Letter to Tom Latham and John Olver, Chairman and Ranking Member of Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies

Letter

Today, Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-Miramar) sent the following letter to Chairman Tom Latham and Ranking Member John Olver of the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies of the House Committee on Appropriations, requesting increased funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants in the final FY 2012 Transportation-HUD Appropriations Act. Joining Hastings in sending the letter are Representatives Eddie Bernice Johnson, Gwen Moore, Madeleine Bordallo, Robert Brady, Corrine Brown, David Cicilline, Emanuel Cleaver, Gerald Connolly, Joe Courtney, Danny Davis, Ted Deutch, Keith Ellison, Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, Bob Filner, Marcia Fudge, Al Green, Raúl Grijalva, Luis Gutiérrez, Rubén Hinojosa, Mazie Hirono, Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., Hank Johnson, Dennis J. Kucinich, Rick Larsen, Barbara Lee, Ben Ray Luján, Carolyn Maloney, Doris Matsui, Carolyn McCarthy, Jim McDermott, Jim McGovern, Jerry McNerney, Gregory Meeks, George Miller, Bill Pascrell, Jr., Mike Quigley, Laura Richardson, Bobby L. Rush, Jan Schakowsky, Louise Slaughter, Pete Stark, Ed Towns, Chris Van Hollen, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Mel Watt, and Frederica Wilson. (Please find below and attached a copy of the letter).

November 14, 2011

The Honorable Tom Latham
Chairman
Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing
and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
H-307 Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable John Olver
Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing
and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
1016 Longworth HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Chairman Latham and Ranking Member Olver:

Thank you for your commitment to expanding resources for preventing and ending homelessness. Based on their proven track record and the number of people experiencing homelessness in our communities, we respectfully urge you to provide an increase in funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants in the final FY 2012 Transportation-HUD Appropriations Act.

Investment in HUD's Homeless Assistance Grants will help prevent and end homelessness in the midst of one of America's deepest economic crises, when we are seeing increasing numbers of people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. According to the most recent data from HUD, nearly 650,000 people are homeless on a given night in America, including nearly 110,000 who are chronically homeless and 241,000 persons in families. HUD also estimates that approximately 76,000 veterans are homeless on a given night. Further increases in homelessness are expected in the coming years if nothing is done. It is simply unacceptable for our nation's heroes, families with children, and others to be sleeping on the streets.

Communities like ours need to make substantial progress in implementing the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009, a landmark reauthorization of homeless assistance that applies two decades of research, innovation, and experience to improve HUD's homeless assistance programs. It supports solutions like permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless people, which can actually save taxpayer dollars by helping to stabilize people cycling in and out of expensive systems.

The Recovery Act's Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) has served 1,000,000 people to date, but these funds are running out and homelessness is increasing. The HEARTH Act will allow communities to transition their successful HPPR initiatives into their long-term efforts to prevent and end homelessness and to continue the focus on cost-effective solutions to chronic homelessness. During these tough economic times, we must work to support lasting solutions to homelessness funded through McKinney-Vento programs.

In the October 17, 2011 Statement of Administration Policy regarding H.R. 2112, the Senate minibus, the Administration expressed its support for providing additional funds for Homeless Assistance Grants in FY 2012 in order to "enable progress on implementing the HEARTH Act and the Federal Strategic Plan to End Homelessness." Funding these important priorities will not only allow our communities serve the increasing number of people in need of assistance, but will also help our communities to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their homeless assistance systems.

Chairman Latham and Ranking Member Olver, we urge you to provide an increase in funding in the final FY 2012 Transportation-HUD Appropriations Act for the HUD Homeless Assistance Grants program to help the hundreds of thousands of Americans who are homeless each night and to more fully implement the HEARTH Act. Thank you for considering this request, and for your continuing leadership on efforts to prevent and end homelessness in the United States.

Sincerely,

Alcee L. Hastings
Member of Congress

Eddie Bernice Johnson
Member of Congress

Gwen Moore
Member of Congress

Corrine Brown
Member of Congress

Rubén Hinojosa
Member of Congress

Luis V. Gutiérrez
Member of Congress

Raúl M. Grijalva
Member of Congress

Edolphus Towns
Member of Congress

Laura Richardson
Member of Congress

Carolyn Maloney
Member of Congress

Keith Ellison
Member of Congress

Pete Stark
Member of Congress

Barbara Lee
Member of Congress

Al Green
Member of Congress

Louise M. Slaughter
Member of Congress

Bob Filner
Member of Congress

Emanuel Cleaver, II
Member of Congress

Chris Van Hollen
Member of Congress

Mike Quigley
Member of Congress

Hank Johnson
Member of Congress

Mazie K. Hirono
Member of Congress

Gregory W. Meeks
Member of Congress

Carolyn McCarthy
Member of Congress

Frederica Wilson
Member of Congress

Robert Brady
Member of Congress

Ben Ray Luján
Member of Congress

Jan Schakowsky
Member of Congress

Debbie Wasserman Schultz
Member of Congress

Rick Larsen
Member of Congress

Danny K. Davis
Member of Congress

Jerry McNerney
Member of Congress

Madeleine Bordallo
Member of Congress

Bobby L. Rush
Member of Congress

Marcia L. Fudge
Member of Congress

William Pascrell, Jr.
Member of Congress

Joe Courtney
Member of Congress

Jesse L. Jackson, Jr.
Member of Congress

George Miller
Member of Congress

Jim McDermott
Member of Congress

Jim McGovern
Member of Congress

Gerald E. Connolly
Member of Congress

Doris Matsui
Member of Congress

Ted Deutch
Member of Congress

Eni F.H. Faleomavaega
Member of Congress

Dennis J. Kucinich
Member of Congress

David Cicilline
Member of Congress

Melvin L. Watt
Member of Congress

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