The Senate is expected to release a proposal soon for fiscal year (FY) 2011 legislation that would cut an additional $6.5 billion - on top of the $4 billion already cut - from FY 2010 levels.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) says that he plans to allow debate and voting NEXT WEEK on both this new proposal and the House FY 2011 bill passed on February 19, which cut about $61 billion total compared to FY 2010 levels. Both proposals are expected to fail in the Senate, but leaders hope that these votes will lay the groundwork for reaching agreement on a final bill.  

Details of the Senate proposal are not yet available, but we need to make sure that any final FY 2011 bill protects important programs for people experiencing homelessness and includes:

• $2.2 billion for HUD's McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants programs;
• 10,000 Housing and Services for Homeless Persons Demonstration vouchers; and
• 10,000 HUD - VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) vouchers.

What You Can Do:

1. Contact your Senator's DC offices THIS AFTERNOON. Ask to speak to the person who handles housing issues. You can find congressional office phone numbers by calling the congressional office switchboard at 202-224-3121.
2. Ask their boss to contact the Senate Appropriations Committee RIGHT AWAY in support of these funding levels.
3. Report any responses to Kate Seif at cseif@naeh.org.

More Information

This week, Congress passed a temporary, stopgap funding measure to fund the government through Friday, March 18. The measure cut $4 billion compared to FY 2010 levels, but no funding was cut for homelessness programs.  

The House's February 19 FY 2011 funding bill includes only $1.865 billion for McKinney-Vento homeless assistance grants, and no new HUD-VASH vouchers, and no funding for the Housing and Services for Homeless Persons Demonstration. These funding levels could lead to over 160,000 additional people homeless who would otherwise be housed.

Last week, Representatives Gwen Moore (D-WI) and Al Green (D-TX) began circulating a House sign-on letter, asking their colleagues to support a final, compromise fiscal year (FY) 2011 funding bill that includes the priority funding levels listed in the article above. The deadline for Representatives to sign onto that letter has been extended until close of business on Monday, March 14.  

What You Can Do:

1. Contact your Representative's DC offices, and ask to speak to the person who handles housing. Office phone numbers can be found by dialing 202-224-3121.
2. Have them ask their boss to sign onto the Moore/Green letter. Explain how important these programs are to your community's efforts to end homelessness.
3. Report any responses to Kate Seif at cseif@naeh.org.

More Information

Representatives can join the Moore/Green letter by contacting Andrew Stevens at andrew.stevens@mail.house.gov in Representative Moore's office before close of business on Monday, March 14. A copy of the letter and current signatories is available here. 

Sample Senate Talking Points and Letter