Yesterday, the House passed a full-year stopgap funding measure, known as a Continuing Resolution (CR), that will fund the government at mostly fiscal year (FY) 2010 levels through the remainder of FY 2011.
The House bill contains the following funding for homelessness assistance programs:
- $2.055 billion for McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants; and
- $75 million for 10,000 new HUD-VA Supplemental Housing (HUD-VASH) vouchers.
The bill also includes $15 million for new Family Unification Program (FUP) vouchers. There is also $75 million for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Homeless Services program; and $116 million for Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) programs. These numbers represent level funding from FY 2010.
Funding for the joint HUD-HHS Housing and Services for Homeless Persons Demonstration is not included in the House bill because it is a new program for FY 2011.
The Senate is expected to move forward with its version of the legislation in the next week. We must CALL OUR SENATORS TODAY to ensure that ANY final, FY 2011 funding bill for HUD includes:
- At least $2.2 billion for HUD's McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants;
- $75 million for 10,000 new HUD-VASH vouchers; and
- $85 million for 10,000 housing vouchers under the Housing and Services for Homeless Persons Demonstration.
These funding levels, proposed by Congress for FY 2011 earlier this year, may be cut if we don't act NOW! The Senate is expected to decide by next week how to proceed in regard to FY 2011 funding.
What You Can Do:
- Call your senators TODAY. Ask to speak to the person who works on housing issues. You can find congressional office phone numbers by calling the congressional office switchboard at 202-224-3121.
- Explain the importance of providing these funding levels in the final FY 2011 funding bill. Use this one-pager on the impact of FY 2010 funding levels and these suggested talking points to guide your conversation.
- Ask the staff member if his/her boss will contact the Senate Appropriations Committee in support of including these funding levels in the final FY 2011 spending bill, no matter what format it takes.
- Report any responses to Kate Seif at cseif@naeh.org / 202-942-8281.
Background
Legislative Update and Impact
Currently, the federal government is being funded by a CR that expires on December 18. Yesterday, December 8, the House passed a full-year CR that will fund the government at mostly FY 2010 levels until September 30, the end of FY 2011. Increases over FY 2010 levels were provided to the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants, the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance program, and the Project-Based Rental Assistance program.
The Senate is currently aiming to pass a single, large bill to fund all federal discretionary programs for the remainder of FY 2011, known as an omnibus bill. If the Senate is unable to do so, it will likely try to pass the House's bill.
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