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Spotlight On...
Hill UpdateGulf Coast Housing Funding in Senate Supplemental
Last Thursday, May 22, the Senate passed its fiscal year (FY) 2008 supplemental spending bill to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill will provide some domestic funding as well, including $76 million for 3,000 permanent supportive housing vouchers for the state of Louisiana, a provision that advocates have been working tirelessly to have included. The supplemental bill also includes $50 million for a community development fund in Alabama and $20 million for project-based Section 8 vouchers in Mississippi. The House supplemental bill, which does not include the funding for permanent supportive housing in Louisiana, will be taken up after the Memorial Day recess.
Senate Judiciary Committee Passes RHY Act Reauthorization
Last Thursday, May 22, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed S. 2982, the Runaway and Homeless Youth Protection Act, by a unanimous vote. The bill, which was introduced by Senator Leahy (D-VT) and Senator Specter (R-PA), would reauthorize the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act and make a number of improvements to the program, including increased authorization levels to fund Basic Center Programs at $150 million and Street Outreach Programs at $30 million; mandates for the Department of Health and Human Services to conduct an incidence study to get better data on the number of homeless youth nationally; and mandates for the Government Accountability Office to do a review of the Administration's application and peer-review process; increased length of stay in shelter from 14 to 21 days and in the Transitional Housing Program from 18 months to 21 months; and a number of other improvements. The bill will now move to the full Senate.
FY09 Budget Resolution
Last week, the House and Senate reconciled their differences and agreed on a FY 2009 Budget Resolution. The Budget Resolution, which will now be voted on by the full House and Senate, would fund domestic discretionary programs at $436.6 billion, which is $22.6 billion above the President's FY 2009 request and $21.2 billion above domestic discretionary spending in FY 2008. The Budget Resolution provides a roadmap for appropriators as they move forward with the FY 2009 appropriations bills, but it is not binding.
Congress on Recess
Congress is on Memorial Day recess this week and will return on June 2.
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In the Media: New Orleans
A
New York Times article published today revealed the ongoing struggle many homeless New Orleans residents are facing living in encampments since Hurricane Katrina. Outreach workers have found homeless clients living (and dying) on the street while battling cancer, AIDS, and a range of mental illnesses. Many of the homeless people have disabilities that make permanent supportive housing a promising solution. A survey of the homeless population living on Canal Street in New Orleans revealed that 80 percent had at least one physical disability, 58 percent had had some kind of addiction, 40 percent were mentally ill, and 19 percent were "tri-morbid," meaning they had a disability, an addiction, and a mental illness. Advocates are hoping that Congress will, for the first time since the hurricane, address the issue by including $76 million in the supplemental spending bill to pay for vouchers that would give rent subsidies and services to 3,000 disabled homeless people in Louisiana. Last Thursday, the Senate passed a version of the bill that included the vouchers, but the current House version does not include them. Both the Senate and House will likely agree on a final version of the bill next week. If the bill does not contain the funding for the vouchers, even those people already in apartments will be in jeopardy, as their "rapid re-housing" vouchers are set to expire at the end of this year.
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Legislative Updates 
This video highlights how communities across the country are decreasing homelessness among families. Thanks to the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, it’s yours to use for free. 