The President released his FY 2009 budget proposal on Monday, February 4, which included $1.636 billion for McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants-a $50 million increase over last year's level.

This proposal is insufficient to meet the emergency needs of the many families, veterans, individuals, and youth experiencing homelessness every night, and it leaves little funding for the advancement of solution- focused programs. HUD estimates that the cost of renewals alone will be approximately $1.5 billion. A funding level of $2 billion is needed to renew existing projects while providing new resources for communities to address the unmet housing and service needs of millions.

The President's budget is not law. It is meant to guide Congress as it makes decisions on how to fund federal programs. The Senate and House are currently developing their versions of the budget resolution which sets overall levels of spending. The Appropriations Committee and Subcommittees will soon be hashing out the details of appropriations bills. The Appropriations T-HUD Subcommittee will mark up the appropriations bill as early as April. This letter to the T-HUD Subcommittee is a critical next step in ensuring that McKinney funding is significantly increased.

For more information, or if you have questions, please contact Sarah Kahn (skahn@naeh.or or 202-942- 8259).