Advocacy Update: Quarterly Report
|
National Alliance to End Homelessness
Advocacy Update | May 6, 2010
|
|
|
|
|
Advocacy Update: Quarterly Report | |
Below is a Quarterly Report on several recent
policy initiatives and upcoming opportunities for Hill Day at the Alliance's Annual
Conference in July. Check out the
articles below for more information on: - Becoming a State Captain for Capitol Hill Day;
- Applying for a scholarship to attend the Annual Conference;
- Status of
McKinney-Vento appropriations efforts; and
- Status of comprehensive
legislation to end veterans' homelessness.
|
|
Gearing up for the July Conference and Capitol Hill
Day
Scholarship Deadline Extended and Hill
Day Preparation
|
It's that time of year
again! The Alliance is gearing up for
its Annual Conference and Capitol Hill Day, where leaders from across the
Country will meet in Washington DC on July 12 to 14 to discuss strategies for
preventing and ending homelessness.
Below are two important updates for advocates who are interested in
participating in the conference.
First: There are two Scholarship Programs to provide financial assistance to individuals who cannot afford to attend the
conference - the Organizational Scholarship program for individuals who work with
organizations working to end homelessness, and the Individual Scholarship program for people who are or have been homeless. The deadline to apply for a scholarship has been extended to Friday, May 21. Click here for the application
details.
Second: Keep an eye out for upcoming information about Capitol Hill Day held in conjunction with the conference on the
afternoon of Wednesday, July 14. Hill
Day is an opportunity for conference participants to take part in federal
advocacy by meeting with their U.S.
Senators and Representatives. Following
registration, conference participants will be notified about how to participate
in Hill Day by getting in touch with their Sate Captains, whom the Alliance nominates to
schedule and lead participants from their state on meetings with Members of
Congress and their staff.
All conference participants are encouraged to
participate in Hill Day! There is no
better group of people to inform federal policymakers about solutions to
homelessness than the national and local experts who attend the conference (you);
those who can speak first-hand about the scope of homelessness and the
successful interventions being implemented in their communities. If you
are interested
in being a State Captain or want additional information about Hill Day, please
contact Amanda Krusemark.
|
|
McKinney-Vento Appropriations Update
|
Over the past quarter,
advocates have been extremely busy making a lot of progress on securing $2.4
billion for McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants as part of the FY 2011
McKinney Appropriations Campaign. We
kicked off the Campaign with a webinar and a letter writing contest. Advocates
sent 1,180 letters to their Members
of Congress in the month of February.
This INCREDIBLE effort bolstered the support of several Members of
Congress.
In March and April,
Congressional Sign-On Letters circulated in the House and Senate. The Campaign got 52 Representatives and 28
Senators to sign the letters expressing their support for providing $2.4
billion for McKinney
programs. This is an increase over last
year, despite the tough budget environment. This is really remarkable!
As the Memorial Day
Congressional Recess approaches, advocates are encouraged to 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.
Background
On February 1, the
Administration released its FY 2011 Budget Proposal, which included $2.055
billion for McKinney programs - a 10 percent increase over
last year. The Alliance is grateful for this request, but the
changes that were made to the program in the HEARTH Act will require a funding
level of $2.4 billion to avoid communities getting less funding for new projects
in FY 2011.
Now, Congress is determining how much overall money the federal government will
spend in FY 2011. Once that is done, the House and Senate Transportation,
Housing, and Urban Development (T-HUD) subcommittees will be given an allocation
and begin writing the T-HUD appropriations bill. Over the past several years, the
T-HUD subcommittees have marked up (reviewed and passed) their appropriations bills
in the summer, but this year's timing is still unclear.
|
|
Veterans Homelessness Legislation
|
Earlier this year, the
Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs passed S. 1237, which included the Zero
Tolerance for Veterans Homelessness Act.
The legislation would expand the HUD-VA Supportive Housing (VASH)
program, create a homelessness prevention program within the VA, and require a
comprehensive plan for ending veteran homelessness, among other things.
Urge
your Senators to pass S. 1237. It
is ready to be passed by the full Senate. Urge your Representatives to pass
similar legislation in the House. Click
here for more information about
the Zero Tolerance for Veterans Homelessness Act.
|
|
Sign onto National Letter from NHTF Campaign
|
The National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF) Campaign is urging organizations
from around the country to sign onto a letter urging Congress
to provide $1 billion for the NHTF. The letter also asks for an additional $65
million to be made available in project-based vouchers to be coupled with the
NHTF capital grants. For more information on the National Housing Trust Fund,
click here. Please sign your organization onto the letter today!
|
|
BUILDING
POLITICAL WILL
|
The Alliance works collaboratively with its local, state, and national partners to advance policies and programs that prevent and end homelessness.
|
| CONTACT US |
Sarah Kahn
Director of Field Mobilization
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
National Alliance to End Homelessness \| 1518 K Street, NW Suite 410 \| Washington, D.C. \| DC \| 20005
|
|
|
