What You Can Do:

1. Please contact the staff person who works on housing or homelessness in the offices of your Representatives EARLY THIS WEEK and ask him/her if their boss will sign the House Congressional sign-on letter by March 17.  Click here for a copy of the letter and a list of who has already signed onto the letter.  If your Representatives want to sign the letter, their staff must contact Andrew.Stevens@mail.house.gov in Rep. Moore's office by March 17. 
2. Ask him/her if they plan to attend the Congressional Briefing, Policy Solutions to Chronic Homelessness, at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 23.  They can RSVP to Amanda Krusemark (akrusemark@naeh.org / 202-942-8256).
3. To make this REALLY easy, we have created a sample email and sample talking points to help you reach out to staff.  Report any responses you receive from staff to Amanda Krusemark. 

Please let Amanda Krusemark know if you would like help inviting a Member of Congress to visit a local homelessness assistance program during the Congressional spring recess (March 29 - April 9).

For more information, visit the McKinney Appropriations Campaign website.

What You Can Do:

1. Call the offices of your Representatives and ask to speak to the staff person who works on appropriations for the Department of Health and Human Services.  (Congressional office phone numbers can be found by calling the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.) 

2. Ask him/her if the office will include a request for $165 million for the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act Programs in its submission of HHS appropriations priorities.

3. Ask when you can follow up with him/her, since the deadline for the submission of appropriations priorities is Monday, March 22. 

More Information

The Runaway and Homeless Youth Programs are essential to prevent exploitation of youth on the streets and to support reconnection to their families, schools, employment, and housing options.  Click here for additional information about the program. 

The Alliance encourages members of Congress to appropriate $165 million to this vital program to meet the crisis needs of America's homeless youth.  This recommendation would serve more homeless youth.  Currently, America's homeless youth are denied services because communities lack outreach, shelter, and housing programs.  In 2009, the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act programs made over 800,000 street contacts to homeless and at-risk youth, of which less than 41,000 received a shelter bed and less than 4,000 received housing services. 

For more information regarding FY 2011 Appropriations on the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, please contact LaKesha Pope (lpope@naeh.org / 202-942-8254).