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The causes of homelessness and determining how best to assist those who find themselves homeless became particularly prominent, visible issues in the 1980s. The concept of homelessness may seem like a straightforward onestraightforward, with individuals and families who have no place to live falling within the definition. However, the extent of homelessness in this country and how best to address it depend upon how one defines the condition of being homeless.
There is no single federal definition of homelessness, although a number of programs, including those overseen by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and Department of Labor (DOL) use the definition enacted as part of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (P.L. 100-77). The McKinney-Vento Act definition of a homeless individual was broadened as part of the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-22). Previously, a homeless individual was defined as a person who lacks a fixed nighttime residence and whose primary nighttime residence is a supervised public or private shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations, a facility accommodating persons intended to be institutionalized, or a place not intended to be used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings. The lawP.L. 111-22 expanded the definition to include those defined as homeless under other federal programs, in certain circumstances, as well as those who will imminently lose housing.
A number of federal programs in seven different agencies, many originally authorized by the McKinney-Vento Act, serve homeless persons. These include the Education for Homeless Children and YouthYouths program administered by the Department of Education (ED) and the Emergency Food and Shelter program, a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) program run by the Department of Homeland Security. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) administers multiple programs that serve homeless individuals, including Health Care for the Homeless, Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness, and the Runaway and Homeless Youth program.
HUD administers the Homeless Assistance Grants, made up of grant programs that provide housing and services for homeless individuals ranging from emergency shelter to permanent housing. The VA operates numerous programs that serve homeless veterans. These include Health Care for Homeless Veterans, Supportive Services for Veteran Families, and the Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem program, as well as a collaborative program with HUD called HUD-VASH, through which homeless veterans receive Section 8 vouchers from HUD and supportive services through the VA. The Department of Labor also operates a program for homeless veterans, the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program.
The federal government, through the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, has established a goal of ending homelessness among various populations, including families, youth, chronically homeless individuals, and veterans (the Department of Veterans AffairsVA also has its own goal of ending veteran homelessness). Point-in-time counts of those experiencing homelessness in 2014 indicate2015, listed in Table 1 of this report, show overall reductions among homeless people, as well as reductions among chronically homeless individuals, people in families, and veterans compared to 2007, the year that the recession beganrecent years.
Federal assistance targeted to homeless individuals and families was largely nonexistent prior to the mid-1980s. Although the Runaway and Homeless Youth program was enacted in 1974 as part of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (P.L. 93-415), the first federal program focused on assisting all homeless people, no matter their age, was the Emergency Food and Shelter (EFS) program, established in March 1983 through an emergency jobs appropriation bill (P.L. 98-8). The EFS program was and continues to be administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide emergency food and shelter to needy individuals.
In 1987, Congress enacted the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act (P.L. 100-77), which created a number of new programs to comprehensively address the needs of homeless people, including food, shelter, health care, and education. The act was later renamed the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (P.L. 106-400) after its two prominent proponents—Representatives Stewart B. McKinney and Bruce F. Vento. The programs authorized in McKinney-Vento include the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Homeless Assistance Grants, the Department of Labor (DOL) Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Grants for the Benefit of Homeless Individuals and Health Care for the Homeless, and the Department of Education (ED) Education for Homeless Children and Youths program.
This report describes existingThe way homelessness is defined largely determines who is served by federal programs. This report discusses the definitions of homelessness used by targeted federal homeless programs. In addition, the report describes the current federal programs that provide targeted assistance to homeless individuals and families (other federal programs may provide assistance to homeless individuals but are not specifically designed to assist homeless persons). These include those programs listed above, as well as others that Congress has created since the enactment of McKinney-Vento. In addition, this report discusses federal efforts to end homelessness. Finally, Table 12 at the end of this report shows funding levels for each of the ED, DHS, HHS, HUD, DOL, and Department of Justice (DOJ) programs that assist homeless individuals. Table 23 shows funding levels for VA programs.
Homelessness in the United States has always existed, but it did not come to the public's attention as a national issue until the 1970s and 1980s, when the characteristics of the homeless population and their living arrangements began to change. Throughout the early and middle part of the 20th century, homelessness was typified by "skid rows": areas with hotels and single-room occupancy dwellings where transient single men lived.1 Skid rows were usually removed from the more populated areas of cities, and it was uncommon for individuals to actually live on the streets.2 Beginning in the 1970s, however, the homeless population began to grow and become more visible to the general public. According to studies from the time, homeless persons were no longer almost exclusively single men, but included women with children; their median age was younger; they were more racially diverse (in previous decades, the observed homeless population was largely white); they were less likely to be employed (and therefore had lower incomes); they were mentally ill in higher proportions than previously; and individuals who were abusing or had abused drugs began to become more prevalent in the population.3
A number of reasons have been offered for the growth in the number of homeless persons and their increasing visibility. Many cities demolished skid rows to make way for urban development, leaving some residents without affordable housing options.4 Other possible factors contributing to homelessness include the decreased availability of affordable housing generally, the reduced need for seasonal unskilled labor, the reduced likelihood that relatives will accommodate homeless family members, the decreased value of public benefits, and changed admissions standards at mental hospitals.5 The increased visibility of homeless people was due, in part, to the decriminalization of actions such as public drunkenness, loitering, and vagrancy.6
In the 1980s, Congress first responded to the growing prevalence of homelessness with several separate grant programs designed to address the food and shelter needs of homeless individuals. These programs included the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (P.L. 98-8), the Emergency Shelter Grants Program (P.L. 99-591), and the Transitional Housing Demonstration Program (P.L. 99-591).7 In 1983, the first federal task force was created to provide information to local governments and other parties on how to obtain surplus federal property that could be used for providing shelter and other services for homeless persons.
Congress began to consider comprehensive legislation to address homelessness in 1986. On June 26, 1986, H.R. 5140 and S. 2608 were introduced as the Homeless Persons' Survival Act to provide an aid package for homeless persons. No further action was taken on either measure, however. Later that same year, legislation containing Title I of the Homeless Persons' Survival Act—emergency relief provisions for shelter, food, mobile health care, and transitional housing—was introduced as the Urgent Relief for the Homeless Act (H.R. 5710). The legislation passed both houses of Congress in 1987 with large bipartisan majorities. The act was renamed the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act after the death of its chief sponsor, Stewart B. McKinney of Connecticut; it was renamed again on October 30, 2000, as the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act after the death of another prominent sponsor, Bruce F. Vento of Minnesota. In 1987, President Ronald Reagan signed the act into law (P.L. 100-77).
The original version of the McKinney-Vento Act consisted of 15 programs either created or reauthorized by the act, providing an array of services for homeless persons and administered by various federal agencies. The act also established the Interagency Council on Homelessness, which is designed to provide guidance on the federal response to homelessness through the coordination of the efforts of multiple federal agencies covered under the McKinney-Vento Act. Since the enactment of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, there have been some legislative changes to programs and services provided under the act and new programs that target homeless individuals have been created. Specific programs covered under the McKinney-Vento Act, as well as other federal programs responding to homelessness, are discussed in this report.
There is no single federal definition of what it means to be homeless, and definitions among federal programs that serve homeless individuals may vary to some degree. As a result, the populations served through the federal programs described in this report may differ depending on the program. The definition of "homeless individual" that was originally enacted in the McKinney-Vento Act is used by a majority of programs to define what it means to be homeless. The McKinney-Vento Act defined the term "homeless individual" for purposes of the programs that were authorized through the law (see Section 103 of McKinney-Vento), though some programs that were originally authorized through McKinney-Vento use their own, less restrictive definitions.89 In 2009, the McKinney-Vento Act definition of homelessness was amended by the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act, enacted as part of the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act (P.L. 111-22).
Programs that use the definition in Section 103 of the McKinney-Vento Act are HUD's Homeless Assistance Grants, FEMA's Emergency Food and Shelter program, the VA homeless veterans programs, and DOL's Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program.910 (Throughout this section of the report, the term "Section 103 definition" is used to refer to the original McKinney-Vento Act definition of homelessness.)
This section describes the original McKinney-Vento Act Section 103 definition of homeless individual, how the definition compares to those used in other programs, and how it has changed under the HEARTH Act and HUD's implementing regulations.
The definition of the term "homeless individual" in Section 103 of McKinney-Vento remained the same for years, defining a homeless individual as
[a]n individual who lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence; and a person who has a nighttime residence that is (a) a supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations (including welfare hotels, congregate shelters, and transitional housing for the mentally ill); (b) an institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized; or (c) a public or private place not designed for, nor ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.
This definition was sometimes described as requiring one to be literally homeless in order to meet its requirements1011—either living in emergency accommodations or having no place to stay. This contrasts with definitions used in some other federal programs, where a person may currently have a place to live but is still considered homeless because the accommodation is precarious or temporary.
Education for Homeless Children and Youths: The Department of Education (ED) program defines homeless children and youth in part by reference to the Section 103 definition of homeless individuals as those lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.1112 In addition, however, the ED program defines children and youth who are eligible for services to include those who are (1) sharing housing with other persons due to loss of housing or economic hardship; (2) living in hotels or motels, trailer parks, or campgrounds due to lack of alternative arrangements; (3) awaiting foster care placement; (4) living in substandard housing; and (5) children of migrant workers.1213
Transitional Housing Assistance for Victims of Domestic Violence, Stalking, or Sexual Assault: The Violence Against Women Act definition of homelessness is similar to the ED definition.13
Runaway and Homeless Youth: The statute defines a homeless youth as either ages 16 to 22 (for transitional living projects) or ages 18 and younger (for short-term shelter) and for whom it is not possible to live in a safe environment with a relative or for whom there is no other safe alternative living arrangement.14
Health Care for the Homeless: Under the Health Care for the Homeless program, a homeless individual is one who "lacks housing," and the definition includes those living in a private or publicly operated temporary living facility or in transitional housing.1516
Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness: In the PATH program, an "eligible homeless individual" is described as one suffering from serious mental illness, which may also be accompanied by a substance use disorder, and who is "homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless." The statute does not further define what constitutes being homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness, however.
The Section 103 definition of "homeless individual" was changed in 2009 as part of the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act, enacted as part of the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act (P.L. 111-22). The HEARTH Act broadened the McKinney-Vento Section 103 definition and moved the definition away from the requirement for literal homelessness. On December 5, 2011, HUD released regulations that clarify some of the changes.1617 The changes are as follows:
26Note that the domestic violence provision of the McKinney-Vento definition does not apply to homeless veteran programs. The statutory definition of homeless veteran for VA and DOL program eligibility refers only to Section 103(a) of the McKinney-Vento Act.2627 The HEARTH Act added Section 103(b), which refers to victims of domestic violence.
The following subsections describe each of the federal programs targeted to assist homeless individuals, arranged by the agency administering the programs. Where relevant, there are references to other CRS reports that go into more detail about the programs.
(42 U.S.C. §§11431-11435) This program was initially authorized under Title VII, Part B, of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act; itThe Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program provides assistance to state educational agencies (SEAs) to ensure that all homeless children and youth have equal access to the same free, appropriate public education, including public preschool education that is provided to other children and youth. Grants made by SEAs to local educational agencies (LEAs) under this program The EHCY program was originally authorized under Title VII, Part B, of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. It was last reauthorized as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA), which was signed into law in December 2015.28 In addition to EHCY provisions authorized under the McKinney-Vento Act, there are a number of provisions relating to the education of homeless children and youth that are authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), which was also amended by ESSA.
Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) grants are allotted to SEAs in proportion to grants made under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA)Additionally, each state must designate a state coordinator, whose duties include monitoring LEAs, disseminating data on student homelessness, and implementing professional development programs for LEA McKinney-Vento liaisons. At the LEA level, McKinney-Vento liaisons are responsible for ensuring that homeless students enroll in schools, that they are identified by school personnel, and that they have access to and receive all educational services for which they are eligible.
The McKinney-Vento Act also requires that each LEA shall, according to each child's best interest, continue the student's education in the school of origin29 for the duration of homelessness or enroll the student in a public school that the student is eligible to attend. LEAs are required to provide transportation to and from the school of origin.
EHCY grants are allotted to SEAs in proportion to grants made under Title I, Part A of the ESEA, except that no state can receive less than the greater of $150,000, 0.25% of the total annual appropriation, or the amount received in FY2001 under this program. The Department of Education must reserve 0.1% of the total appropriation for grants to the outlying areasAll LEAs are required to report data annually to the Department of Education on the number of homeless students enrolled, regardless of whether or not they receive a McKinney-Vento Homeless Education grant. In School Year (SY) 2012-2013, 3,6882013-2014, 4,261 LEAs, out of a total of 17,008170, received EHCY grants.27 In SY2012-2013, 1,258,18231 In the same school year, 1,301,239 homeless students were reported enrolled in school compared to 1,168,354219,818 in SY2011-2012.
Title I-A of ESEA provides funds to elementary and secondary schools with relatively high concentrations of students from low-income families to be used for supplementary educational and related services. All LEAs receiving funds under Title I-A of ESEA must reserve funds to provide homeless students with an education comparable to those received by other Title I-A students. The amount of funds reserved for this purpose can be determined through a needs assessment that takes into account the homeless student enrollment averages and trends in the LEA. Funds reserved under Title I-A may be used for homeless children and youth attending any school in the LEA, for services not ordinarily provided to other students,32 to fund the LEA's McKinney-Vento liaison, and to provide transportation to and from the school of origin. State report cards authorized under Title I-A must disaggregate academic achievement and high school graduation rates for McKinney-Vento students.
EHCY was last reauthorized as part of ESEA in 2001, in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-110). On April 16, 2015, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions unanimously passed a bill to reauthorize the ESEA titled The Every Child Achieves Act of 2015 (S. 1177). The bill is expected to be considered by the full Senate before the FY2015 congressional summer recess. On February 20, 2015, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce passed a bill by a vote of 21 to 16 to reauthorize the ESEA. The bill is titled the Student Success Act (H.R. 5). For more information on The Every Child Achieves Act of 2015 and the Student Success Act, see the "Active Legislation in the 114th Congress" section of the report.
For more information on the Education for Homeless Children and Youths Program, see CRS Report R42494, Education for Homeless Children and Youth: Program Overview and Legislation, by [author name scrubbed].)
(42 U.S.C. §§11331-11352) The Emergency Food and Shelter program, the oldest federal program serving all homeless populations,2833 was established in March 1983 and is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in the Department of Homeland Security. The program allocates funds to local communities to fund homeless programs and homelessness prevention services. The EFS program is governed by a National Board chaired by FEMA and made up of representatives from the United Way Worldwide, the Salvation Army, the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., Catholic Charities U.S.A., United Jewish Communities, and the American Red Cross. The National Board uses a formula comprised of unemployment rates and poverty rates to determine which local jurisdictions (typically counties) qualify for funds. Eligible local jurisdictions then convene a local board to determine which organizations—nonprofits and government agencies—within their communities should receive grants, and distribute their available funds accordingly.29
Eligible expenses for which local organizations may use funds include items for food pantries such as groceries, food vouchers, and transportation expenses related to the delivery of food; items for mass shelters such as hot meals, transportation of clients to shelters or food service providers, and toiletries; payments to prevent homelessness such as utility assistance, hotel or motel lodging, rental or mortgage assistance, and first month's rent; and local recipient organization program expenses such as building maintenance or repair, and equipment purchases up to $300.
The EFS program was established by the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 (P.L. 98-8); in 1987 it was authorized under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. The authorization for the EFS program expired at the end of FY1994 (42 U.S.C. §11352), however it continues to be funded through annual appropriations. (For more information about the Emergency Food and Shelter Program, see CRS Report R42766, The Emergency Food and Shelter National Board Program and Homeless Assistance, by [author name scrubbed].)
(42 U.S.C. §254b(h)) The Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) Program provides grants to nonprofit, state, or local government entities to operate outpatient health centers for homeless individuals. It is one of the four types of health centers authorized in Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. §§201 et seq.). The HCH is the only federal program that focuses on the health care needs of the homeless population.3035 Centers funded under the HCH are required to be community designed and operated and must provide primary health care and substance abuse prevention and treatment services to homeless individuals. Centers may also provide services to connect homeless individuals with support services such as emergency shelter and job training and may provide care at mobile sites. Finally, theThe HCH program authorizes grants to fund innovative programs that provide outreach and comprehensive primary health services to homeless children and children at risk of homelessness. In 20132015, there were 250295 program grantees that provided care to 851,641890,283 homeless individuals. The vast majority of these patients (nearly 88%) lived at or below the federal poverty level.3136 HCHs were permanently authorized in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148, as amended). (For more information about health centers, see CRS Report R43937, Federal Health Centers: An Overview, by [author name scrubbed].)
(42 U.S.C. §290cc-21 through §290cc-35) Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) is a formula grant program that distributes funds to states (including the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands) to support local organizations providing services for people with serious mental illness (including those with co-occurring substance use disorders) who are homeless or at imminent risk of becoming homeless. Funds are distributed to states in amounts proportional to their populations living in urbanized areas; the minimum allotment is $300,000 for each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, and $50,000 for each of the other territories. States must provide matching funds of at least $1 for every $3 of federal funds. Up to 20% of the federal payments may be used for housing-related assistance, including (but not limited to) services to help individuals access housing, minor repairs, security deposits, and one-time rental payments to prevent eviction. Other services include (but are not limited to) outreach, mental health and substance abuse treatment, case management, and job training. The PATH program is administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) Center for Mental Health Services (within HHS).3237 Authorization for the PATH program expired at the end of FY2003; however, it continues to be funded through annual appropriations.
(42 U.S.C. §290aa-5) Grants for the Benefit of Homeless Individuals (GBHI) is a competitive grant program that supports services to homeless individuals with substance use disorders (including those with co-occurring mental illness). Grants are awarded competitively to community-based public or nonprofit entities for periods of up to five years. GBHI-funded programs and services include substance abuse treatment, mental health services, wrap-around services, immediate entry into treatment, outreach services, screening and diagnostic services, staff training, case management, primary health services, job training, educational services, and relevant housing services. Under the GBHI authority, SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment administers two grant portfolios: Treatment Systems for Homeless and (in collaboration with SAMHSA's Center for Mental Health Services) Cooperative Agreements to Benefit Homeless Individuals.3338 Authorization for the GBHI program expired at the end of FY2003; however, it continues to be funded through annual appropriations.
The Runaway and Homeless Youth Program is administered by the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) within HHS's Administration for Children and Families (ACF). The program was established in 1974 and was most recently authorized by the Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-378). The law authorized federal funding for three programs through FY2013 (and Congress has continued to provide funding in subsequent years): the Basic Center Program (BCP), Transitional Living Program (TLP), and Street Outreach Program (SOP). These programs are designed to provide services to runaway and homeless youth outside of the law enforcement, juvenile justice, child welfare, and mental health systems. The funding streams for the Basic Center Program and Transitional Living Program were separate until Congress consolidated them in 1999 (P.L. 106-71). Together, the two programs, along with other program activities, are known as the Consolidated Runaway and Homeless Youth Program.3439 Although the Street Outreach Program is a separately funded component, SOP services are coordinated with those provided under the BCP and TLP. Grantees must provide at least 10% of the funds to cover the total cost of the services provided under the three programs. (For more information about the program, see CRS Report RL33785, Runaway and Homeless Youth: Demographics and Programs, by [author name scrubbed].)
(42 U.S.C. §§5711-5714) The Basic Center Program is intended to provide short-term shelter and services for youth under age 18 and their families through public and private community-based centers. Youth eligible to receive BCP services include those youth who are at risk of running away or becoming homeless (and who may live at home with their parents), or have already left home, either voluntarily or involuntarily. These centers, which may shelter as many as 20 youth40 for up to 21 days, are located in areas that are frequented or easily reached by runaway and homeless youth. The centers seek to reunite youth with their families, whenever possible, or to locate appropriate alternative placements. The centers also provide basic provisions, individual and family counseling, and other supports. Some centers serveprovide runaway and homeless youth (including those ages 18 to 21) through street-based services, home-based services, and drug abuse education and prevention services.
BCP grants are allocated by formula to each state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, and are then distributed by HHS on a competitive basis to community-based organizations. The amount of BCP funding available to a jurisdiction is based on its proportion of the nation's youth under age 18, and under the law, each jurisdiction receives a minimum of $200,000. Separately, each of the territories (U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, America Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands) receives a minimum of $70,000 of the total appropriations.35 Grantees are required to establish relationships with law enforcement, health and mental health care, social service, welfare, and school district systems to coordinate services.
(42 U.S.C. §5714 through §5714-2) The Transitional Living Program provides longer-term shelter and assistance for youth ages 16 through 22 (including pregnant and/or parenting youth) who may leave their biological homes due to family conflict, or have left and are not expected to return home.42 TLP grants are distributed competitively by HHS to community-based public and private organizations. Each TLP grantee may shelter up to 20 youth at host family homes, supervised apartments owned by a social service agency, or scattered-site apartments and single-occupancy apartments rented directly with the assistance of the agency. Youth under age 18 may remain at TLP projects for up to 540 days (18 months) or longer. Youth ages 16 through 22 may remain in the program for a continuous period of 635 days (approximately 21 months) under "exceptional circumstances."36 43 TLP grantees are to assess the needs of youth and develop a plan to help them in transitioning to living independently or to another living arrangement. Youth receive several types of TLP services:
TLP grantees are required to have a plan for ensuring that youth are properly referred to social service, law enforcement, educational (including post-secondary education), vocational, workforce training, and other supports. Grantees must also provide assurance that they coordinate with the McKinney-Vento school district liaison to ensure that runaway and homeless youth receive information about the educational services available under the Education for Homeless Children and Youths program.
Grantees may,(42 U.S.C. §5714-41) RunawayThe Street Outreach Program provides supports to runaway and homeless youth, including those living on the streets or in areas that increase their risk of using drugs or, who have been subjected to, or are at risk of being subjected to, sexual abuse, prostitution, or sexual exploitation are eligible to receive services through the Street Outreach Program., and trafficking.45 The program's goal is to assist youth in transitioning to safe and appropriate living arrangements. SOP services include outreach and education, treatment, counseling, provision of information, and referrals to other social service agencies. Youth also receive health and hygiene products, and food and drink items. The Street Outreach Program is funded separately from the BCP and TLP, and is authorized to receive such sums as may be necessary. Since FY1996, when funding for the Street Outreach Program was established, community-based public and private organizations have been eligible to apply for SOP grants. Grants are generally awarded for a three-year period. Applicants may apply for a $100,000 grant each year for a maximum of $200,000 over that period. Most youth contacted through the Street Outreach Program receive written materials about referral services, health and hygiene products, and food and drink items.
The Transitional Housing Assistance Grants for Victims of Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking Program (Transitional Housing Program), administered by the Office on Violence Against Women, funds programs that provide assistance to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and/or stalking who are in need of transitional housing, short-term housing assistance, and related supportive services.46 Assistance may include counseling, support groups, safety planning, and advocacy services as well as practical services such as licensed child care, employment services, transportation vouchers, telephones, and referrals to other agencies. Services are available to minors, adults, and their dependents.
The Transitional Housing Program was first authorized by the Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to End the Exploitation of Children Today Act of 2003 (the PROTECT Act, P.L. 108-21). The PROTECT Act amended Subtitle B of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA; 42 U.S.C. 13701 note; 108 Stat. 1925) to (1) establish this grant program to support states, units of local government, Indian tribes, and other organizations and (2) authorize annual funding for the program at $30 million for FY2004-FY2008. In 2005, the reauthorization of VAWA (P.L. 109-162) authorized annual funding at $40 million for the Transitional Housing Program for FY2007-FY2011. Most recently, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (P.L. 113-4) reauthorized the Transitional Housing Program for FY2014-FY2018, decreasing the authorized annual funding level to $35 million.
The Transitional Housing Program first received appropriations in FY2004 as a separate, standalone program. For FY2005 through FY2011, Congress appropriated funding for the program through a set-aside from the STOP (Services, Training, Officers, and Prosecutors) Formula Grant Program. For FY2012 through FY2015FY2016, Congress once again funded the Transitional Housing Program as a separate, standalone program. (For more information about the Violence Against Women Act, see CRS Report R42499, The Violence Against Women Act: Overview, Legislation, and Federal Funding, by [author name scrubbed].)
The Homeless Assistance Grants were established in 1987 as part of the Stewart B. McKinneyMcKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (P.L. 100-77). The grants, administered by HUD, fund housing and services for homeless persons. The Homeless Assistance Grants have gone through several permutations since their enactment, with the most recent change taking place when the grants were reauthorized in the 111th Congress by the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act, enacted as part of the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act (P.L. 111-22).
Until enactment of the HEARTH Act, the Homeless Assistance Grants were made up of fourThe Homeless Assistance Grants consist of three separate programs: the Emergency ShelterSolutions Grants (ESG) program, the Supportive Housing Program (SHP), the Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation Assistance for Single-Room Occupancy Dwellings (SROContinuum of Care (CoC) program, and the Shelter Plus Care (S+C) program. The HEARTH Act maintained the ESG program, but renamed it the Emergency Solutions Grants program, and consolidated the three remaining programs (SHP, SRO, and S+C), sometimes referred to as the "competitive grants," into one program called the "Continuum of Care" (CoC) program. Further, rural communities may apply separately for funds that otherwise would be awarded as part of the Continuum of Care program. The HEARTH Act provides that not less than 5% of Continuum of Care Program funds be set aside for rural communitiesRural Housing Stability (RHS) grants. ESG funds are used primarily for emergency shelter and homelessness prevention, while the CoC program largely funds transitional and permanent housing. RHS funds are carved out of CoC program funds for rural communities that wish to apply separately for funds. The following subsections describe each of these three programs. (For more information about the Homeless Assistance Grants, see CRS Report RL33764, The HUD Homeless Assistance Grants: Programs Authorized by the HEARTH Act, by [author name scrubbed].)
(42 U.S.C. §§11371-11378) The ESG program distributes formula grants to state and local governments; recipient. Recipient governments may then distribute all or a portion of the funds to private nonprofit organizations that, public housing agencies, or local redevelopment authorities to provide assistance to homeless individuals. ESG funds are distributed so that state and local governments receive the same proportion of total ESG funds as they receive of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. Factors used to determine how CDBG funds are distributed include poverty rates, population, the number of persons in poverty, housing overcrowding (homes in which there are more than 1.01 persons per room), the age of housing (the number of housing structures built prior to 1940), and the extent of population growth lag in a given community. There is a dollar-for-dollar match requirement for local governments; there is no match requirement for the first $100,000 for states but a dollar-for-dollar match is required for the remainder of the funds. Recipient states and local governments may use up to 7.5% of their grants for administrative costs.
ESG funds may be used in two categories: (1) emergency shelter and related services, and (2) homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing. The statute limits use of funds in the first category to the greater of 60% of a state or local government's ESG allocation or the amount the recipient spent for these purposes in the year prior to the effective date of the HEARTH Act.
(42 U.S.C. §§11381-11389) The CoC program continues to provide the same types of assistance that were available in its three predecessor programs (SHP, S+C, and SRO), includingprovides funds for transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, supportive services, and Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS), but without the need for grantees to select among three separate grant programs depending on the services provided. Grantees may also use funds for for data collection. Permanent housing includes permanent supportive housing (housing together with supportive services) and rapid rehousing, a process through which grantees help homeless individuals and families find housing, and support them for a period of time until they are stable and provide rental assistance for a number of months.
CoC funds are distributed through a community process that is also referred to as the "Continuum of Care." Through this process, local communities (typically cities, counties, and combinations of both) establish CoC advisory boards made up of representatives from local government agencies, service providers, community members, and formerly homeless individuals who meet to establish local priorities and strategies to address homelessness in their communities. Each Continuum of Care designates a Collaborative Applicant (either itself or another eligible applicant) to apply for funds.
Eligible grant recipients are state governments, local governments, instrumentalities of state and local governments, Public Housing Authorities, and private nonprofit organizations. Grantees may provide housing and services by acquiring, rehabilitating, or constructing properties; leasing properties; providing rental assistance, whether tenant-based, project-based, or sponsor-based; and by paying operating costs. Both grantees and the local Continuum of Care planning entitiesCollaborative Applicants may use funds for administrative purposes―10% for grantees and 3% for Collaborative Applicants (and another 3% for Collaborative Applicants that take on additional responsibility). Each recipient community must match the total grant funds received with 25% in funds from other sources (including other federal grants) or in-kind contributions (with an exception for leasing).
(42 U.S.C. §11408) As of the date of this report, HUD had not yet distributed funds to rural communities through the RHS program. The program reserves not less than 5% of Continuum of Care Program funds for rural communities to apply separately for funds that would otherwise be awarded as part of the Continuum of Care Program. A rural community is defined to include (1) a county where no part is contained within a metropolitan statistical area, (2) a county located within a metropolitan statistical area, but where at least 75% of the county population is in nonurban Census blocks, or (3) a county located in a state where the population density is less than 30 people per square mile, and at least 1.25% of the acreage in the state is under federal jurisdiction. However, under this definition, no metropolitan city in the state (as defined by the CDBG statute) can be the sole beneficiary of the RHS grants.
Unlike the Continuum of Care program, rural communities are able to serve persons who do not necessarily meet HUD's definition of "homeless individual." P.L. 111-22 provides that HUD may award grants to rural communities to be used for (1) rehousing or improving the housing situation of those who are homeless or are in the worst housing situations in their geographic area, (2) stabilizing the housing situation of those in imminent danger of losing housing, and (3) improving the ability of the lowest-income residents in the community to afford stable housing.
Grantees under the RHS program may use funds to assist people who are experiencing homelessness in many of the same ways as the CoC program. These include transitional housing, permanent housing, rapid rehousing, data collection, and a range of supportive services. Funds may also be used for homelessness prevention activities, relocation assistance, short-term emergency housing, and home repairs that are necessary to make housing habitable.
(38 U.S.C. §2021) The Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) provides grants to states or other public entities and nonprofit organizations to operate employment programs that reach out to homeless veterans. The main goal of the HVRP is to reintegrate homeless veterans into the economic mainstream and labor force. HVRP grantee organizations provide services that include outreach, assistance in drafting a resume and preparing for interviews, job search assistance, subsidized trial employment, job training, and follow-up assistance after placement. Recipients of HVRP grants also provide supportive services not directly related to employment such as transportation, provision of or assistance in finding housing, and referral for mental health treatment or substance abuse counseling. HVRP grantees often employ formerly homeless veterans to provide outreach to homeless veterans and to counsel them as they search for employment and stability. In 2010, the Veterans' Benefits Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-275) created a separate HVRP for women veterans and veterans with children. The new program, which includes child care among its services, is authorized from FY2011 through FY2015FY2017 at $1 million per year (P.L. 114-228).
HVRP, initially authorized as part of the McKinney -Vento Homeless Assistance Act, was most recently authorized at $50 million through FY2015for FY2017 as part of the Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 20142016 (P.L. 113-175114-228). (For more information about HVRP and other programs for homeless veterans, see CRS Report RL34024, Veterans and Homelessness, by [author name scrubbed].)
(38 U.S.C. §2023) The Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Assistance Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-95) instituted a demonstration program to provide job training and placement services to veterans leaving prison, long-term care, or mental institutions who are at risk of homelessness. The enacting law gave both the VA and the Department of Labor authority over the program. By 2005, the program awarded $1.45 million in initial grants to seven recipients. These grants were extended through March 2006 with funding of $1.6 million and then again for an additional 15 months, through June 30, 2007, with $2 million in funding.38 The statute enacting the programThe law provided that it would cease on January 24, 2006, four years after its enactment. However, on October 10, 2008, Congress extended the program through FY2012 as part of the Veterans' Mental Health and Other Care Improvements Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-387). The new law removed the program's demonstration status and expanded the number of sites able to provide services to 12. Most recently the program was authorized through FY2015 (up from six originally authorized in the law). Congress has continued to reauthorize the program, most recently through FY2017 as part of the Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 20142016 (P.L. 113-175114-228).
For more detailed information about VA programs for homeless veterans, see CRS Report RL34024, Veterans and Homelessness, by [author name scrubbed].
(38 U.S.C. §§2031-2034) The Health Care for Homeless Veterans program operates at VA sites around the country where staff provide outreach services, physical and psychiatric health exams, treatment, and referrals to homeless veterans with mental health and substance use issues. As appropriate, the HCHV program places homeless veterans needing long-term treatment into one of its contract community-based facilities. Housing is provided either through residential treatment facilities that contract with the VA or through organizations that receive Grant and Per Diem funding for transitional housing (the "Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program" is described below). The HCHV program was most recently authorized through FY2015FY2017 as part of the Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 20142016 (P.L. 113-175114-228).
(38 U.S.C. §§2011-2013) The Grant and Per Diem program has two aspects: the grants portion of the program funds capital grants that organizations may use to build or rehabilitate facilities to be used for transitional housing and service centers for homeless veterans, while the per diem portion funds services to homeless veterans. Specifically, capital grants may be used to purchase buildings, to expand or remodel existing buildings, and to procure vans for use in outreach to and transportation for, homeless veterans. Service centers for veterans must provide health care, mental health services, hygiene facilities, benefits and employment counseling, meals, transportation assistance, job training and placement services, and case management. The capital grants will fund up to 65% of the costs of acquisition, expansion, or remodeling of facilities, and grantees must provide the remaining 35%. Under the per diem portion of the program, both capital grant recipients and those organizations that would be eligible for capital grants (but have not applied for them) are eligible to apply for funds, although grant recipients have priority in receiving per diem funds. The Grant and Per Diem program is authorized at $250258 million for FY2015 and each fiscal year thereafter (P.L. 113-175114-228).
(38 U.S.C. §2061) Within the Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem program there is also a special purpose program that provides grants to health care facilities and to grant and per diem providers to encourage the development of programs for homeless veterans who are women, veterans with children (men and women), frail elderly, terminally ill, or chronically mentally ill. The program was most recently authorized at $5 million per year through FY2015FY2017 as part of the Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 20142016 (P.L. 113-175114-228).
(38 U.S.C. §1710(b)) The Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans program is a residential rehabilitation program specifically intended to meet the clinical needs of homeless veterans while preventing the therapeutically inappropriate use of hospital and nursing home care services. Veterans served through the Domiciliary Care program typically suffer from mental illness, substance use disorders, or both.4149 A multi-dimensional, individually tailored treatment approach is used to stabilize the clinical status of veterans while the underlying causes of homelessness are addressed. The basic components of the DCHV program include community outreach and referral, admission screening and assessment, medical and psychiatric evaluation, treatment and rehabilitation, and post-discharge community support. DCHV staff help veterans apply for housing assistance, or arrangements are made for placement of homeless veterans in long-term care facilities such as State Soldiers Homes, group homes, adult foster care, or halfway houses. Homeless veterans are provided employment training through involvement in the VA's Incentive Therapy Program, a medically prescribed rehabilitation program involving therapeutic work assignments at VA medical centers for which veterans receive nominal payments.
(38 U.S.C. §2063) The Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) program is a comprehensive rehabilitation program that prepares veterans for competitive employment and independent living. The program was created by the Veterans Omnibus Health Care Act of 1976 (P.L. 94-581). The major goals of the program are (1) to use remunerative work to maximize a veteran's level of functioning; (2) to prepare veterans for successful re-entry into the community as productive citizens; and (3) to provide structured daily activity to those veterans with severe and chronic disabling physical and/or mental conditions. As part of their work therapy, veterans produce items for sale or undertake subcontracts to provide certain products and/or services such as temporary staffing to a company. Funds collected from the sale of these products and/or services are used to fund the program. Funding for this program comes from the VA's Special Therapeutic and Rehabilitation Activities Fund, and the program is permanently authorized at 38 U.S.C. Section 1718(c).
In 1991, as part of P.L. 102-54, the Veterans Housing, Memorial Affairs, and Technical Amendments Act, Congress added the Therapeutic Transitional Housing component to the CWT program. The housing component is authorized through FY2017 as part of the Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2016 (P.L. 114-228).52 The purpose of the program is to provide housing to participants in the CWT program who have mental illnesses or chronic substance use disorders and who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.53 Although the law initially provided that both the VA itself or private nonprofit organizations, through contracts with the VA, could operate housing, it was subsequently changed so that only the VA now owns and operates housing.54 The housing is transitional—up to 12 months—and veterans who reside there receive supportive services.
(42 U.S.C. §1437f(o)(19)) HUD-VASH is a joint HUD and VA initiative that provides specially designated Section 8 rental assistance vouchers to homeless veterans while the VA provides supportive services. The HUD-VASH statute requires that the program serve homeless veterans who have chronic mental illnesses or chronic substance use disorders; however, this requirement has been waived in recent years. Every homeless veteran who receives a housing voucher must be assigned to a VA case manager and receive supportive services. Today's HUD-VASH program originally began as a Memorandum of Agreement between HUD and the VA, and through that relationship 1,780 vouchers were allocated to homeless veterans. The Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Assistance Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-95) codified the program and authorized the creation of an additional 500 vouchers each year for FY2003-FY2006. In the 109th Congress, the Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006 (P.L. 109-461) similarly authorized additional HUD-VASH vouchers for FY2007 through FY2011.
Funds were not provided for additional vouchers until the 110th Congress, when the FY2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 110-161) allocated $75 million for additional HUD-VASH vouchers. Since then, Congress has appropriated funding for new HUD-VASH vouchers in each appropriations act through FY2015FY2016, for a total of about $575$635 million to fund HUD-VASH vouchers for one-year terms, bringing the total number of vouchers that are expected to be funded over the time period to approximately 79nearly 90,000. Funds for supportive services are allocated through the VA health appropriation.
In the 110th Congress, the Veterans' Mental Health and Other Care Improvements Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-387) authorized a program of supportive services to assist very low-income veterans and their families who either are making the transition from homelessness to housing or who are moving from one location to another. The VA calls the program Supportive Services for Veteran Families. Most recently, the program was authorized at $300320 million for FY2015FY2017 as part of the Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 20142016 (P.L. 113-175114-228).
Organizations that assist families transitioning from homelessness to permanent housing are given priority for funding under the law. Among the eligible services that recipient organizations may provide are outreach; case management; assistance with rent, utility, and moving costs; and help applying for VA and mainstream benefits such as health care services, daily living services, financial planning, transportation, legal assistance, child care, and housing counseling.
In addition to the targeted programs for which specific funding is available (see Table 23 at the end of this report), the VA engages in several activities to assist homeless veterans that are not reflected in this report as separate programs. An Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans was established within VA to consult with and seek advice concerning VA benefits and services to homeless veterans (38 U.S.C. §2066). The Advisory Committee consists of 15 members appointed from Veterans Service Organizations, community-based homeless service providers, previously homeless veterans, experts in mental illness, experts in substance use disorders, and others. The Advisory Committee was most recently authorized through December 31, 2015,2017 as part of the Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 20142015 (P.L. 113-175114-228).
Another VA initiative is Comprehensive Homeless Centers (CHCs). These CHCs are located in eight cities, and consolidate all of the VA's homeless programs in that area into a single organizational framework to promote integration within the VA and coordination with non-VA homeless programs.43 CHCs offer a comprehensive continuum of care to help homeless veterans escape from homelessness. The VA also sponsors Drop-in Centers, which provide a daytime sanctuary where homeless veterans can clean up, wash their clothes, get a daytime meal, and participate in a variety of low intensity therapeutic and rehabilitative activities. Linkages with longer-term assistance are also available. The VA Excess Property for Homeless Veterans Initiative provides for the distribution of federal excess personal property (hats, parkas, footwear, sleeping bags) to homeless veterans and homeless veterans programs.
The Department of Labor makes funds available through its Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program for local communities that organize Stand Downs for Homeless Veterans. Stand Downs are local events, staged annually in many cities across the country, in which local Veterans Service Organizations, businesses, government entities, and other social service organizations come together for up to three days to provide services for homeless veterans. Some of these services include food, shelter, clothing, and a range of other types of assistance, including VA provided health care, benefits certification, and linkages with other programs. Another program, called Veterans Benefits Administration's (VBA's) Acquired Property Sales for Homeless Providers, allows the VA to sell, at a discount, foreclosed properties to nonprofit organizations and government agencies that will use them to shelter or house homeless veterans. Finally, Project CHALENG for Veterans is a nationwide VA initiative to work with other agencies and better coordinate the response to the needs of homeless veterans. VA regional offices designate "points of contact" from among local service providers, and they in turn work with other federal agencies, state and local governments, and nonprofit organizations to assess the needs of homeless veterans and develop action plans to meet identified needs.
More than a decadeThe VA's Veterans Benefits Administration has the authority to sell, at a discount, foreclosed properties acquired through the VA home loan program to nonprofit organizations and government agencies that will use them to shelter or house homeless veterans. This program is called Acquired Property Sales for Homeless Veterans and was mostly recently authorized through FY2017 as part of the Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2015 (P.L. 114-228). In addition, the VA Excess Property for Homeless Veterans Initiative provides for the distribution of federal excess personal property (hats, parkas, footwear, sleeping bags) to homeless veterans and homeless veterans programs.
In the year following the release of the NAEH report, then-HUD Secretary Martinez announced HUD's commitment to ending chronic homelessness at the NAEH annual conference. In 2002, as a part of his FY2003 budget, President Bush made "ending chronic homelessness in the next decade a top objective." The bipartisan, congressionally mandated Millennial Housing Commission, in its Report to Congress in 2002, included ending chronic homelessness in 10 years among its principal recommendations.4758 And, by 2003, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) had been re-engaged after six years of inactivity and was charged with pursuing the President's 10-year plan.4859 For the balance of the decade, multiple federal initiatives focused funding and efforts on this goal.
However, the initiative to end chronic homelessness has raised some concerns among advocates for homeless people that allocating resources largely to chronically homeless individuals is done at the expense of families with children who are homeless, homeless youth, and other vulnerable populations.49 The60 When it was enacted in 2009, the HEARTH Act mandated that the USICH draft a Federal Strategic Plan to End Homelessness among all groups (families with children, unaccompanied youth, veterans, and chronically homeless individuals) within a year of the law's enactment, and to update the plan annually. In addition to the USICH plan, in November 20102009 the VA announced a plan to end homelessness among veterans within five years. These plans—to end chronic homelessness, to end homelessness generally, and to end veterans' homelessness—are described below. Further, Table 1, following the descriptions of plans to end homelessness, presents numbers of homeless people, including people in families, veterans, and those experiencing chronic homelessness.
In 2002, the George W. Bush Administration established a national goal of ending chronic homelessness within 10 years, by 2012. An impetus behind the initiative to end chronic homelessness is that chronically homeless individuals are estimated to account for about 10% of all users of the homeless shelter system, but are estimated to use nearly 50% of the total days of shelter provided.5061
Permanent supportive housing is generally seen as a solution to ending chronic homelessness.5162 Permanent supportive housing consists of housing, paired with social services, available to low-income and/or homeless households. Services can include case management, substance abuse counseling, mental health services, income management and support, and life skills services. ProvidingA model of permanent supportive housing to homeless adults with mental illnesses or substance abuse disorders is sometimes referred to as the "housing first" approach—housing is found for homeless individuals prior to treatment of their illnesses and addictionscalled "Housing First" offers homeless individuals with addictions and mental health issues immediate access to housing even if they have not participated in treatment. Instead, the Housing First model offers counseling and treatment services to clients on a voluntary basis rather than requiring sobriety or adherence to psychiatric medication treatment. It also stresses the importance of resident choice about where to live and the type and intensity of services, with services structured to fit individual resident needs. In the late 1990s, research began to show that finding housing for homeless individuals with severe mental illnesses meant that they were less likely to be housed temporarily in public accommodations, such as hospitals, jails, or prisons.5263 Based on the research, service providers and HUD began to devote resources to housing first initiatives.
The Administration undertook several projects to reach its goal of ending chronic homelessness within 10 years, each of which took place during the mid-2000s. These included (1) a collaboration among HUD, HHS, and VA (the Collaborative Initiative to Help End Chronic Homelessness) that funded housing and treatment for chronically homeless individuals; (2) a HUD and DOL project called Ending Chronic Homelessness through Employment and Housing, through which HUD funded permanent supportive housing and DOL offered employment assistance; and (3) a HUD pilot program called Housing for People Who Are Homeless and Addicted to Alcohol that provided supportive housing for chronically homeless persons.
In addition, since FY2005, HUD has encouraged the development of housing for chronically homeless individuals in the way that it distributes the Homeless Assistance Grants to applicants through its annual grant competition. HUD awards points to applicants if their Continuums of Care (the geographic entities that collectively apply to HUD for funds) have developed 10-year plans to end chronic homelessness. In addition, through the competition grantees can receive additional funding—a "permanent housing bonus"—if they create permanent supportive housing for individuals with disabilities or families with an adult member who has a disability. While the permanent housing bonus does not technically require that housing be created for those who are chronically homeless, often those homeless individuals who have disabilities are chronically homeless.
For example, HUD has set aside additional funding for projects that serve those experiencing chronic homelessness. In addition, HUD's Continuum of Care program requires that at least 30% of funds (not including those for permanent housing renewal contracts) are to be used to provide permanent supportive housing to individuals with disabilities or families with an adult head of household (or youth in the absence of an adult) who has a disability. This requirement willis to be reduced proportionately as communities increase permanent housing units for those individuals and families, and it will end when HUD determines that a total of 150,000 permanent housing units have been provided for homeless persons with disabilities since 2001.
The HEARTH Act, enacted on May 20, 2009, as part of the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act (P.L. 111-22), charged the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) with developing a National Strategic Plan to End Homelessness. The HEARTH Act specified that the plan should be made available for public comment and submitted to Congress and the President within one year of the law's enactment. The USICH convened working groups made up of members of federal agencies to discuss ending homelessness among specific populations: families, youth, chronically homeless individuals, and veterans.5364 The council then held regional meetings to get feedback from various stakeholders, and it accepted public comments on its website during March 2010.5465
On June 22, 2010, the USICH released their report entitled Opening Doors.5566 The plan set out goals of ending chronic homelessness as well as homelessness among veterans within the next five years and ending homelessness for families, youth, and children within the next 10 years. The report laid out five overarching strategies to assist in accomplishing these goals; each category has between one and three specific objectives to pursue in furtherance of the goals. The five categories are (1) increasing leadership, collaboration, and civic engagement; (2) increasing access to stable and affordable housing; (3) increasing economic security; (4) improving health and stability; and (5) retooling the homeless crisis response.56 Each year, the USICH issues an update to Opening Doors67 The USICH has issued updates to Opening Doors in subsequent years, reporting on changes in the number of people experiencing homelessness, including subgroups (families with children, chronically homeless individuals, and veterans), the number of permanent supportive housing units available for homeless individuals, and the number of people experiencing homelessness who leave homeless assistance programs with either earned income or access to mainstream benefits.5768
On November 3, 2009, the VA announced a plan to end homelessness among veterans within five years.5869 However, the VA has not released a formal written plan, and instead, VA budget documents outline areas of focus for the new planending veteran homelessness.
Beginning with the FY2011 budget, VA budget documents have outlined six areas of focus for ending homelessness. These are (1) outreach and education, (2) treatment, (3) prevention, (4) housing and supportive services, (5) employment and benefits, and (6) community partnerships.59 In its FY2014 budget, the VA noted that it expected to continue expanding the number of veterans served through HUD-VASH, Healthcare for Homeless Veterans, the Grant and Per Diem Program, Supportive Services for Veteran Families, and other programs and initiatives.
The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (S. 178) was signed into law on May 29, 2015, as P.L. 114-22. The law enacts several changes to current statute to support victims of sex and labor trafficking, and includes provisions on runaway and homeless youth. P.L. 114-22 amends the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act by expanding on the types of research and other projects that HHS should prioritize, including projects that address staff training on (1) the behavioral and emotional effects of severe forms of trafficking and sex trafficking, (2) responding to youth showing effects of such trafficking victimization, and (3) agency-wide strategies for working with runaway and homeless youth who have been sexually victimized, including victims of sex trafficking.
P.L. 114-22 separately amends the Street Outreach Program (SOP) to address HHS' authority to make grants under the program. Prior law specified that the SOP was to serve runaway and homeless youth, and street youth, who have been subjected to, or are at risk of being subjected to, sexual abuse, prostitution, or sexual exploitation. P.L. 114-22 adds severe forms of trafficking in persons or sex trafficking, as defined by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), to the list of victimization categories. By referencing the TVPA definitions of "severe forms of trafficking in persons" and "sex trafficking" for both the SOP and the provisions on research and other projects, the law encompasses child and adult victims of sex and labor trafficking. Separately, P.L. 114-22 enables funding to be used from a newly created block grant to deter domestic child human trafficking for assisting law enforcement agencies in finding homeless and runaway youth. This funding may be used for the salaries and associated expenses of retired law enforcement officers who assist law enforcement agencies with such activities.
On April 16, 2015, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions unanimously passed a bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) titled The Every Child Achieves Act of 2015 (S. 1177). Provisions regarding the Education for Homeless Children and Youths program are included in the bill. The bill is expected to be considered by the full Senate before the FY2015 congressional summer recess. On February 20, 2015, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce passed a bill by a vote of 21 to 16 to reauthorize the ESEA titled the Student Success Act (H.R. 5). Provisions regarding the Education for Homeless Children and Youths program are included in the bill. The ESEA was most recently reauthorized in 2001, and is known as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-110).
The Every Child Achieves Act of 2015 includes several changes to the EHCY program; most notably, the bill includes new language that permits Title I-A funds reserved for homeless students to be used to fund local homeless liaisons, and to transport homeless students to their school of origin.60 In addition, both the Every Child Achieves Act of 2015 and the Student Success Act add new privacy protections regarding information on the living arrangements of homeless students and require that homeless students who meet the criteria have access to the full array of programs available to other students, as well as access to the same state academic standards as other students. Both bills also require that homeless students are informed of their status as independent students in applying for financial aid to attend postsecondary schools, and both amend the definition of "school of origin" to include designated receiving schools at the next grade level.
The Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Programs Reauthorization Act of 2015 (H.R. 474) passed the House on May 18, 2015. The bill would reauthorize the HVRP for five years, through FY2020, at its current level of $50 million per year. In addition, H.R. 474 would amend the law to include as eligible for services veterans who are living in HUD-VASH supported housing (and are no longer homeless) and veterans who are leaving incarceration.
The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (VAWA 2013; P.L. 113-4) added housing rights for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, including a provision that states that an applicant may not be denied public housing assistance on the basis that the person has been a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
VAWA 2013 also reauthorized the Department of Justice Transitional Housing Program at $35 million annually from FY2014 through FY2018. Among other things, VAWA 2013 ensures that victims receiving Transitional Housing Program assistance are not subject to prohibited activities, including background checks or clinical evaluations, to determine eligibility for services. VAWA 2013 also specifies that transitional housing support services may include certain services to help the victim secure employment, including obtaining employment counseling, occupational training, job retention counseling, and counseling concerning re-entry into the workforce.
Three laws extended the authorizations for a number of homeless veterans program. The Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2013 (P.L. 113-37), enacted on September 30, 2013, extended the authorizations for the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP), Referral and Counseling Services for Veterans at Risk of Homelessness Who Are Transitioning from Certain Institutions, the Grant and Per Diem Special Needs grant (GPD-SN), and Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) through FY2014. The law also authorized the Grant and Per Diem (GPD) program through FY2015 and each year thereafter. The VA Expiring Authorities Extension Act of 2013 (P.L. 113-59), enacted on December 20, 2013, reauthorized Healthcare for Homeless Veterans (HCHV), Acquired Property Sales for Homeless Providers, and the Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans through December 31, 2014. And the Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2014 (P.L. 113-175), enacted on September 26, 2014, extended funding authorization through FY2015 for HVRP, Referral and Counseling Services for Veterans at Risk of Homelessness Who Are Transitioning from Certain Institutions, GPD-SN, and SSVF; it changed the authorization level for the GPD program for FY2015 and each year thereafter (to $250 million from $150 million); it extended the authorizations for HCHV and Acquired Property Sales for Homeless Veterans through FY2015 (changing from a calendar year authorization); and it extended the authorization for the Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans through December 31, 2015.
Table 1 shows final appropriation levels for FY2007-FY2015 for the targeted homelessness programs included in this report with the exception of programs administered by the VA. The table also contains a column showing appropriations that were made as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (P.L. 111-5). Table 2 shows actual obligations for the Department of Veterans Affairs targeted homeless programs for FY2004-FY2014. It does not contain FY2015 obligations because, as of the date of this report, only estimated obligations were available.
Table 1. Homelessness: Appropriations for Targeted Federal Programs, FY2006-FY2015
(dollars in thousands)
Notes: Point-in-time counts are conducted by local communities and are to take place during one day in January each year. Therefore, the counts are a snapshot of the number of people who are homeless on a given day. They do not represent the total number of people who experience homelessness over the course of a year.
a. Families with children are households with at least one adult and one child. b. Does not include people in chronically homeless families, first reported in 2013. c. Data not available. In FY2016, as of the date of this report, HUD had only released data for homeless veterans. Funding for Targeted Homeless Programs Table 2 shows final appropriation levels for FY2008-FY2016 for the targeted homelessness programs included in this report with the exception of programs administered by the VA. The table also contains a column showing appropriations that were made as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (P.L. 111-5). Table 3 shows actual obligations for the Department of Veterans Affairs targeted homeless programs for FY2005-FY2015. It does not contain FY2016 obligations because, as of the date of this report, only estimated obligations were available. Table 2. Homelessness: Appropriations for Targeted Federal Programs, FY2008-FY2016(dollars in thousands)
FY2008|
Program |
Agency |
FY2007 |
70 The VA has noted that an end to veteran homelessness means that no veterans will be sleeping on the street or other places not meant for human habitation, all will have access to permanent housing if they want it, and veterans who fall into homelessness can quickly be connected to resources.71 For the number of homeless veterans from 2009 to the present, see Table 1. Table 1. Point-in-Time Counts of People Experiencing Homelessness |
Year |
All Homeless People |
Veterans |
2007 |
647,258 |
234,558 |
119,813 |
2008 |
639,784 |
235,259 |
120,115 |
|
2009 |
630,227 |
238,096 |
73,367 |
107,212 |
||||||||||
|
2010 |
637,077 |
241,937 |
74,087 |
106,062 |
||||||||||
|
2011 |
623,788 |
236,175 |
65,455 |
103,522 |
||||||||||
|
2012 |
621,553 |
239,397 |
60,579 |
96,268 |
||||||||||
|
2013 |
590,364 |
222,190 |
55,619 |
86,289 |
||||||||||
|
2014 |
576,450 |
216,261 |
49,689 |
83,989 |
||||||||||
|
2015 |
564,708 |
206,286 |
47,725 |
83,170 |
||||||||||
|
2016 |
39,471 |
Program |
Agency |
FY2009 Stimulus Act, |
FY2009 |
FY2010 |
FY2011a |
FY2012 |
FY2013b |
FY2014 |
FY2015 |
FY2016 |
||
|
Education for Homeless Children & Youth |
ED |
61,871 | 64,067c |
70,000 |
65,427 |
65,427 |
65,296 |
65,173 |
61,771 |
65,042 |
65,042 |
70,000 |
||
|
Emergency Food & Shelter |
DHS/ |
151,470 | 153,000 |
100,000 |
200,000d |
200,000e |
119,760 |
120,000 |
113,805 |
120,000 |
120,000 |
120,000 |
||
|
Health Care for the Homelessf |
HHS |
167,900 | 174,700c |
160,000g |
171,700 |
171,300 |
215,800 |
232,500 |
248,500h |
308,100h |
|
|||
|
Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness |
HHS |
54,261 | 53,313c |
— |
59,687 |
65,047 |
64,917 |
64,794 |
61,405 |
64,635 |
64,635 64,635 |
|||
|
Consolidated Runaway and Homeless Youth Program |
HHS |
87,837 | 96,128c |
— |
97,234 |
97,734 |
97,539 |
97,355 |
91,101 |
97,000 |
97,000 |
101,980 |
||
|
—Runaway and Homeless Youth–Basic Center |
HHS |
48,298 | 52,860 |
— |
53,469 |
53,744 |
53,637 |
53,536 |
50,097 |
53,350 |
53,350 54,439 |
|||
|
—Runaway and Homeless Youth–Transitional Living |
HHS |
39,539 | 43,268 |
— |
43,765 |
43,990 |
43,902 |
43,819 |
41,004 |
43,650 |
43,650 |
47,541 |
||
|
Runaway and Homeless Youth–Street Outreach Program |
HHS |
15,027 | 17,221c |
— |
17,721 |
17,971 |
17,935 |
17,901 |
16,751 |
17,141 |
17,141 |
17,141 |
||
|
Homeless Assistance Grants |
HUD |
1, |
|
—i |
1,677,000 |
1,865,000 |
1,901,000 |
1,901,000 |
1,933,293 |
2,105,000 |
2,135,000 2,250,000 |
|||
|
— |
1,500,000 |
|||||||||||||
|
Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program |
DOL |
21,809 | 23,620c |
— |
26,330 |
36,330 |
36,257 |
38,185 |
36,188 |
38,109 |
38,109 38,109 |
|||
|
Transitional Housing Assistance for Victims of Domestic Violence, Stalking, or Sexual Assaultj |
DOJ | 14,847 |
17,390 |
50,000 |
18,000 |
18,000 |
17,964 |
25,000 |
23,281 |
24,750 |
26,000 30,000 |
Source: Table prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). Unless otherwise stated, sources of data are agency budget justifications and congressional appropriations documents. The amounts are enacted values and do not necessarily include all rescissions for each program in each fiscal year.
Notes: Italics indicate amount is subsumed under earlier line item.
a. In FY2011, all discretionary accounts were subject to an across-the-board rescission of 0.2%. Unless otherwise noted, the funding levels in the table have been reduced by the rescission amount.
b. In FY2013, most accounts were subject to an across-the-board rescission of 0.2% as well as reductions due to sequestration. Unless otherwise noted, funding levels in the table have been reduced to reflect both the rescission and sequestration.
c. In the FY2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act, P.L. 110-161, Division G, Section 528, an across-the-board rescission of 1.747% was applied to nearly all Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education programs. The values in the table reflect the rescission.
d. Funds for the Emergency Food and Shelter program were appropriated as part of the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act (P.L. 110-329), while appropriations for the remaining programs were part of the FY2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act (P.L. 111-8).
e. In FY2010, funds for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program were appropriated as part of the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act (P.L. 111-83); all other programs received appropriations as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 111-117).
f. The Health Care for the Homeless program is funded under the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Community Health Centers program. The law requires that health centers serving special populations, including homeless individuals, receive the same proportion of funds that they received in FY2001 (42 U.S.C. §254b(r)(2)(B)). For the Health Care for the Homeless program, this is approximately 8.6% of the funds appropriated for the Community Health Centers program. CRS relies on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Moyer Material for estimated allocations. From FY2011 through FY2015, the program received mandatory funding from the Community Health Center Fund created in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148). For more information on this funding source, see CRS Report R43911, The Community Health Center Fund: In Brief, by [author name scrubbed].
g. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA, P.L. 111-5) appropriated $500 million for health centers to fund services to patients, as well as $1.5 billion in infrastructure funding for facility construction and renovation, the purchase of equipment, and acquisition of health information technology. According to HHS, $160 million went to serve homeless individuals. See U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Resources and Technology, FY2012 Moyer Material, April 2011, p. 30.
h.
FY2013, FY2014, and FY2015-FY2016 funding levels for Health Care for the Homeless reflect sequestration. In FY2013, funding was sequestered for the program's discretionary and mandatory funding allocations. In FY2014 and FY2015through FY2016, only the mandatory funding amounts were sequestered.
i. Although funds appropriated through ARRA for homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing were distributed using the Emergency Shelter Grants formula, the funds were administered according to different rules than those under the Homeless Assistance Grants.
j. Until FY2012, funding was provided as a set-aside under the VAWA STOP grant program.
Table 23. Homelessness: Targeted VA Program Obligations, FY2004-FY2014
(dollars in thousands)
|
Program |
FY2004 | FY2005 |
FY2006 |
FY2007 |
FY2008 |
FY2009 |
FY2010 |
FY2011 |
FY2012 |
FY2013 |
FY2014 |
FY2015 |
|
Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV)a |
42,905 | 40,357 |
56,998 |
71,925 |
77,656 |
80,219 |
200,808 |
118,889 |
128,500 |
139,714 155,334 |
||
|
Homeless Providers Grants and Per Diem Programb |
62, |
|
63,621 |
81,187 |
114,696 |
128,073 |
148,097 |
208,046 |
200,329 |
214,468 218,621 |
||
|
Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans (DCHV) |
51,829 | 57,555 |
63,592 |
77,633 |
96,098 |
115,373 |
221,938 |
218,962 |
245,228 |
246,258 208,081 |
||
|
Compensated Work Therapy/Therapeutic Residence Program (CWT/TR) |
10, |
|
19,529 |
21,514 |
21,497 |
22,206 |
73,420 |
73,067 |
71,687 |
91,055 |
70,299 |
|
|
Services for HUD VA Supported Housing (HUD-VASH) |
3 |
|
3,626 |
7,487 |
4,854 |
26,601 |
119,603 |
169,873 |
288,107 |
340,806 375,419 |
||
|
Supportive Services for Veteran Familiesc |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— | 218 |
60,541 |
99,974 |
299,921 |
299,902 |
299,997 |
Source: Department of Veterans Affairs budget documents.
a. Includes funding for the Homeless Chronically Mentally Ill Veterans (HCMI) and the Homeless Comprehensive Service Centers, including mobile centers. A specific breakdown of obligations among activities is not available.
b. Does not include funding for Grant and Per Diem Liaisons.
c. The first awards for the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program were made in FY2011.
Author Contact Information
Key Policy Staff
|
Program |
Name |
Telephone and Email |
|
Education for Homeless Children and Youths |
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
|
Emergency Food and Shelter program |
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
|
Health Centers for the Homeless |
Elayne Heisler |
[phone number scrubbed] |
|
HUD programs and Homeless Veterans programs |
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
|
Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness and SAMHSA Grants |
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
|
Runaway and Homeless Youth programs |
[author name scrubbed] |
[phone number scrubbed] |
|
Violence Against Women Act programs |
Lisa Sacco |
[phone number scrubbed] |
| 1. |
Peter H. Rossi, Down and Out in America: The Origins of Homelessness (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1989), pp. 20-21, 27-28. |
|
| 2. |
Ibid., p. 34. |
|
| 3. |
Ibid., pp. 39-44. |
|
| 4. |
Ibid., p. 33. |
|
| 5. |
Ibid., pp. 181-194, 41. See also Martha Burt, Over the Edge: The Growth of Homelessness in the 1980s (New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 1992), pp. 31-126. |
|
| 6. |
Down and Out in America, p. 34; Over the Edge, p. 123. |
|
| 7. |
All three programs were incorporated into the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act in 1987. (The Transitional Housing Demonstration Program was renamed the Supportive Housing Demonstration Program.) |
|
| 8. |
See U.S. Congress, House Committee on Government Operations, Subcommittee on Intergovernmental Relations and Human Resources, The Federal Response to the Homeless Crisis, hearing, 98th Cong., 2nd sess., October 3, 1984, p. 205. | 9. |
|
The definition of homeless veteran is a veteran who is homeless as defined by Section 103(a) of McKinney-Vento. 38 U.S.C. §2002(1). This definition applies to VA programs for homeless veterans as well as the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program. |
||
|
See, for example, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, The Third Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, July 2008, p. 2, footnote 5, http://www.hudhre.info/documents/3rdHomelessAssessmentReport.pdf. |
||
|
42 U.S.C. §11434a. |
||
|
Migratory children are defined at 20 U.S.C. §6399. |
||
|
42 U.S.C. §14043e-2. |
||
|
42 U.S.C. §5732a(3). The statute specifies that short-term shelters can serve youth older than age 18 if the center is located in a state or locality that permits this higher age. |
||
|
42 U.S.C. §254b(h)(5)(A). |
||
|
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, "Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing: Defining 'Homeless'," 76 Federal Register 75994-76019, December 5, 2011. |
||
|
Ibid., p. 76000. |
||
|
Ibid. |
||
|
Ibid., p. 75996. |
||
|
Ibid. |
||
|
Ibid., p. 76017. |
||
|
Ibid. |
||
|
42 U.S.C. §11382(j). |
||
|
42 U.S.C. §11302(b). |
||
|
76 Federal Register, p. 76014. |
||
|
38 U.S.C. §2002. "The term "homeless veteran" means a veteran who is homeless (as that term is defined in section 103(a) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act)." |
||
| 27. |
Data discussed in this section are from– Education for Homeless Children and Youth: Consolidated State Performance Report Data, National Center for Homeless Education, September, 2014. |
|
|
For more information about ESSA, see CRS Report R44297, Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act: Highlights of the Every Student Succeeds Act, by [author name scrubbed] and [author name scrubbed]. |
||
| 29. |
A school of origin is defined as the school attended when the student was permanently housed or the school in which the student was last enrolled. |
|
| 30. |
American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. |
|
| 31. |
Data discussed in this section are from Federal Data Summary: School Years 2011-12 to 2013-14, Education for Homeless Children and Youth, National Center for Homeless Education, November, 2015, available at http://nche.ed.gov/downloads/data-comp-1112-1314.pdf. |
|
| 32. |
Examples of such services include purchase of clothes, school supplies, food, and medical and counseling services. |
|
|
Another program, the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program, was enacted earlier than the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (in 1974), but serves a specific population rather than all homeless persons generally. |
||
|
For more information about recipient jurisdictions, see the National Board website, http://efsp.unitedway.org/. |
||
|
Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act provides funding for four types of health centers: (1) community health centers, (2) health centers for the homeless, (3) health centers for residents of public housing, and (4) migrant health centers. All four types of health centers provide health care to homeless individuals; however, only health centers for the homeless specifically target this population. |
||
|
|
||
|
For more about |
||
|
For more about GBHI, see |
||
|
Other program activities include a national communications system for runaway youth and their families, logistical support for grantee organizations, HHS's National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth, and demonstrations. |
||
|
Grantees can serve more than 20 youth in states or localities that require a higher maximum number to comply with licensing requirements. |
Prior the enactment of P.L. 110-378, states could receive a minimum of $100,000 and territories could receive a minimum of $45,000. |
|
|
Youth can remain in the program beyond age 22 if they entered the TLP prior to that age and do not exceed the maximum period for remaining in TLP. |
"Exceptional circumstances" means a situation in which a youth would benefit to an unusual extent from additional time in the program. A youth in a TLP who has not reached age 18 on the last day of the 635-day period may, in exceptional circumstances and if otherwise qualified for the program, remain in the program until his or her 18th birthday. |
|
|
This program is known in the statute as Sexual Abuse Prevention Program. HHS refers to it as both the Street Outreach Program (in grant |
||
|
| ||
| 46. |
As specified under 42 U.S.C. §13975, transitional housing includes funding for the operating expenses of newly developed or existing transitional housing. Short-term housing assistance includes rental or utilities payments assistance and assistance with related expenses such as payment of security deposits and other costs incidental to relocation to transitional housing. |
|
|
Also known as the Homeless Chronically Mentally Ill Veterans (HCMI) program. |
||
|
Formerly called the Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Services Programs. |
||
|
Catherine Leda Seibyl, Sharon Medak, Linda Baldino, and Timothy Cuerdon, Twenty-First Progress Report on the Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans Program, FY2009, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Northeast Program Evaluation Center, March 24, 2010, p. 8. |
||
|
The CWT program was formerly called the Special Therapeutic and Rehabilitation Activities Fund. |
||
|
| ||
| 52. |
38 U.S.C. §2031. |
|
| 53. |
The VA's authority to operate therapeutic transitional housing is codified at 38 U.S.C. §2032. |
|
| 54. |
The provision for nonprofits was in P.L. 102-54, but was repealed by P.L. 105-114, §1720A(c)(1). |
|
|
National Alliance to End Homelessness, A Plan: Not a Dream. How to End Homelessness in Ten Years, June 1, 2000, http://www.endhomelessness.org/files/585_file_TYP_pdf.pdf. |
||
|
24 C.F.R. §91.5. The Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act (P.L. 111-22) changed the definition to include families with an adult member who has a disabling condition. |
||
|
42 U.S.C. §11360(2). |
||
|
The report is available at http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/mhc/MHCReport.pdf. See pp. 54-56. |
||
|
The Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH) was created in 1987 in the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, P.L. 100-77. Its mission is to coordinate the national response to homelessness. The ICH is composed of the directors of 19 federal departments and agencies whose policies and programs have some responsibility for homeless services, including HUD, HHS, DOL, and the VA. |
||
|
See, for example, the House Financial Services Committee, Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity, Hearing on Reauthorization of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, Part II, 110th Cong., 2nd sess., October 16, 2007, http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_house_hearings&docid=f:39908.pdf. |
||
|
Randall Kuhn and Dennis Culhane, "Applying Cluster Analysis to Test a Typology of Homelessness by Pattern of Shelter Utilization: Results from the Analysis of Administrative Data," American Journal of Community Psychology, vol. 26, no. 2 (April 1998), p. 219. |
||
|
| ||
|
See Dennis Culhane, Stephen Metraux, and Trevor Hadley, "Public Service Reductions Associated with Placement of Homeless Persons with Severe Mental Illness in Supportive Housing," Housing Policy Debate, vol. 13, no. 1 (2002): 107-163. |
||
|
U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness Overview, http://www.usich.gov/PDF/FSPOverviewSummary.pdf. |
||
|
For public comments, see http://fsp.uservoice.com/forums/41991-how-can-the-local-community-contribute-to-the-visi. |
||
|
U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, June 2010, http://www.ich.gov/PDF/OpeningDoors_2010_FSPPreventEndHomeless.pdf. |
||
|
Ibid., p 26. |
||
|
For the most recent update, see the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, Opening Doors: Federal Strategic Plan to Prevent and End Homelessness, Update 2013, April 2014, http://usich.gov/resources/uploads/asset_library/USICH_Annual_Update_2013.pdf. |
||
|
See U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, "Secretary Shinseki Details Plan to End Homelessness for Veterans," press release, November 3, 2009, http://www1.va.gov/OPA/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=1807. |
||
|
See, for example, FY2013 VA Budget Justifications, Volume 2 Medical Programs and Information Technology, p. 1I-15, http://www.va.gov/budget/docs/summary/archive/FY-2013_VA-BudgetSubmission.zip. |
||
|
|