In recent years, many communities have substantially reduced the number of families and individuals experiencing homelessness by implementing solution-focused interventions. To expand those efforts, the Alliance is devoted to working with the Administration, Congress, and our local, state, and national partners to improve federal policies that will prevent and end homelessness.

Please note that these policy priorities may change based on the FY 2011 and FY 2012 budget processes.

• Top Congressional Priorities
• Top Administration Priorities
• Additional Federal Policy Priorities

Top Congressional Priorities

Provide adequate funding for key federal homelessness assistance programs in FY 2011, including:

• McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants within the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD);
• HUD – Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) vouchers;
• Housing and Services for Homeless Persons Demonstration vouchers; and
• Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) programs within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Provide $2.4 billion for the Homeless Assistance Grants program within HUD in FY 2012 to:

• Expand investments in homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing solutions through the Emergency Solutions block grant program;
• Finish implementing the changes made by the HEARTH Act, which reauthorized these programs and increased prevention, assistance to families, rural programs, and effective administration;
• Avoid cuts for projects to get children and adults off the streets; and
• Cover the cost of renewing and expanding investments for permanent supportive housing and rapid re-housing—proven, cost efficient solutions to homelessness.

Include $135 million for RHYA grant programs in FY 2012 to:

• Support housing and service interventions that would allow youth a stable housing foundation to complete high school and provide a basis for achieving economic independence;
• Fund the Administration's proposed demonstration to address the needs of domestically trafficked and sexually exploited youth;
• Fund an incidence and prevalence report to determine the number of unaccompanied homeless youth; and
• Allow programs to maintain current service levels.

Increase the capacity of HUD and VA to prevent and end homelessness among veterans:

• Enact legislation giving VA the ability to adopt the most solution-oriented approaches to end homelessness among veterans;
• Provide $75 million for new HUD-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) vouchers in FY 2012 to house an estimated 11,538 additional homeless veterans; and
• Increase funding for veteran homelessness assistance programs within VA.

Top Administration Policy Priorities

Improve knowledge about youth homelessness:

• Quantify the number of youth experiencing homelessness;
• Conduct research on their patterns of homelessness; and
• Improved data collection and best practices for LGBTQ youth.

Administer federal health care provisions to aggressively support programs for low-income at-risk populations:

• Publish timely regulations and guidance to implement sections of the Affordable Care Act that enhance capacity of programs for homeless and at-risk populations – especially Medicaid, community health centers, and mental health and substance use treatment programs;
• Work with states to ensure that the expansion and improvement of Medicaid includes cost-effective services to get people with disabilities off the streets and stabilize them in housing; and
• Ensure adequate funding and streamlined processes to meet the health needs for homeless and at-risk populations.

Dramatically expand VA’s work at the local level to end homelessness among veterans:

• Create and begin implementing local five-year plans to end veteran homelessness;
• Identify and work with local champions to ensure progress in plan implementation; and
• Collaborate with local stakeholders to develop a systematic approach to solving veteran homelessness.

Additional Federal Policy Priorities

Increase access to permanent, affordable housing for extremely low-income individuals and families:

• Protect funding for Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers in FY 2012;
• Enact the Section Eight Voucher Reform Act (SEVRA); and
• Authorize a $1 billion capitalization of the National Housing Trust Fund and additional dedicated funding sources.

Increase the availability of services linked to housing for people experiencing homelessness:

• Increase funding for the Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) program, and for services in supportive housing within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) administered by HHS;
• Provide SAMHSA Homeless Services funds for the voucher assistance initiatives mentioned above;
• Enact the Services to End Long-Term Homelessness Act (SELHA) and create a System of Care within HHS for homeless populations living with mental illness;
• Provide $100 million in FY 2012 for Department of Justice (DOJ) Second Chance Act grant programs to prevent homelessness for people leaving corrections facilities; and
• Expand the Violence Against Women Act programs within DOJ to include a stronger focus on connecting survivors of domestic violence with permanent housing resources.

End homelessness for 50,000 unaccompanied youth through supportive housing, rental assistance, and services for specific sub-populations of street youth:

• Provide $20 million within HUD in FY 2012 for new Family Unification Program vouchers to offer housing to support to youth-in-transition from foster care and to prevent youth from entering foster care; and
• Improve the ability of the child welfare system to prevent homelessness.

Improve the income trajectory for homeless and at-risk, vulnerable populations by improving access to benefits and employment:

• Provide greater incentives for states to use workforce programs to serve the most vulnerable populations – including those experiencing homelessness – through improving Workforce Investment Act programs; and
• Enhance the ability of the TANF program to prevent and end homelessness for low-income families and unaccompanied youth.

Implement the HEARTH Act, reauthorizing HUD’s Homeless Assistance Grants program:

• Expand investments in homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing solutions through the Emergency Solutions block grant program;
• Increase the emphasis on solutions to homelessness in rural areas; and
• Improve system-level coordination in communities.