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Spotlight On...
Hill UpdateTransportation-HUD Bill Approved by Senate Appropriations Committee
Last Thursday, July 10, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the appropriations bill for Transportation and Housing and Urban Development. The bill includes:
On the House side, the bill has already passed through the subcommittee, and is awaiting approval by the full Appropriations Committee. House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D- WI) has said that he has no intention to hold further full committee markups on fiscal year 2009 appropriations bills until Republicans agree to "follow regular order." This threat comes after a June 26 markup session, during which Rep. Jerry Lewis (R- CA) offered the Interior-Environment spending bill as a substitute amendment for the Labor-HHS-Education bill being discussed.
Homes for Heroes Act Passes House
Last Wednesday, July 9, the House passed H.R. 3329, also known as the Homes for Heroes Act. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Al Green (D-TX), calls for the availability of at least 20,000 rental housing vouchers annually for homeless veterans. The act also authorizes grants to nonprofit organizations that sponsor housing projects for veterans earning less than 50 percent of the area's median income, as well as those that assist veterans in applying for HUD programs or in obtaining housing. The bill passed the House by a vote of 412-9. The legislation has been sent to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Housing Package Returned to House
After several weeks of debate, the Senate passed the Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008 (H.R. 3221) last Friday, July 11. The House has already passed a version of the act. This bill would permanently create a national housing trust fund with a dedicated revenue source. The bill would allow the Federal Housing Administration to guarantee loans for at-risk homeowners to refinance, would set up a Federal Housing Finance Agency to supervise Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks, and would provide an $8,000 tax credit to first-time homebuyers. The bill was stalled last week by an amendment demanded by Senator John Ensign (R-NV), which would have included added tax breaks to encourage the production of renewable energy. The legislation has now been returned to the House, in order to reconcile the two versions of the bill. One key difference between the House and Senate versions involves a disagreement on the start date for the regulatory overhaul of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Additionally, the Senate version includes $3.9 billion in funding for Community Development Block Grants, and the House version does not. House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) has said that he will try to move the bill quickly through the House, possibly as early as this week. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher J. Dodd (D-CT) said he hoped to iron out all differences with the House, and send the bill to the president as early as next week. President Bush has urged Congress to finish the bill quickly, though he has threatened to veto the bill over certain provisions, such as the Community Development Block Grants in the Senate version.
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$80 million increase for HUD homelessness programs
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$500 million increase above the President's request for Section 8 Tenant-Based Housing program
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$75 million to fund 10,000 new housing vouchers for homeless veterans, which is equal to the amount recommended by the House subcommittee on Transportation and Housing and Urban Development
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$100 million of level funding for the Hope VI program. The President did not request any funding for this program.
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In the Media: Washington, DC
The
Washington Post published an opinion piece over the weekend on the District's progress in adopting a plan to reduce and end homelessness. The authors, Martha Burt and Sam Hall of the Washington, D.C. based Urban Institute, lauded D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's new plan while outlining several key recommendations from a study they published last week for the D.C. Department of Human Services. The study recommended that the city unify its homelessness assistance programs to enable all public agencies and groups dedicated to providing homelessness services to work together as effectively as possible. The authors also encouraged the agencies that will be developing 2,500 permanent, supportive housing units by 2014 to commit themselves to housing those who have been homeless the longest or have the most severe forms of disability. Doing so would effectively cut back on the emergency health care and corrections expenses that this chronically homeless population has been found to utilize while living on the streets. Lastly, the authors recommended restructuring the city's emergency shelter system by reducing the number of shelters and providing specialized training for the staff at the remaining shelters. Staff members would then be better qualified to engage the homeless population in order to determine the services they need.
National Conference on Ending Homelessness
The National Alliance to End Homelessness is hosting the 2008 National Conference on Ending Homelessness on July 28-30 in Washington, DC. In addition to many exciting workshops, the conference will feature several "preconference meetings," including:
- "Listening Session: Building the Capacity of Homeless Services Providers" - This session, hosted by the National Alliance to End Homelessness, will provide participants with an opportunity to share and discuss the opportunities and constraints of providing more effective, efficient and higher quality services in the homelessness field. Specifically, the session will explore emerging capacity building needs, common problems, and provide a space for participants to share their individual capacity building issues among their peers.
- "Funding Principles for Ending Homelessness" - This session, hosted by the leadership of the Funders Together to End Homelessness (formerly the Partnership to End Long Term Homelessness) and Fannie Mae from 10 am to 12 pm, will discuss funding principles designed to ensure that funders direct their giving to end homelessness using best practices and evidence-based approaches. Conference participants are welcome to attend this meeting and join the discussion, and are encouraged to take back ideas and strategies to share with foundations and corporations in their own communities. Please RSVP to Alexis Breiteneicher at
Online Registration ends July 21. Register now!
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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. 