Federal Homelessness Appropriations

Each year, Congress passes a budget, allocating funds to federal programs, including housing and homelessness programs.

LATEST NEWS:

On November 18, the President signed into law H.R. 2112, a "minibus" including funding for the Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Commerce, Justice, and related agencies. On December 16, the President signed H.R. 2055 into law, which included funding for the remaining agencies not included in H.R. 2112, including the Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, Labor, and Veterans Affairs. This marked the completion of the fiscal year (FY) 2012 appropriations cycle.

The chart below represents various funding levels (FY 2010, FY 2011, proposed FY 2012, and final FY 2012) for select homelessness and low-income housing programs.

* Numbers signed into law by President Obama
n/a = information not yet available

FY 2012 Homelessness Budget (Dollars in Millions)
Enacted Proposed House Senate Final*
FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2012 FY 2012 FY 2012
HUD Programs
Homeless Assistance Grants 1,901 2,372 1,901 1,901
1,901
Tenant-based rental assistance 18,400 19,223 18,468
 18,872
18,910
HUD-VA Supportive
Housing Program		 50 75 75 75
75
Family Unification Program 0 0 0
n/a
n/a
Housing and Services for Homeless Persons Demo 0 57 0
 5
0
Mainstream Voucher (Section 811) Renewals 35 114 114 113
112
Project-based rental assistance 9,257 9,429 9,027 9,419 9,339
Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) 334 335 334 330 332
Public Housing
Capital 2,040 2,405 1,532
1,875
1,875
Operating Subsidies 4,617 3,962 3,862
3,962
3,962
HOPE VI/Choice Neighborhoods 100 / 65 0 / 250 0 / 0 0 / 120
n/a / 120
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) 3,336 3,691 3,466
 2,851
2,950
HOME 1,607 1,650 1,200
 1,000
1,000
Elderly Housing (Section 202) 399 757 600
 370
375
Housing for People with a Disability (Section 811) 150 196 196
 150
165
(Mainstream voucher renewals would be funded uner Tenant-based rental assistance)
HHS Programs
Community Health Centers 1,480 2,022 n/a 1,851 1,481
Health Care for the Homeless n/a 176 n/a 138 137
Runaway and Homeless Youth Act 116 121 116
116
115
Basic Centers 54 59 54 54
n/a
Transitional Living 44 44 44
44
n/a
Educ. Grants to Reduce Sexual Abuse (street outreach) 18 18 18
18
18
Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) 680 350 n/a 708 714
LIHEAP 4,710 2,570 3,392 3,601
 3,478
Ryan White HIV/AIDS Programs 2,337 2,375 n/a 2,352 2,327
Family Violence Prevention and Services 130 135 n/a 130 130
Promoting Safe and Stable Families 63 63 63 63
 63
PATH 65 65 65 65 65
Mental Health Block Grant 413 413 398 398
 440
Substance Abuse Block Grant 1,703 1,419 1,700 1,703 1,724
SAMHSA Homeless Programs 75 87 n/a 90 75
Child Care and Development Block Grant 2,227 2,917 2,223 2,227
 2,283
Head Start 7,575 8,100 8,100 7,899
 7,983
Social Services Block Grant 1,700 1,700 n/a 1,700 1,700
Other Programs
Veterans Homelessness Programs (Dept. of Veterans' Affairs) 799 939 939 939 n/a
Second Chance Act (Dept. of Justice) 83 100 70 0 63
Emergency Food and Shelter Program (Dept. of Homeland Security) 120 100 120 120 120
Education for Homeless Children and Youth (Dept. of Education) 65 65 65 65
 65
Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (Dept. of Labor) 39 n/a n/a 38
Domestic Violence Transitional Housing (Dept. of Justice) 25 25 18 25 25

Spotlight

Federal Policy Brief  |  September 22, 2011
This short paper will provide recommendations for how the Select Committee can assist in the work to end homelessness and identify decisions that would make the work more difficult and that should be avoided. It will also cover the impact that sequestration would have on nearly all key federal programs to end homelessness, should the Select Committee fail to identify sufficient reductions in the deficit.

Library Resources

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Advocacy Resource  |  September 9, 2011
Congress should provide at least $75 million for the EHCY program. This modest increase is necessary to assist school districts to identify and assist the increasing numbers of youth experiencing homelessness.
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Federal Policy Brief  |  July 1, 2011
Approximately 2 million households receive rental assistance through Section 8 tenant-based rental assistance (Housing Choice Voucher program). Congress should fund all existing vouchers and provide $132 million for additional vouchers for VASH and the Demonstration.
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Federal Policy Brief  |  July 1, 2011
In order to continue the progress toward ending homelessness for America's veterans, Congress should continue to fund HUD-VASH vouchers to provide housing, coupled with services, to chronically homeless veterans.
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Federal Policy Brief  |  July 1, 2011
The President’s FY 2012 budget request included $89 million for SAMHSA Homeless Services. This increase includes funding for the HUD/HHS Housing and Services for Homeless Persons Demonstration Initiative.
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Federal Policy Brief  |  July 1, 2011
The Demonstration requests $57 million from the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program within HUD to be coupled with services provided through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Medicaid, and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs within HHS, as well as with Department of Education resources.
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Federal Policy Brief  |  July 1, 2011
The HEARTH Act expands investments in solutions to homelessness. Congress should fund those investments without shifting significant resources from existing homeless assistance programs. The Homeless Assistance Grants program will require an increase of 21% percent to approximately $2.4 billion in FY 2012.
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Federal Policy Brief  |  July 1, 2011
Congress could offer necessary, crisis services for homeless youth by appropriating $135 million in fiscal year (FY) 2012 for the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) programs.