $27 Million in Funding to Some Programs That Assist Homeless People and People At-Risk of Homelessness

The House Committee Bills and Senate Committee Bills for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), and the Department of Justice (DOJ) that passed out of Committee propose various funding levels to assist homeless people and people at-risk of homelessness compared to the enacted FY2016 and the enacted FY2017 funding levels, the latter which was not enacted at the time the budget request was prepared, with cuts to some programs totaling $200 million in the House Committee Bills and $27 million in the Senate Committee Bills.
Continue reading The FY2018 House and Senate Appropriations Committee Bills Cut $200 Million and $27 Million in Funding to Some Programs That Assist Homeless People and People At-Risk of Homelessness

The FY2018 Budget Request Cuts Employment Services to Homeless People and People At-Risk of Homelessness by $1.8 Billion

The President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Budget Request proposes to cut employment services funding to assist homeless people and people at-risk of homelessness in the Department of Labor budget by $1.8 billion compared to both the enacted FY2016 funding level and the enacted FY2017 funding level, the latter which was not enacted at the time the budget request was prepared.
Continue reading The FY2018 Budget Request Cuts Employment Services to Homeless People and People At-Risk of Homelessness by $1.8 Billion

The FY2018 Budget Request Cuts Health Assistance to Homeless People and People At-Risk of Homelessness by More Than $4 Billion

The President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Budget Request for the Department of Health and Human Services proposes to cut health funding to assist homeless people and people at-risk of homelessness with health, mental health, and substance abuse treatment and prevention services by more than $4 billion compared to both the enacted FY2016 funding level and the enacted FY2017 funding level, the latter which was not enacted at the time the budget request was prepared.
Continue reading The FY2018 Budget Request Cuts Health Assistance to Homeless People and People At-Risk of Homelessness by More Than $4 Billion

The FY2018 Budget Request Cuts Assistance to Homeless People and People At-Risk of Homelessness by $6 Billion

The President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Budget Request proposes to cut funding to assist homeless people and people at-risk of homelessness by more than $6 billion compared to the enacted FY2016 funding level and the enacted FY2017 funding level, the latter which was not enacted at the time the budget request was prepared.
Continue reading The FY2018 Budget Request Cuts Assistance to Homeless People and People At-Risk of Homelessness by $6 Billion

As the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program Provides $35 Million to $51 Million to Assist Homeless Persons, Congress Should Maintain or Increase CDBG Funding for FY2017

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs are currently funded for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 through April 28 through two continuing resolutions, Pub. L. No. 114-223 and Pub. L. No. 114-254, at FY 2016 appropriated levels, including for Homeless Assistance Grants and other Community Planning and Development programs, with exceptions to provide sufficient funding to renew rental assistance for Public and Indian Housing Tenant-Based Rental Assistance and an additional $1.8 billion for Community Development Block Grant Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR) funding.
Continue reading As the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program Provides $35 Million to $51 Million to Assist Homeless Persons, Congress Should Maintain or Increase CDBG Funding for FY2017

Homeless Persons Were More Likely to Have Health Insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare, and Receive Critical Preventive Care and Treatment in Medicaid-expansion States

Last week, two committees in the U.S. House of Representatives passed out of the committee two health bills, jointly referred to as the American Health Care Act (AHCA), to modify the Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare).  Congressional leaders plan that a third committee is going to consider the AHCA this week and that the U.S. House of Representatives is going to consider the bill on the House floor next week.
Continue reading Homeless Persons Were More Likely to Have Health Insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare, and Receive Critical Preventive Care and Treatment in Medicaid-expansion States

One-fifth of Homeless Adults Gained Medicaid Coverage from 2013 to 2015 so Congress Should Not Repeal the Medicaid Expansion

This year Congress is debating repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare).  As the ACA allowed states to expand Medicaid to cover all adults with income less than 138% of the federal poverty level and 32 states and the District of Columbia have expanded Medicaid pursuant to the Act and 14 million people have gained access to Medicaid coverage due to this expansion, an important part of the debate on repealing and replacing the ACA is Medicaid.
Continue reading One-fifth of Homeless Adults Gained Medicaid Coverage from 2013 to 2015 so Congress Should Not Repeal the Medicaid Expansion

With More Than 100 Homeless People Dying from Hypothermia and Exposure to the Cold in the Past Five Years, More Housing and Shelter is Needed

Federal, state, and local governments are not doing enough to save the lives of homeless Americans.  Homeless persons die at least 12 years earlier than other Americans, on average, and have a mortality rate four to nine times higher than those who are not homeless.  Over the past five years, thousands of homeless people have died, including an estimated 2,000 in 2013 and 2,700 in 2016.
Continue reading With More Than 100 Homeless People Dying from Hypothermia and Exposure to the Cold in the Past Five Years, More Housing and Shelter is Needed