Legislative Updates 
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants represent the primary source of funding for programs serving homeless people. First enacted in 1987, they represent a critical form of assistance for families with children experiencing homelessness, people experiencing chronic homelessness, and other people experiencing homelessness. In May 2009, President Obama signed into law a bill to reauthorize HUD's McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance programs, known as the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act. The HEARTH Act will improve and expand the McKinney-Vento programs.
LATEST NEWS:
On February 1, the President released his FY 2011 budget proposal, which included a funding level of $2.055 billion for McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants, an increase of 10 percent over the FY 2010 level of $1.865 billion.
More Information on McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants
HUD's Homeless Assistance Grants fund a variety of programs and activities. Some funding is distributed to communities for the Emergency Shelter Grants program. The majority of the funds, however, are distributed through the Continuum of Care process. Under this process, homelessness providers in a specific geographic area work together to describe their assistance, identify their needs, and rank the projects that they want funded. HUD ranks the applications and provides funding based on the quality of the application, the performance of the local homeless assistance system, the need for homeless assistance, and the local rankings of individual programs. Funding can be used for permanent and supportive housing, transitional housing, and services. For more information on understanding the McKinney-Vento Assistance programs, watch this video.
More Information on the HEARTH Act
The HEARTH Act will provide communities with new resources and better tools to prevent and end homelessness. The legislation:
- Increases priority on homeless families with children.
- Significantly increases resources to prevent homelessness.
- Continues to provide incentives for developing permanent supportive housing.
- Grants rural communities greater flexibility.
- Authorizes a funding level of $2.2 billion.
The HEARTH Act will make these and many other changes. For an overview of the impact of the HEARTH Act on McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Programs, click here.
HUD is expected to issue draft regulations for the changes to the McKinney-Vento programs under the HEARTH Act in the late spring. Please watch this page and the Alliance website for updates.
FY 2011 Appropriations: HUD's Homeless Assistance Grants
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 28 percent to approximately $2.4 billion in FY 2011.
FY2011 Hearth Funding Scenarios
This interactive chart quantifies the changes to funding allocations made by the HEARTH Act and demonstrates the impact of several FY2011 funding scenarios, including two different "Hold-Harmless" scenarios. The table shows funding activity under 4 different scenarios.
FY 2011 HUD Homeless Assistance Funding Scenarios
This policy brief quantifies the changes to funding allocations made by the HEARTH Act and demonstrates the impact of several FY 2011 funding scenarios, including two different "Hold-Harmless" scenarios.
Campaign: Increasing McKinney Funding in FY 2011
The Alliance is kicking of an advocacy campaign to increase funding for McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants in FY 2011.
The HEARTH Act: Changes to HUD's Homeless Assistance Programs
This presentation provides an easy-to-follow overview of the impact of the HEARTH Act on the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance programs. The presentation lays out how things are under the current McKinney-Vento programs and how they will be once HEARTH Act implementation is complete.
2009 Policy Guide
This policy guide provides information about the most important federal programs, policies, and legislation affecting homelessness. Key housing and homelessness topics are covered including HUD's McKinney-Vento homeless assistance programs, Section 8 housing choice vouchers, and housing programs dedicated to people with HIV/AIDS, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
HEARTH Act: Next Steps in Implementation
Now that Congress has passed legislation reauthorizing the McKinney-Vento homeless assistance programs, many people are wondering what the next steps are. This one-pager provides an overview of the next steps in implementation of the HEARTH Act, including an anticipated timeline and information on what you can do.
HEARTH Act Section-by-Section Analysis
This document provides a section-by-section analysis of the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act signed into law in May 2009.
Legislative Text of Final HEARTH Act
This document provides the legislative text of S. 896, the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, which was signed into law by President Obama on May 20, 2009. Contained within S. 896 was the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act. The text of the HEARTH Act begins on page 32 of the bill.
Alliance Applauds Congress and President Obama for Enacting the HEARTH Act
Press Release | May 20, 2009
Summary of HEARTH Act
This brief provides a detailed overview of the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act that was included in the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, which was signed into law on May 20, 2009 by President Obama. The document explains the legislation's background, provides details on its provisions, and discusses the ramifications of the bill's language for implementation and application procedures.
HEARTH Act: Homeless Families Benefit
This one-pager explains how homeless families will benefit from the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act, which reauthorizes McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance programs and was signed into law on May 20, 2009.
Highlights of HEARTH Act, S. 896
This two-page brief provides highlights of the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act that was signed into law by President Obama on May 20, 2009.
Steve Berg, vice President of the National Alliance to End Homelessness, explains the history of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance programs and what we can expect in the future.
