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Hill Update
McKinney Letter
Representatives Gwen Moore (D-WI) and Geoff Davis (R-KY) are circulating a
letter requesting $2 billion for HUD's Homeless Assistance Grants in fiscal year (FY) 2009, which would be a $414 million increase. The letter to Representatives John Olver (D-MA) and Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), the leaders of the House Transportation-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee, states that "Congress and the Administration have slipped from the timetable for meeting the national goal of establishing 150,000 new permanent housing units by 2012. Significant additional funding is required in FY 2009 to get this goal back on track. In our judgment, $2 billion for McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance grants would bring us closer to advancing the 150,000 unit permanent housing goal, while also providing resources for communities across the nation to address long-standing unmet emergency shelter, transitional housing, and supportive service needs among the 3.5 million Americans who experience it annually." The letter closes this week.
Section Eight Reform Bill Introduced
Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and 3 other Senators introduced the Section Eight Voucher Reform Act (SEVRA) on March 3. SEVRA (S. 2684) would promote affordable housing development, establish a clear funding policy to restore stability to the voucher program, simplify rent rules, and streamline inspections. A similar bill passed the House of Representatives last July. Both the House and Senate versions would increase the cap on the amount of project-basing that public housing agencies would be allowed. Project-basing vouchers has been a significant tool for developing permanent supportive housing and other housing for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
House and Senate Budget Committees Pass Budget Bills
The House and Senate began the process of funding federal programs for fiscal year 2009 when their respective budget committees approved budget plans for the year. The bills will now go to the full chambers for more debate. Both versions would allow more funding for discretionary programs, which include most housing and homelessness programs, than the Administration's budget released in early February. Under the House bill, discretionary spending would reach $1.014 trillion, which is $22 billion (2.2 percent) above the Administration's request. The Senate version would spend $1.010 trillion, or $18 billion (1.8 percent) above the Administration's request.
HUD Budget Hearings Scheduled
Several hearings on HUD's fiscal year 2009 appropriations are being held the week of March 10. The House Financial Services Committee holds a hearing on March 11 with HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson as the only witness. The Senate Banking Committee will hold a hearing on March 12 with Secretary Jackson and others. The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and HUD will hold a hearing on March 13 with Secretary Jackson.
Wall Street Journal published an article on a recent Chicago Housing for Health Partnership (CHHP) study presented at last week's National Housing and HIV/AIDS Research Summit in Baltimore. The four-year study provided evidence that moving homeless people with chronic medical problems into permanent housing saves taxpayer money. A coalition of hospitals and housing groups organized the study to test the efficacy of Housing First. The results showed that emergency services, including hospitalizations, nursing home stays, and emergency room visits, were all reduced when a homeless person was placed in housing. The article also describes some of the positive changes in the lives of some formerly homeless individuals after they received permanent housing.
Upcoming Audio Conference: Designing a Local Housing Subsidy Program
On Thursday, March 13, the Alliance will host "Designing a Local Housing Subsidy Program," an installment of the Leadership to End Homelessness Audio Conference Series. Housing subsidies are a key ingredient in ending family homelessness. Unfortunately, federal subsidies are scarce and difficult to obtain. Programs are responding by developing their own subsidy programs, including short-term, shallow, and declining subsidies. This audio conference will feature Beth Stokes, executive director of Hamilton Family Services. She will discuss First Avenues: Housing Solutions for Families, a shallow subsidy program in San Francisco, CA.
Thanks to Captiol Connection, those with Internet audio capability can participate in this conference call free of charge via the web. For details on how to listen to the call through the webcast and submit questions by email,
For those wishing to participate by phone, the cost of the call will be approximately $30 and registration is required beforehand. To register, click here.
On April 9, 2008 the Alliance will hold its Annual Awards Ceremony honoring private, nonprofit, and public sector leaders who are making a difference in ending homelessness. The event will be held at the Terrace Theater of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. This year's private sector awardee is Martin Dunn, President of Dunn Development Corp.
Martin has been a leader in the affordable housing movement in New York City, demonstrating a strong commitment to building housing for low income families and individuals who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. He is currently President of Dunn Development Corp., a real estate consulting and development firm which he founded in 1998 to develop new affordable and supportive housing projects. In addition to working on traditional low-income housing projects, Dunn Development Corp. specializes in creating model housing projects for underserved communities to be operated by nonprofit partner organizations. Dunn Development Corp. is currently developing innovative initiatives to serve the homeless, people with psychiatric disabilities, people with developmental disabilities, and ex-prisoners. Dunn has built or is currently building eleven projects that include 243 units of supportive housing.
From 1993 to 1997, Martin was the Executive Director of the East New York Urban Youth Corps, one of New York City's most dynamic and successful nonprofit community development corporations. Under his leadership, the Urban Youth Corps grew its staff from twenty to eighty members, completed the renovation of more than forty buildings for affordable housing, and secured financing for an additional $50 million of new housing. The Urban Youth Corps also developed more than a dozen innovative new programs and initiatives in areas such as crime reduction and community policing, youth development, community building, and organizing.
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