Advocacy Update: Quarterly Report

This Quarterly Report includes a preview of key upcoming activities and issues for advocates, as well as a review of major developments from the last quarter. Specifically, this issue reviews:

• Capitol Hill Day 2011;
• Appropriations Campaigns for McKinney-Vento and RHYA;
• Upcoming NHTF Webinar;
• Advocacy "How-To" Blog Series; and
• Recent Congressional Briefings.

The Alliance's annual National Conference on Ending Homelessness will be held on July 13-15 in Washington, DC. The conference includes an entire workshop track on advocacy. Every year, the Alliance also hosts a Capitol Hill Day in conjunction with the conference. This year's Capitol Hill Day will be on Friday, July 15.

Capitol Hill Day provides conference attendees an opportunity to meet with their congressional offices and educate them on the importance of making it a federal priority to end homelessness. Participants provide updates of local efforts to prevent and end homelessness, detail the success of those efforts, and discuss the federal policies and programs key to that success.

During last year's Capitol Hill Day, an impressive 350 people from more than 40 states held about 230 congressional meetings. These meetings can have a real impact on federal policy. Just a few days after last year's Capitol Hill Day, the House Appropriations Committee amended a draft fiscal year (FY) 2011 funding bill to include an additional $145 million for McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants.

For each state, a State Captain takes the lead on scheduling the congressional meetings and coordinating with other participants from their state. To find out who your State Captain is, visit the Capitol Hill Day website. If your state does not yet have a State Captain or to learn more about Capitol Hill Day, contact Swaroop Vitta at svitta@naeh.org.

Appropriations Campaigns: Update  

McKinney-Vento Appropriations Campaign.Over the past quarter, advocates have been extremely busy making progress on securing $2.4 billion for McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants in fiscal year (FY) 2012. The Alliance kicked off a McKinney campaign in April with a call to join Gwen Moore's sign-on letter circulating in the House calling for about $2.4 billion for the program. The letter got an incredible 49 signatures, and at least 12 MORE Members of Congress submitted their own official requests for this funding level. This is a remarkable response, particularly in this tough budget environment.

The House HUD Appropriations Subcommittee is expected to mark up its FY 2012 funding bill on Thursday, July 14 - right before Capitol Hill Day! The Senate has not yet set a timeline for releasing its FY 2012 HUD funding bill.

RHYA Appropriations Campaign. The Alliance also launched a campaign in early May to provide $135 million for the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) programs in FY 2012. The Alliance kicked off the campaign with a webinar and a letter writing contest. Advocates sent almost 200 letters to their Members of Congress in the month of May. Also in May, Representative Judy Biggert (R-IL) circulated a House sign-on letter calling for robust funding for RHYA programs. This letter received 15 signatures, and at least five Representatives submitted their own official requests for this funding level. Again, this is a tremendous response from Congress, given the difficult political climate.  

The House HHS Appropriations Subcommittee is expected to mark up its bill for FY 2012 funding on July 26. The Senate has not yet announced a timeline.

What You Can Do. As the July 4 Congressional Recess approaches, you should invite Members of Congress to visit local homeless assistance programs - an excellent way to show policymakers how their decisions are impacting the people who live in their districts/states. For help inviting your Members and planning a site visit, contact Amanda Krusemark at akrusemark@naeh.org.

Next Thursday, June 30 at 3 p.m. ET, the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) will host a webinar on the National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF). The webinar will provide an update on prospects for funding the NHTF and on the development of HUD regulations. The webinar will feature Sheila Crowley, President and CEO of NLIHC, who will also highlight the key steps that advocates can take to advance the effort to fund the NHTF. Click here to register.

Advocacy "How-To" Blog Series 

In May, the Alliance launched an "Advocacy How-To" blog series that outlines what it means to be an advocate for homeless programs and how to become one. In addition, the series covered the basics of lawmaking, the rules surrounding nonprofit advocacy and lobbying, and how to contact your Members of Congress, among other topics.  As Capitol Hill Day draws nearer, the series will continue with posts about this important part of our conference, followed by a summary of some of the advocates' accomplishments throughout their Hill visits.

In recent months, both the House and Senate have hosted briefings on the issue of homelessness. One important such briefing was hosted by the House Congressional Caucus on Homelessness. The briefing, entitled "A Growing Epidemic: Homeless Children, Youth, and Families," included presentations on programs, strategies, and initiatives to keep children in school and to secure stable housing. More than 15 congressional offices attended.

Another congressional briefing hosted last week by Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Patty Murray (D-WA) gave valuable insight into the lives of homeless students. "Voices of Youth: A Discussion of Homelessness and the Power of Education" featured 12 formerly homeless young adults who are currently enrolled in college. Their stories vividly illustrated the struggles of homeless youth and their determination to receive an education. The briefing was well-attended, with over two dozen congressional staff represented.