Each year, the Alliance develops a set of core policy priorities to guide our work. The Alliance works with policymakers to advocate for increased funding for homeless assistance programs to cover housing and supportive services, and other legislation that will impact people experiencing homelessness and those that work with them.
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Funding for Homeless Assistance Programs
Each year, Congress passes a budget to fund federal programs, including for housing and homelessness. The largest federal investment in ending homelessness is called the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants program. McKinney-Vento funds two programs administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD): the competitive Continuum of Care (CoC) program and the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) formula grant program.
The Alliance is urging Congress to provide at least $2.8 billion in Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 funding for the Homeless Assistance Grants. This would represent an additional $287 million over FY 2018 appropriations and would serve an estimated 25,000 new families.
Read MoreFor a more detailed breakdown of the funding levels for programs important to ending homelessness, see our updated budget chart below.
National Alliance to End Homelessness Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 Federal Homeless Programs Budget Chart (in Millions), Updated June 14, 2018
HUD Programs | Enacted FY2018 | Administration Proposed FY 2019 | House Proposed FY 2019 | Senate Proposed FY 2019 |
Homeless Assistance Grants | $2,513 | $2,383 | $2,571 | $2,612 |
Rapid Re-Housing to Target Unsheltered Homelessness | n/a | n/a | 40 | n/a |
Rapid Re-Housing for Youth Demonstrations | 80 | n/a | 0 | +80 |
Rapid Re-Housing for Survivors of Domestic Violence | 50 | n/a | 50 | 50 |
United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) | 3.60 | 0 | 3.60 | 3.60 |
HUD-VA Supportive Housing Program Vouchers | 715 | 675 | 755 | 781 |
Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (Section 8 Vouchers) | 22,015 | 18,700 | 22,477 | 22,781 |
Project-Based Rental Assistance | 11,515 | 10,900 | 11,747 | 11,747 |
Community Development Block Grant Program | 3,300 | 0 | 3,300 | 3,300 |
Affordable Housing
While a number of factors may contribute to an individual’s homelessness, a nationwide affordable housing crisis has been the key driver of systemic increases in homelessness since the 1980s. This crisis has grown from the following challenges:
- The loss of affordable housing stock and increase in foreclosures across the country
- Wages and public assistance that have not kept pace with rising rents, and the rising number of households paying more than half their income for rent
U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) is the only agency at the federal level with the sole responsibility of ending homelessness. It works across 19 federal agencies and departments and works with partners in the public and private sectors to improve the outcomes of federal spending on homelessness.
Because the original legislation to establish USICH only included short-term funding, maintenance of USICH becomes a political battle every year. While USICH’s budget is only a modest $3.6 million, the agency is responsible for coordinating approximately $5.5 billion in federal homeless services funding.
Read More- The House has introduced H.R. 5393, The Working Together to End Homelessness Act of 2018, to Committee. The Alliance urges Congress to move this bill through Committee and schedule a vote in the House.
- The Senate companion bill is S. 743, A Bill to Strengthen the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, and should follow a similar process in the Senate.
- Once either of these bills is passed, it should be taken up for approval by the other chamber and sent to the president for signature and implementation