Order Code RL30442
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Homelessness: Recent Statistics, Targeted
Federal Programs, and Recent Legislation
Updated October 13, 2005
Coordinated by Libby Perl
Analyst in Social Legislation
Domestic Social Policy Division
Congressional Research Service ˜ The Library of Congress

Homelessness: Recent Statistics, Targeted
Federal Programs, and Recent Legislation
Summary
There is no single federal definition of homelessness. However, most federal
programs for the homeless define a homeless individual as a person who lacks a
fixed and night-time residence or whose primary residence is a supervised public or
private shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations, an institution
accommodating persons intended to be institutionalized, or a public or private place
not designed for, or ordinarily used as, a regular sleeping accommodation for human
beings.
Existing data estimate the homeless population in the United States as ranging
from 600,000 to 2.5 million. A congressionally mandated Homeless Management
Information System (HMIS) to count the homeless is expected to produce annual data
about the number of homeless individuals beginning in late 2005.
A number of federal programs, most authorized by the McKinney-Vento
Homeless Assistance Act (P.L. 100-77), serve the homeless. The main federal
programs for the homeless include the Education for Homeless Children and Youth
(EHCY) program; the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP); the Health Care
for the Homeless Program (HCH); the Projects for Assistance in Transition from
Homelessness (PATH) program; the Consolidated Runaway and Homeless Youth
Programs (the Basic Center Program and the Transitional Living Program); the Street
Outreach Program (SOP); the Supportive Housing Program (SHP); the Shelter Plus
Care (S+C) program; the Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation of Single-Room
Occupancy Dwellings (SRO) program; the Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG)
program; the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP); the Health Care
for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) program; and a number of other federal programs
for homeless veterans.
After Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, the
Department of Housing and Urban Development took several steps to provide
assistance to those who were left homeless by the hurricane and those who were
homeless before it struck, including issuing waivers for its existing Emergency
Shelter Grants program and partnering with FEMA to provide a new Katrina Disaster
Housing Assistance Program.
Looking toward the future, the Administration has adopted a goal of ending
chronic homelessness within ten years, and several proposals designed to help reach
that goal have been introduced in the 109th Congress, including H.R. 1471, S. 709,
H.R. 2131 and S. 1801.
This report will be updated to reflect legislative activity.

Key Policy Staff
Name
Program
Telephone and E-Mail
Health Centers for the
7-7367
Sharon Coleman
Homeless
scoleman@crs.loc.gov
Runaway and
7-7019
Edith Cooper
Homeless Youth
ecooper@crs.loc.gov
Programs
Veterans Benefits
7-2290
Paul Graney
Administration
pgraney@crs.loc.gov
Education for
7-7573
Paul Irwin
Homeless Children
pirwin@crs.loc.gov
and Youth
Violence Against
7-2518
Garrine Laney
Women Act programs
glaney@crs.loc.gov
HUD programs and
7-7806
Libby Perl
Emergency Food and
eperl@crs.loc.gov
Shelter Grants
Veterans Health
7-0623
Sidath Panangala
Administration
spanangala@crs.loc.gov
7-2261
Stephen Redhead
PATH
credhead@crs.loc.gov

Contents
Recent Data on the Homeless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
The 2004 U.S. Conference of Mayors Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
The NSHAPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
The Federal Response to Homelessness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Department of Education (ED) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Education for Homeless Children and Youth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) . . . . 6
Consolidated Runaway and Homeless Youth Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Runaway and Homeless Youth — Street Outreach Program . . . . . . . . 8
Department of Justice (DOJ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Transitional Housing Assistance for Victims of Domestic Violence . . 9
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Homeless Assistance Grants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Hurricane Katrina and the HUD Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Department of Labor (DOL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans (DCHV) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Compensated Work Therapy Program (formerly the
Special Therapeutic and Rehabilitation Activities Fund) . . . . . . 15
Guaranteed Transitional Housing for Homeless Veterans . . . . . . . . . . 16
Technical Assistance Grants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
HUD VA Supported Housing (HUD-VASH) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Other VA Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Administration Initiatives and Legislation in the 109th Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Administration Initiatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
The Chronic Homelessness Initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Homeless Assistance Grants Funding and Proposed Consolidation . . 20
Legislative Activities in the 109th Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
List of Tables
Table 1. Homelessness: Targeted Federal Programs Appropriations,
FY2002-FY2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Table 2. Homelessness: Targeted VA Program Obligations,
FY2002-FY2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Homelessness: Recent Statistics, Targeted
Federal Programs, and Recent Legislation
There is no single federal definition of what it means to be homeless. However,
most federal programs for the homeless use the definition of a homeless individual
provided by the McKinney-Vento Act (P.L. 100-77):
an 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.1
Recent Data on the Homeless
Data on the number of homeless individuals and families are largely
unavailable. The only consensus is that the number of homeless persons is probably
between 600,000 and 2.5 million. The homeless are notoriously difficult to count
because of their nomadic nature and because so many of the homeless are not in
shelters, but are on the streets or are doubled-up with friends and family. The
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has undertaken a
congressional mandate to implement a system that will provide an unduplicated
count of homeless individuals and families who access homeless services. The
Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) is currently being implemented
across the country. It is anticipated that the first data should be available in
December 2005.2 Since HMIS data are not yet available, the best homeless data
currently come from sample studies.
There are two major studies of the homeless. Although both studies provide an
assortment of data on the homeless, neither includes an estimate of the total homeless
population. The most recent report, “Hunger and Homelessness Survey: A Status
Report on Hunger and Homelessness in America’s Cities,”3 an annual report
sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, was released in December 2004. In
order to conduct the study, the Conference of Mayors appointed 27 mayors to serve
1 42 U.S.C. §11302
2 See: HUD Report to Congress: Fourth Progress Report on HUD’s Strategy for Improving
Homeless Data Collection, Reporting, and Analysis
. Available at [http://www.huduser.org].
3 A copy may be obtained from the USCM website, at [http://www.usmayors.org].

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on its Task Force on Hunger and Homelessness. The cities where those 27 mayors
serve were surveyed for the study.4 The data from each of those 27 cities were
compiled by an individual or agency in the city’s government, and were reviewed by
a senior-level manager before being submitted. For the 2004 survey, the data were
collected from the cities for the period of November 1, 2003 to October 31, 2004
during November and December 2004, and were supplemented with data on
population, poverty, and unemployment available from the Bureau of the Census and
the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The earlier of the two studies was released in December 1999. “The 1996
National Survey of Homeless Assistance Providers and Clients (NSHAPC)”5 was
designed and funded by 12 federal agencies6 with guidance provided by the
Interagency Council on the Homeless, a working group of the White House Domestic
Policy Council. The U.S. Bureau of the Census collected the data based on a
statistical sample of 76 metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas between October
1995 and November 1996. The Urban Institute analyzed the data.
Specific findings of these two studies are summarized below. It is important to
remember that these two surveys were conducted at different times, look at different
geographical areas, ask different questions and use different survey techniques; thus
the results are not necessarily comparable.
The 2004 U.S. Conference of Mayors Study. The U.S. Conference of
Mayors (USCM) study seeks to track the changes in demand for emergency shelter
and emergency food assistance, as well as changes in the characteristics of the
homeless population. According to the most recent study, in 2004, requests for
emergency shelter increased in the survey cities by an average of 6%, with 70% of
the cities registering an increase. Requests for shelter by homeless families increased
by 7%, with 78% of the cities reporting an increase. On average, people remained
homeless for eight months (up from five months in 2003) and just under half of the
cities reported that the duration of homelessness in their communities had increased
over the previous year. According to the study, lack of affordable housing led the list
of causes of homelessness. In order of frequency, the other cited causes included
mental illness and the lack of needed services, substance abuse and the lack of
needed services, low-paying jobs, unemployment, domestic violence, poverty and
prison release. Regarding the demographics of the homeless population, the
surveyed cities reported that, on average, single men comprise 41% of the homeless
population, families with children, 40%, single women, 14% and unaccompanied
4 The 2004 cities surveyed were: Boston, Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Charleston, Charlotte,
Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, Louisville, Los Angeles, Miami,
Nashville, New Orleans, Norfolk, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Providence, St. Paul, Salt
Lake City, San Antonio, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Seattle, and Trenton.
5 A copy may be obtained from the HUD website, at [http://www.huduser.org]. Click on
“Publications,” then click on “Homelessness.”
6 The federal agencies are Departments of Housing and Urban Development; Health and
Human Services; Veterans Affairs; Agriculture; Commerce; Education; Energy; Justice;
Labor; Transportation; Social Security Administration; and the Federal Emergency
Management Agency.

CRS-3
youth, 5%. By race, the homeless population was estimated to be, on average, 49%
African-American, 35% white, 13% Hispanic, 2% Native American and 1% Asian.
The cities also reported that, on average, 23% of homeless people were considered
mentally ill; 30% abused substances; 17% were employed; and 10% were veterans.
The study also looked at access to housing assistance for the homeless in the
surveyed cities and found long waits. Applicants must wait an average of 20 months
for public housing (down from 24 months in the 2003 survey) and 35 months for
Section 8 Vouchers (up from 27 months in the 2003 survey). Over half of surveyed
cities had stopped accepting applications for at least one assisted housing program
due to the length of the waiting lists.
The NSHAPC. Although the NSHAPC has not been updated since 1996, it is
largely considered to be the most comprehensive data set available on the extent of
homelessness, the characteristics of the homeless population, and service programs
designed to serve the homeless. The study found that homeless clients were
predominantly male (68%) and nonwhite (53%); 23% of homeless clients were
veterans. Large proportions had never married (48%) and 38% had not received a
high school diploma. The NSHAPC also found that 34% of homeless people found
in homeless assistance programs were members of homeless families (defined as a
client with one or more children) and that homeless families had, on average, two
children. Parents reported that almost half (45%) of these children ages three to five
attended preschool and that 93% of school-age children (ages 6 to 17) attended
school regularly. Forty-two percent of homeless clients reported that finding a job
was their top need followed by a need for help in finding affordable housing (38%).
Fifty-eight percent reported at least one problem with getting enough food to eat
during the 30 days before being interviewed. Thirty-eight percent of homeless clients
reported alcohol problems during the past month, 26% reported drug problems, and
39% reported mental health problems during that period. Over one-quarter (27%) of
homeless clients had lived in foster care, a group home or other institutional setting
for part of their childhood. Twenty-five percent reported childhood physical or
sexual abuse.
The NSHAPC counted approximately 40,000 homeless assistance programs in
21,000 service locations operating in the United States. Food pantries (about 9,000)
were the most common type of program, followed by emergency shelters (about
5,700), transitional housing programs (about 4,400), soup kitchens (about 3,500),
outreach programs (about 3,300), and voucher distribution programs (about 3,100).
Nonprofit agencies operated 85% of all homeless assistance programs; 51% were
operated by secular non-profits and 34% were operated by faith-based nonprofits.
Government agencies operated only 14% of homeless assistance programs.

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The Federal Response to Homelessness
Before the early 1980s, most homeless assistance took place at the local level.
However, as advocates for the homeless achieved national attention for the problem
of modern homelessness, the federal government played a greater role in responding
to homelessness. 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 the homeless.
On June 26, 1986, H.R. 5140 and S. 2608 were introduced as the Homeless Persons’
Survival Act to provide a comprehensive 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 Act7 after the death of its
chief sponsor, Stewart B. McKinney of Connecticut. President Ronald Reagan
signed the act into law on July 22, 1987 (P.L. 100-77).
The original McKinney Act consisted of 15 programs providing an array of
services for the homeless. The act also established the Interagency Council on the
Homeless, 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 Act. Since the enactment of the McKinney-Vento
Homeless Assistance Act, there have been several legislative changes to programs
and services provided under the act. Specific programs covered under the
McKinney-Vento Act, as well as other federal programs responding to homeless, are
discussed below.
Department of Education (ED)
Education for Homeless Children and Youth. (42 U.S.C. §§ 11431-
11435) This program is authorized under Title VII, Part B, of the McKinney-Vento
Homeless Assistance Act; it assists state education 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 education agencies (LEAs) under this
program must be used to facilitate the enrollment, attendance, and success in school
of homeless children and youth. The LEAs may use the funds for activities such as
tutoring, supplemental instruction, and referral services for homeless children and
youth, as well as providing them with medical, dental, mental, and other health
services. In order to receive funds, each state must submit a plan indicating how
homeless children and youth will be identified, how assurances will be put in place
that homeless children will participate in federal, state, and local food programs if
eligible, and how the state will address such problems as transportation,
7 P.L. 106-400 (signed into law on Oct. 30, 2000) renamed the Stewart B. McKinney
Homeless Assistance Act as the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

CRS-5
immunization, residency requirements, and the lack of birth certificates or school
records.
Education for Homeless Children and Youth grants are allotted to SEAs in
proportion to grants made under Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary
Education Act of 1965, 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 in order to provide grants to outlying areas (Virgin Islands, Guam,
American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands). The
Department also must transfer 1.0% of the total appropriation to the Department of
the Interior for Bureau of Indian Affairs services to homeless children and youth.
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-110) amended the program
explicitly to prohibit states that receive McKinney-Vento funds from segregating
homeless students from non-homeless students, except for short periods of time for
health and safety emergencies or to provide temporary, special, supplementary
services. An exception was made for four counties that operated separate schools for
homeless students in FY2000 (San Joaquin, Orange, and San Diego counties in
California, and Maricopa County in Arizona), as long as those separate schools
offered services that are comparable to local schools and homeless children were not
required to attend them. The Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program
is authorized, under P.L. 107-110, through FY2007 at 42 U.S.C. §11435, as
amended. No significant legislative changes for the program are anticipated before
the 110th Congress.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP). (42 U.S.C. §§ 11331-
11352). The EFSP is administered by the Emergency Preparedness and Response
Directorate, also referred to as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),
in the Department of Homeland Security, and is governed by a National Board
chaired by FEMA. The Board includes representatives from the United Way of
America, the Salvation Army, the National Council of Churches of Christ in the
U.S.A., Catholic Charities U.S.A., the Council of Jewish Federations and the
American Red Cross. The United Way of America was selected as the secretariat
and fiscal agent to perform necessary administrative duties for the board. The
National Board establishes written guidelines each year which are published, when
modified, in the Federal Register. Each area designated by the National Board to
receive funds for that year must convene a local board. Local boards determine
which private nonprofit or public organizations of the local government within
individual localities should receive grants to act as service providers. Affiliates of
the organizations represented on the National Board are invited to join the local
board if possible; if a selected jurisdiction is part of an Indian reservation, the board
must include a Native American. Also, all local boards must include a homeless or
a formerly homeless person.
EFSP funds can be used for food banks/pantries, mass shelters (five or more
beds), mass feeding sites, emergency repairs to meet building codes of mass feeding

CRS-6
facilities or shelters, limited emergency rent or mortgage assistance and limited utility
assistance for individuals or families to prevent homelessness.
The EFSP 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 EFSP expired at the end of FY1994 (42
U.S.C. §11352); however, it continues to be funded through annual appropriations.
For more information, see CRS Report RS22286, The Emergency Food and Shelter
Program
, by Libby Perl.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) Program. (42 U.S.C. §254b(h)
This program is authorized as a Health Center Program under the Public Health
Service Act and is administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration
(HRSA). The program provides funds to 159 grantees for health centers to provide
health services to a special medically underserved population comprised of homeless
individuals. Grants are also available for innovative programs that provide outreach
and comprehensive primary health services to homeless children and children at risk
of homelessness. Centers that receive grants to care for the homeless are required to
provide substance abuse treatment as a condition of the grant. In CY2003,
approximately 569,000 homeless individuals were provided services by the HCH
program. This program is authorized through FY2006 at 42 U.S.C. §254b(j)(6). For
more information, see CRS Report RL32046, Federal Health Centers Program, by
Sharon Coleman.
Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH).
(42 U.S.C. §290cc-21 through 290cc-35) The PATH program supports a wide
network of state and local agencies that provide community-based outreach, mental
health, substance abuse, case management and other support services in a variety of
settings for people with serious mental health illness (including those with co-
occurring substance abuse disorders) who are homeless or at risk of becoming
homeless. The PATH program provides these services through formula grants of at
least $300,000 to each state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The U.S.
territories each receive $50,000. States must provide matching funds of at least $1
for every $3 of federal funds. In FY2003, states exceeded the minimum level of
matching funds, providing more than $30.3 million in funds to match the $41.3
million in federal funding. Up to 20% of the federal payments may be used for
housing subsidies and other services to help individuals access housing resources.
The PATH program is authorized under Title V of the Public Health Service Act
(Sections 521 — 535) and administered by the Center for Mental Health Services
within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Authorization for the PATH program expired at the end of FY2003; however, it
continues to be funded through annual appropriations. For more information go to
[http://pathprogram.samhsa.gov].
Consolidated Runaway and Homeless Youth Program. This program
was initially authorized as the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program under Title
III, Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA), of the Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention Act, amended, (JJDPA, P.L. 93-415). The program is

CRS-7
administered by the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) within the
Administration for Children and Families. In October 1999, the Missing, Exploited,
and Runaway Children Protection Act (MERCPA) reauthorized RHYA through
FY2003 (42 U.S.C. §5751), consolidated funding for its program components —
Basic Center Program (BCP) and Transitional Living Program (TLP) — and renamed
the program as the Consolidated Runaway and Homeless Youth Program. On
October 10, 2003, the Runaway, Homeless, and Missing Children Protection Act was
signed into law (P.L. 108-96) reauthorizing and amending RHYA and the Missing
Children’s Assistance Act for FY2004 through FY2008. RHYA mandates that 90%
of appropriated funds be used for BCP and TLP for creating and operating
community-based runaway and homeless youth centers and shelters. The
reauthorized law, however, adjusts the percentage split for BCP and TLP funding by
increasing the TLP minimum to 45% (of the 90% funding required for the BCP and
TLP projects) and allows this percentage to be increased up to 55% for those fiscal
years when continuation grants are obligated and the quality or number of applicants
for both BCP and TLP warrant such an adjustment. The remaining 10% of the funds
must be used for a national communications system — that is, the National Runaway
Switchboard, which is the national toll free runaway and homeless youth crisis
hotline, an information clearinghouse; training and technical assistance activities;
research and demonstration projects that seek to improve program administration;
and outreach through prevention activities. For more detail, see CRS Report
RL31933, The Runaway and Homeless Youth Program: Administration, Funding,
and Legislative Actions
, by Edith Fairman Cooper.
Basic Center Program. (42 U.S.C. §§5701-5751) The purpose of the Basic
Center Program is to meet the immediate needs of runaway and homeless youth and
their families through creating or strengthening local community-based programs.
The goals of BCP are to lighten the problems of such youth; reunite them with their
families, and promote resolving family problems through counseling and other
avenues; reinforce family connections and foster a stable home life; and help such
youth to make constructive decisions regarding their plight. Grants are awarded to
local public and nonprofit private organizations, and a combination of such groups
to establish and operate local runaway and homeless youth centers, unless they are
components of the law enforcement framework or the juvenile justice system. Grants
are used to develop or strengthen community-based centers that are outside the law
enforcement, juvenile justice, child welfare and mental health systems. Grants are
allotted among the states using a formula based on the population of persons under
age 18 in each state, proportionate to the national population of youth under age 18.
The eligible organizations apply directly to the federal government and compete for
BCP grants, subject to the state allotments. Priority is given to applicants who have
demonstrated experience in providing services to runaway and homeless youth.
Grants are awarded generally for a three-year project period. Funding for subsequent
second and third year periods depends on satisfactory performance as well as the
availability of funds. Shelter is offered to youth who are younger than 18 years of
age and to those who are at risk of separation from their family. Also, BCP must
provide age appropriate services or referrals for 18- to 21-year-old homeless youth.
Grantees are required to submit semiannual financial and program reports, as well as
a final report 90 days after the end of the project period.

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Transitional Living Program. (42 U.S.C. §§5714-1 through 5714-2) The
Transitional Living Program assists older homeless youth (16- to 21-year-olds),
including pregnant and parenting youth, who need longer-term supportive assistance.
Services are geared toward assuring such youth a successful transition to independent
self-sufficiency and avoidance of long-term dependence on social services. Grants
are available to states, local units of government, a combination of such units, public
or private nonprofit agencies, organizations, institutions or other nonprofit entities,
faith-based organizations, federally recognized or unrecognized Indian tribes, and to
urban Indian tribes. TLP services cannot exceed 18 months, unless participating
youth are younger than 18. In such cases, those persons may remain in the program
for an additional 180 days (that is, six months) or until they reach the age of 18,
whichever occurs first. The program provides shelter — such as group homes, host
family homes, and supervised apartments — and services — including information
and counseling services in basic life skills (which include money management,
budgeting, consumer education, and use of credit), interpersonal skill building,
educational advancement, job attainment skills, and mental and physical health care
to runaway and homeless teens. TLP grants are awarded competitively for five year
project periods. Grantees are required to provide non-federal matching funds that are
equal to at least 10% of the federal share. The non-federal share can be provided
through cash or in-kind contributions. Grantees are encouraged, however, to provide
cash contributions. Also, grantees must submit semiannual progress and fiscal
reports, and a final program and expenditure report within 90 days after the project
period is completed.
Maternity Group Homes. For FY2002, the Bush Administration proposed a
Maternity Group Home Initiative as part of the Runaway and Homeless Youth
Program’s TLP component. Maternity group homes (MGH) would provide a
supportive and supervised living arrangement for unwed teen mothers (16 to 21) and
their children. Such mothers would be provided transitional living guidance,
including lessons on parenting, child development, health and nutrition, and other
skills. The goal would be to promote the long-term economic independence of
unwed teen mothers in order to ensure the well-being of their children. For each of
FY2003 through FY2006, the President has requested $10 million for MGH. To
date, Congress, however, has not appropriated any specific funding for MGH.
Grantees may and do use TLP funds to directly serve unwed pregnant and parenting
teens, without a specific set-aside. For more information, see CRS Report RL31540,
Second Chance Homes: Federal Funding, Programs, and Services, by Edith
Fairman Cooper.
Runaway and Homeless Youth — Street Outreach Program.8 (42
U.S.C. §5712d) Congressional concern about possible sexual abuse and exploitation
of runaway and homeless youth living on the streets led to creating the Street
Outreach Program through the Violence Against Women Act of the Violent Crime
Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (P.L. 103-332). MERCPA amended
RHYA to include the Street Outreach Program as a separately-funded program
component. SOP, which also is administered by FYSB, provides grants to nonprofit
8 This program is also known as the Education and Prevention Services to Reduce Sexual
Abuse of Runaway, Homeless, and Street Youth Program.

CRS-9
groups for street-based outreach and education, including treatment, counseling and
referral services for runaway, homeless, and street youth who have been subjected
to, or are at risk of being subjected to sexual abuse. SOP staff must have access to
local emergency shelter space or such space that can be made available for youth who
are willing to leave the streets. Accommodations are needed in order to maintain
interaction with such youth during the time that they are in the shelter. Only private,
nonprofit agencies are eligible to participate in SOP. Such organizations include
federally or nonfederally recognized Indian tribes and urban Indian groups that can
apply as private, non-profit agencies. No public agencies are eligible. Priority must
be given to eligible agencies that have experience in providing services to runaway,
homeless, and street youth. As with BCP awards, SOP grants generally are awarded
for three-year project periods. Funding for subsequent second and third year periods
depends on satisfactory performance as well as the availability of funds. Like TLP,
SOP grantees must provide non-federal matching funds that are equal to at least 10%
of the federal share. The non-federal share can be provided through cash or in-kind
contributions. Grantees are encouraged, however, to provide cash contributions.
Also, grantees are required to submit semiannual progress and fiscal reports, and a
final program and expenditure report within 90 days after the project period is
completed. For more information, see CRS Report RL31933, The Runaway and
Homeless Youth Program: Administration, Funding, and Legislative Actions
, by
Edith Fairman Cooper.
Department of Justice (DOJ)
Transitional Housing Assistance for Victims of Domestic Violence.
The Violence Against Women Act of 2000 (VAWA 2000; P.L. 106-386; 42 U.S.C.
10419) amended Title III of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (42
U.S.C. 10401 et seq.) to create transitional housing assistance for victims of domestic
violence. The Act authorizes the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) to provide grants to states to assist an eligible individual or
dependent, who is either fleeing domestic violence or for whom emergency shelter
services are lacking, to find and obtain permanent housing. In addition, the program
is designed to help a person become integrated into the community through provision
of transportation, counseling, child care services, case management, employment
counseling and other assistance. A person or dependent can receive transitional
housing assistance for a maximum of 18 months. Authorized funding for the
program was $25 million for FY2001. With passage of the Keeping Children and
Families Safe Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-36; 42 U.S.C. 10419), Section 319(f) of the
Family Violence Prevention and Services Act was amended to reauthorize the
transitional housing assistance program for each FY2003 through FY2008. No
funding, however, has ever been requested or appropriated for the transitional
housing program at HHS.
The 108th Congress passed the Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to End
the Exploitation of Children Today Act of 2003 (the PROTECT Act, P.L. 108-21; 42
U.S.C. 13975), which contains provisions that are very similar to the transitional
housing assistance program that is authorized to be administered by HHS. The
PROTECT Act extends transitional housing assistance to child victims of domestic
violence, stalking, or sexual assault. The Act provides for the Department of Justice
to administer this transitional housing assistance grant program. In consultation with

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the Director of the Violence Against Women Office, the Attorney General provides
grants to states, units of local governments, Indian tribes, and other organizations to
help eligible persons who need temporary housing. Under the PROTECT Act,
transitional housing assistance can be provided for a maximum of 24 months.
Authorization for the program is $30 million for each of FY2004 through FY2008.
Funding was requested and has been provided for each of FY2004 and FY2005. (For
additional information, see CRS Report RL30871, Violence Against Women Act:
History and Federal Funding,
by Garrine P. Laney.)
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Homeless Assistance Grants. The Homeless Assistance Grants account
was established to provide funding for HUD’s four major grants programs that fund
housing and services for the homeless. Funding for the Emergency Shelter Grants
(ESG) program is allocated to states and localities on a formula basis. Funding for
the three competitive programs — Supportive Housing Program (SHP), Shelter Plus
Care Program (S+C), Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation Assistance for Single-Room
Occupancy Dwellings (SRO) — is disseminated through HUD’s Continuum of Care
(CoC) system. Under the CoC strategy, local communities establish CoC
coordinating boards made up of local government and service providers. The CoC
boards establish local priorities and strategies to address homelessness in their
communities. Local programs that wish to receive HUD funding submit their
applications to the CoC boards, which then review them, prioritize them, and submit
them to HUD for review. Under HUD’s CoC strategy, localities and states are
encouraged to develop and maintain assistance systems which integrate programs and
services for the homeless or potentially homeless. Out of concern that not enough
CoC dollars were being spent on housing, since FY2002, Congress has required that
not less than 30% of funds appropriated to the Homeless Assistance Grants programs
be used for permanent housing and that all funding for services be matched at a 25%
rate.
There has been variation in the programs funded under the homeless assistance
grants since HUD consolidated its homeless programs in 1995. For example, for the
first several years, HUD consolidated seven McKinney-Vento Act homeless
assistance programs under this grant — Shelter Plus Care, Supportive Housing,
Emergency Shelter Grants, Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation (Single Room
Occupancy), Rural Homeless Grants, and Safe Havens for Homeless Individuals, as
well as the Innovative Homeless Initiatives Demonstration Program. Rural Homeless
Grants and Safe Havens for Homeless Individuals still exist statutorily, although they
have not been funded for years. The following is a description of the four programs
that are presently funded under the homeless assistance grants.
Supportive Housing Program (SHP). (42 U.S.C. §§11381-11389) This
competitive grant program was created by the McKinney-Vento Homeless
Assistance Act of 1987, as amended. Housing funded under SHP may be transitional
within a 24-month period, permanent housing for the disabled, or a single room
occupancy dwelling. In order to receive funds, permanent housing must provide
supportive services for its residents such as case management, child care,
employment assistance, outpatient health services, food and cash assistance and

CRS-11
assistance in obtaining permanent housing. States, local governmental entities,
private nonprofit organizations, or community mental health associations that are
public nonprofit organizations may apply for funds through their local CoC board.
This program requires that not less than 25% of appropriated funds be used to serve
homeless families with children, not less than 25% be used to serve homeless persons
with disabilities, and not less than 10% be used for providing supportive services.
There is also a dollar-for-dollar match requirement, and no provider may use more
than 5% of SHP funds for administrative purposes. The authorization for this
program (42 U.S.C. §11389) expired at the end of FY1994; however, it has continued
to be funded through annual appropriations.
Shelter Plus Care Program (S+C). (42 U.S.C. §§11403-11406b) This
program was created by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, as amended.
The S+C program provides rental subsidies to homeless adults with disabilities.
Similar to the Section 8 program, tenants pay 30% of their income towards housing
and the administering body pays the rest. The assistance is funded for five years, but
can be renewed at the end of those five years. S+C grants must be matched by local
communities dollar for dollar. While S+C grant dollars cannot be used to fund
supportive services, grantees are expected to partner with other agencies to provide
social services and the dollar for dollar match requirement can be met through
spending on services. Not less than 50% of S+C vouchers must be reserved for
homeless individuals who are seriously mentally ill, have chronic substance abuse
problems, or both. A state, unit of general local government (city, county, town,
township, parish, or village) or public housing agency may apply for funds through
their local CoC boards. Grantees may provide rental assistance to private nonprofit
entities (including community mental health centers established as nonprofit
organizations) that own or lease dwelling units. The authorization for this program
(42 U.S.C. §11403h) expired at the end of FY1994; however, the program has
continued to be funded through annual appropriations.
Funding for S+C contracts is provided in one-year increments, as a result, all
S+C subsidies expire and require new funding every year. Unless Congress provides
sufficient funding to renew all contracts every year, S+C assistance will expire and
homeless families risk losing their assistance. At the end of 2001, 28,500 rent
subsidies were being funded through the S+C program. Growth in the program is
limited, however, due to the high cost of renewing expiring contracts. Some
communities are concerned that the cost of renewing S+C contracts may eventually
consume the entire Homeless Assistance Grants funding allocation.
Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation Assistance for Single-Room
Occupancy Dwellings (SRO). (42 U.S.C. §§11407-11407b) This program was
created by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, as amended, to
provide rental assistance to homeless single individuals. Under the program, HUD
provides rental subsidies, through public housing agencies, in connection with the
moderate rehabilitation of residential properties that contain multiple single room
dwelling units. These project units are similar to dormitories, having single
bedrooms, community bathrooms, and kitchen facilities. Funds for this program may
also come from the Shelter Plus Care Program. As of 2001, 9,500 SRO units had
been funded under this program. Growth in the SRO program has been severely
limited in recent years because of the high upfront cost of 10 year contracts as well

CRS-12
as a dwindling supply of eligible buildings. The authorization for this program (42
U.S.C. §11403h) expired at the end of FY1994; however, it has continued to be
funded through annual appropriations.
Emergency Shelter Grants Program (ESG). (42 U.S.C. §§11371-11378)
This program was authorized through the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance
Act, as amended. ESG is a formula grants program to state and local governments
(any local government may distribute all or a portion of the funds to private nonprofit
organizations providing 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 total Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
funds. Emergency Shelter Grants are used for the renovation, major rehabilitation or
conversion of buildings into emergency shelters. Essential services, including
employment, health, drug abuse or education services may also be funded with ESG
funds (up to 30% of funds may be used for building renovations and essential
services). Maintenance, operation, insurance, utilities and furnishing costs for these
emergency shelters may also be funded under this program, although not more than
10% of the funds may be used for staffing costs. To prevent homelessness, financial
assistance may be given to families who have received eviction or termination of
utility service notices if: (1) the inability to make such payments is due to a sudden
reduction in income, (2) there is a reasonable prospect that the family will be able to
resume payments within a reasonable period of time, and (3) the assistance will not
supplant funding for preexisting homelessness prevention activities from other
sources (up to 30% of funds may be used for this activity). There is a one-for-one
match requirement for local governments; there is no match requirement for the first
$100,000 for states, but a one-for-one match is required for the remainder of the
funds. The authorization for this program (42 U.S.C. §11377) expired at the end of
FY1994; however, the program has continued to be funded through annual
appropriations.
Hurricane Katrina and the HUD Programs.
Katrina Disaster Housing Assistance Program. Hurricane Katrina
struck the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005, displacing hundreds of thousands of
people, including an unknown number of homeless individuals. In response to the
disaster, on September 23, 2005, HUD and the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) announced the Katrina Disaster Housing Assistance Program
(KDHAP) to provide temporary rental assistance for up to 18 months to displaced
families who were living in HUD-assisted housing or were homeless prior to
Hurricane Katrina. To be eligible for KDHAP, homeless families must have been
displaced by Hurricane Katrina and must register with FEMA no later than December
31, 2005. According to the Interim Operating Requirements for KDHAP, homeless
families are those identified as homeless by local Continuum of Care boards, using
homeless information systems and other client records. The KDHAP program
operating requirements do not indicate whether homeless families who have not been
identified in homeless provider records will be eligible.9
9 The Interim Operating Requirements for KDHAP, published on October 4, 2005, may be
(continued...)

CRS-13
Once a family is found to be eligible, HUD, through its public housing
authorities (PHAs), will help families find housing in any area of the country with a
participating PHA. When families find a place to live, the PHAs will pay a security
deposit and a rent subsidy — up to the fair market rent for an area10 — directly to the
landlord. PHAs will also pay utility company deposits on behalf of eligible families.
Unlike HUD’s other rental assistance programs, KDHAP does not require families
to pay 30% of their incomes toward their rent. Rather, families are required only to
pay any utilities not included in their rent and any rental costs above the fair market
rent. After 18 months, families who had previously lived in HUD-assisted housing
will be eligible to remain in a HUD-assisted program. HUD has not commented on
the outcome for previously-homeless tenants after 18 months elapse.
Emergency Shelter Grants Waivers. After Hurricane Katrina, HUD
waived11 several Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) regulatory provisions for an
indefinite duration as they apply to both Presidentially-declared disaster areas and to
receiving communities providing shelter to evacuees. Under the first waiver, ESG
grantee communities may amend their consolidated plans — in which they describe
activities to be funded — and only require comment periods of three days instead of
thirty. Second, HUD waived the definition of “emergency shelter”12 so that shelters
are not limited to facilities where the primary purpose is to provide transitional or
temporary shelter for the homeless, and instead may include housing owned by
private sector landlords. The final HUD waiver relieves states and grantees of the
requirement that they spend ESG funds within 24 months.
Continuums of Care. In response to questions from Continuums of Care
around the country, HUD issued a statement clarifying that persons who lost their
homes due to Hurricane Katrina are considered homeless by virtue of living in a
place not meant for human habitation, and are therefore eligible for assistance
through the continuum of care programs. Continuums should enter those who are
homeless due to Hurricane Katrina into their homeless management information
systems, if they are operational.
Department of Labor (DOL)
Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program. (38 U.S.C. §2021) The
Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) provides grants to states or other
public entities and non-profits, including faith-based organizations, to operate
9 (...continued)
found at HUD’s website [http://www.hud.gov/offices/pih/publications/kdhapopreq.pdf].
10 HUD sets fair market rents either at the 40th percentile rent or at the 50th percentile rent
for each metropolitan or non-metropolitan statistical area in the nation, as well as for each
state. For more information on fair market rents, see CRS Report RL32284, An Overview
of the Section 8 Housing Program
, by Maggie McCarty.
11 By law, and subject to statutory limitations, the HUD secretary may waive regulatory
requirements when there is good cause to do so. 24 CFR §5.110 (2005).
12 24 CFR §576.3 (2005).

CRS-14
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. This program was recodified under veterans benefits by the Homeless
Veterans Comprehensive Assistance Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-95); formerly, it was
authorized under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987. For
FY2003, the Administration proposed to move this program from the Department of
Labor (DOL) to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), consolidating the program
with two other DOL programs, the Disabled Veterans’ Outreach Program (DVOP)
and the Local Veterans’ Employment Representatives (LVER). This consolidation
was not undertaken by Congress; and for FY2004 and FY2005, no such plan was
proposed by the Administration. However, DVOP and LVER resources are used in
projects to support employment efforts under HVRP. This program is authorized at
38 U.S.C. §2021(e) through FY2006 at $50 million per fiscal year. H.R. 2131,
discussed later in this report, would reauthorize the program at the same amount
through FY2011 and broaden its scope to include veterans at imminent risk of
homelessness.
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV).13 (38 U.S.C. §§2031-2034)
This program operates at 76 sites where VA provides outreach services, physical and
psychiatric health exams, treatment, referrals, to homeless veterans with mental
health problems, including substance abuse. As appropriate, the HCHV program
places homeless veterans needing long-term treatment into one of its 200 contract
community-based facilities. Residential housing may be purchased or leased with
program funds to operate therapeutic transitional housing (38 U.S.C. §§2032, 2042).
Under this program, the VA is required to coordinate and provide services in
conjunction with state and local governments, other appropriate departments and
agencies of the federal government and non-governmental organizations. This
program was created by the Hospital, Nursing Home, Domiciliary and Medical Care
Act (38 U.S.C. 1710). This program is authorized until December 31, 2006 at 38
U.S.C. §2033. In 2004, VA’s 134 HCHV program provided outreach, treatment, and
referral services to 64,000 homeless veterans.
Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program.14 (38 U.S.C.
§§2011-2013) Under this program, grants are awarded to public or private nonprofit
organizations to provide outreach, rehabilitative services, vocational counseling and
training, and supported housing (38 U.S.C. §2042) to homeless veterans. Funds may
be used for the expansion, remodeling, or alteration of existing buildings or the
acquisition of facilities for use as service centers, transitional housing or other
facilities, and for the procurement of vans for use in outreach to and transportation
for, homeless veterans. Service centers must provide health care, mental health
services, hygiene facilities, benefits and employment counseling, meals, and
transportation assistance. Centers must also be equipped to provide job training,
counseling and placement services (including job readiness and literacy and skills
13 Formerly called the Homeless Chronically Mentally Ill Veterans (HCMI) program.
14 Formerly called the Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Services Programs.

CRS-15
training), as well as any outreach and case management services which may be
necessary. A grant may not be used to support operational costs. In April 2004, VA
announced the award of $15 million in “Per Diem Only” funding to 80 faith-based
and community-based agencies which will support 1,583 beds for homeless veterans.
Currently 6,463 beds (67%) of the expected 9,600 Grant and Per Diem-funded beds
are operational and serving homeless veterans.
Homeless Veterans with Special Needs. (38 U.S.C. §2061) Within the
Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem program there is also a “special purpose
program” which makes $5 million per fiscal year available to provide grants to health
care facilities and to grant and per diem providers to encourage the development of
programs for homeless veterans who are women (including women who care for
minor dependents), frail elderly, terminally ill, or chronically mentally ill.
Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans (DCHV). (38 U.S.C. §1710(b))
This 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. VA operates the DCHV program at
34 locations across the country. A multi-dimensional, individually tailored treatment
approach is used and the clinical status of the veteran is stabilized 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 VA’s Incentive Therapy Program, a medically prescribed
rehabilitation program involving therapeutic work assignments at VA medical centers
for which veterans receive nominal payments. The Homeless Veterans
Comprehensive Assistance Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-95) amended the program by
authorizing the Secretary of VA to establish up to 10 additional programs to provide
domiciliary services to homeless veterans. Although the Act authorized $5 million
each for FY2003 and FY2004, no funds were appropriated. The authorization for
these additional programs expired at the end of FY2004. VA plans to establish
additional domiciliary programs sometime during FY2005 with funds from the
medical services budget. In FY2004,VA’s existing DCHV programs provided
treatment to over 5,000 homeless veterans.
Compensated Work Therapy Program (formerly the Special
Therapeutic and Rehabilitation Activities Fund).15 (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 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 a structured daily activity to
15 The program was created by the Veterans Omnibus Health Care Act of 1976 (P.L. 94-
581).

CRS-16
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 by providing
temporary staffing to a company. Funds collected from the sale of these products
and/or services were used to fund the program. Funding for this program comes from
the VA’s Special Therapeutic and Rehabilitation Activities Fund, which is
permanently authorized at 38 U.S.C. §1718(c).
Guaranteed Transitional Housing for Homeless Veterans. (38 U.S.C.
§§2051-2054) Qualified nonprofit organizations or other qualified organizations that
have experience in underwriting transitional housing projects may obtain a loan
under this program for the construction, rehabilitation or acquisition of land for a
multifamily transitional housing project. Under this program, housing may be single
room occupancy and must provide supportive and counseling services (including job
counseling) with the goal of encouraging self-sufficiency among participating
veterans. To qualify, a project must require the occupant veteran to seek and
maintain employment. The project must also maintain strict guidelines regarding the
sobriety of participants. Occupants must pay a reasonable fee in order to live in these
transitional units. Veterans who are not homeless and homeless individuals who are
not veterans may be occupants of transitional housing if all of the transitional housing
needs of homeless veterans in the project area have been met. Not more than 15
loans with an aggregate total up to $100 million may be guaranteed under this
program. Funding for this program is authorized as a pilot project at 38 U.S.C.
§2051.
Technical Assistance Grants. (38 U.S.C. §2064) Under this program, VA
provides grants to entities with expertise in preparing grant applications. The grantee
must then provide technical assistance to nonprofit community-based groups who are
applying for grants to assist homeless veterans. This program is authorized through
FY2005 at 38 U.S.C. §2064.
HUD VA Supported Housing (HUD-VASH). (42 U.S.C. §1437f (o)) This
joint HUD and VA supported housing program provides specially designated HUD
rental assistance (Section 8) vouchers to homeless veterans. Every homeless veteran
who receives a housing voucher must be assigned to a VA case manager and receive
supportive services. This program serves homeless veterans who have chronic
mental illnesses or chronic substance abuse disorders. Before a veteran may
participate in this program, he or she must agree to continue treatment for the mental
illness or substance abuse disorder. 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 created and are in circulation today. 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. However, HUD has not requested, and Congress has not provided, funds
for HUD-VASH vouchers since the program was codified.
Other VA Activities. In addition to the targeted programs for which specific
funding is available, as shown in Table 2, the VA engages in several activities to
assist the homeless that are not reflected in this report as separate programs. An
Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans was established within VA (15 members

CRS-17
appointed from veterans service organizations, community-based providers of
services to homeless individuals, previously homeless veterans, experts in mental
illness, substance use disorders and others) to consult with and seek advice
concerning VA benefits and services to homeless veterans (38 U.S.C. §2066). A
demonstration program of referral and counseling serves veterans who are in
transition from certain institutions (penal institutions or long-term care mental
institutions) and provides information about the benefits and services available to
them under the VA programs (38 U.S.C. §2023). VA has several Comprehensive
Homeless Centers (CHCs)
in various cities, which consolidate all of VA’s homeless
programs in that area into a single organizational framework to promote integration
within VA and coordination with non-VA homeless programs. CHCs offer a
comprehensive continuum of care (CoC) to help homeless veterans escape from
homelessness. 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. VA also operates a pilot project with the Social
Security Administration (SSA) called SSA-VA Outreach where HCMI and DCHV
staff coordinate outreach and benefits certification with SSA staff to increase the
number of veterans receiving SSA benefits and otherwise assist in their
rehabilitation.
VA programs and staff have actively participated in each of the Stand Downs
for Homeless Veterans run by local coalitions in various cities each year. Stand
Downs give homeless veterans one to three days of safety and security where they
can obtain food, shelter, clothing, and a range of other types of assistance, including
VA provided health care, benefits certification, and linkages with other programs.
In a program called Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA)’s Acquired Property
Sales for Homeless Providers,
VA is able to sell, at a discount, foreclosed properties
to nonprofit organizations and government agencies that will use them to shelter or
house homeless veterans. This program was reauthorized by P.L. 108-170 through
December 31, 2008 (38 U.S.C. §2041). Certain specified homeless veterans are
eligible for a one-time course of dental care for homeless veterans engaged in
rehabilitation (38 U.S.C. §2062). Finally, Project CHALENG for Veterans, is a
nationwide VA initiative in which VA’s Community Homelessness Assessment
Local Education and Networking Groups 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.

CRS-18
Administration Initiatives and Legislation
in the 109th Congress
Administration Initiatives
The Chronic Homelessness Initiative. The Bush Administration has
established a national goal of ending chronic homelessness in 10 years, by 2012. The
idea of a 10-year plan to end chronic homelessness began as a part of a 10-year plan
to end homelessness in general adopted by the National Alliance to End
Homelessness (NAEH) in 2000. The following year, then-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 bi-partisan,
congressionally-mandated, Millennial Housing Commission, in its Report to
Congress in 2002, included ending chronic homelessness in 10 years among its
principal recommendations. By 2003, the Interagency Council on Homelessness had
been re-engaged16 and charged with pursuing the President’s 10-year plan. During
2004, several major cities (including New York and the District of Columbia)
committed themselves to the goal of ending chronic homelessness in 10 years.
The Interagency Council on Homelessness has adopted a working definition to
identify the chronically homeless; a chronically homeless individual is “an
unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has been either
continually homeless for a year or has had at least four episodes of homelessness in
the past three years.” Part of the reason behind the focus on the chronically homeless
is the estimate that the chronically homeless account for about 10% of all users of the
homeless shelter system, but that they use 50% of the total days of shelter provided.17
While the chronically homeless may monopolize current resources, some
advocates for the homeless and the Administration argue that there are better ways
to serve them. Permanent supportive housing is generally seen as the solution to
ending chronic homelessness.18 Permanent supportive housing consists of low-cost
housing, partnered 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. Not
only has supportive housing proven to be effective, studies have also argued that it
is cost efficient. By housing the chronically homeless in permanent supportive
16 ICH was created in 1987 in the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act. Its
mission is to coordinate the national response to homelessness. The ICH is composed of the
directors of 18 federal departments and agencies whose policies and programs have some
responsibility for homeless services, including HUD, HHS, the Department of Labor (DOL),
and the VA. The council was inactive for six years, but began receiving funding again in
FY2002.
17 See Ending Chronic Homelessness: Strategies for Action, Department of Health and
Human Services,
Report from the Secretary’s Work Group on Ending Chronic
Homelessness, Mar. 2003.
18 Ibid.

CRS-19
housing, they are less likely to be housed temporarily by more expensive public
services, such as emergency room services and jail or even prison.19 The Millennial
Housing Commission’s final report supported this finding, stating that “the
chronically homeless require permanent supportive housing to escape and reduce the
enormous burden on public care systems.”
The goal of ending chronic homelessness has gained wide support and
prominence in a short time. However, some advocates for the homeless are
concerned about the focus on the chronically homeless. In particular, they feel that
the initiative does not work to solve the real problems behind homelessness, which
are a lack of affordable housing, health care and income supports. They argue that
while these targeted homeless assistance programs may help to stabilize people who
are currently homeless, they do nothing to prevent future homelessness among low-
income people with or without disabilities. They are also concerned that the focus
on a single, disabled population limits the resources available for families, children
and other non-disabled populations whose needs may also be great. They disagree
that the chronically homeless are necessarily the most needy, especially in rural and
suburban areas where street homelessness is less prevalent and that it is inappropriate
to pit needy populations against each other for limited resources. Finally, they argue
that earmarking resources for the chronically homeless takes away local flexibility
to determine local needs and priorities and happens especially at the expense of rural
and suburban communities.20
The Administration has recently undertaken some collaborative efforts to reach
its goal of ending chronic homelessness in 10 years. On October 1, 2003, the
Administration announced the award of over $48 million in grants aimed at serving
the needs of the chronically homeless through two initiatives. The “Ending Chronic
Homelessness through Employment and Housing
” initiative was a collaborative
grant offered jointly by HUD and the Department of Labor (DOL). The initiative
offered $10 million from HUD and $3.5 million from DOL to help the chronically
homeless in five communities gain access to employment and permanent housing.
The “Collaborative Initiative to Help End Chronic Homelessness” was a $35
million grant initiative offered jointly by HUD, HHS, and VA. Specifically, $20
million was available in HUD funds to provide permanent housing under the SHP,
S+C, or SRO programs; $7 million was available through HHS’s Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Agency (SAMHSA) to fund substance abuse treatment
and mental health and related social services for the chronically homeless; $3 million
was available through HHS’s Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
to provide primary care for the chronically homeless; and $5 million in additional
resources were made available at local VA hospitals for serving homeless veterans.
19 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 (Washington, DC: Fannie Mae Foundation,
2002).
20 See National Coalition for the Homeless, Questions and Answers About the “Chronic
Homelessness Initiative,”
available at [http://www.nationalhomeless.org/chronic/
chronicqanda.html].

CRS-20
Homeless Assistance Grants Funding and Proposed Consolidation.
The President’s FY2006 budget proposes to consolidate HUD’s three competitive
programs Supportive Housing (SHP), Shelter Plus Care (S+C), and Section 8,
Moderate Rehabilitation Assistance for Single-Room Occupancy Dwellings (SRO)
— into one competitive grant program. The Homeless Assistance Grants program
would continue to reserve an estimated $150 million for the formula Emergency
Shelter Grants program. The HUD budget indicates that the consolidation of the three
competitive programs would have significantly streamlined homeless assistance in the
United States. A similar consolidation proposal was made for FY2003, FY2004, and
FY2005. Although legislation to implement these changes, as well as the
reauthorization of the HUD portion of the McKinney-Vento Act, was not introduced
or enacted in the past three years, in the 109th Congress Senator Jack Reed introduced
a bill to reauthorize the program and consolidate the competitive grant programs (S.
1801) on September 29, 2005 (discussed later in this report).
The Administration’s funding request for the Homeless Assistance Grants
account additionally includes $200 million that would be set aside for a Samaritan
Housing Initiative designed to specifically address the supportive housing needs of
chronically homeless individuals. Legislation to enact a separate Samaritan Initiative
program was introduced but not enacted in the 108th Congress. The request also
includes $25 million for a four year Prisoner Re-Entry Initiative to help individuals
exiting prison make a successful transition to community life and long-term
employment. The funds would be transferred to the Department of Justice. Funding
for the Prisoner Re-Entry Initiative was also requested in FY2005, but was not
enacted.
Legislative Activities in the 109th Congress
The Services for Ending Long-Term Homelessness Act (H.R. 1471/S.709)
was introduced in both the House and the Senate on April 5, 2005. The bi-partisan bill
would establish a grant program for services in supportive housing for the chronically
homeless. The program would be housed in the Department of Health and Human
Services (RRS) and administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA). States, cities, public, or nonprofit entities would be
eligible to apply and grant funds could be used for services including mental health
services, substance abuse treatment, referrals for primary health care and dental
services, health education, money management, and parental skills training. The
program would require initial grantees to provide $1 for every $3 of federal money
and renewal grantees to provide $1 for every $1 of federal money. The bill has been
referred to the House Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health and Senate
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.
The New GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century (H.R. 2131), introduced on
May 5, 2005, is a comprehensive bill to improve benefits for veterans, active duty, and
reserve members of the Armed Forces. Subtitle C of title V would reauthorize the
Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program at $50 million a year through FY2011 and
broaden its scope to include veterans at imminent risk of homelessness. The
legislation was referred to the House Veterans’ Affairs, House Ways and Means, and
House Armed Services committees.

CRS-21
The Community Partnership to End Homelessness Act (S. 1801), introduced
on September 29, 2005, would combine the three competitive HUD grant programs
— Shelter Plus Care (S+C), Supportive Housing Program (SHP), and Section 8,
Moderate Rehabilitation Assistance for Single-Room Occupancy Dwellings (SRO)
— into one competitive grant, the Homeless Assistance Program (HAP). Funding for
this new combined grant program, together with the Emergency Shelter Grants
program (ESG) and the Interagency Council on Homelessness would be authorized
at $1.6 billion for FY2006, and such sums as may be necessary for FY2007-FY2010.21
In addition, S. 1801 would eliminate the 30% cap on services under the ESG program,
allow up to 10% of HAP funds to be used to provide permanent housing to families
without a disabled member, and permit grant recipients to use up to 5% of HAP funds
for homelessness prevention activities. The bill was referred to the Senate Committee
on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Funding
Table 1 shows final appropriation levels for FY2001-FY2005 for all of the
targeted homeless programs included in this report except for programs administered
by the VA. Unless otherwise noted, the appropriations figures come from the budget
justifications submitted by the various agencies or congressional appropriations
documents.
Table 2 shows actual and estimated obligations for the Department of Veterans
Affairs targeted homeless programs for FY2001-FY2005. With the exception of the
Loan Guaranty Transitional Housing for Homeless Veterans, funding for VA activities
described below were not specified as line items in VA appropriations. VA’s Loan
Guaranty Transitional Housing for Homeless Veterans program began in FY1999; the
law allocated $48.25 million for the subsidy for guaranteed loans for transitional
housing to remain available until expended. The figures in Table 2 were obtained
from both VA budget documents and conversations with VA employees.
21 The programs were last authorized in 1994 at $635,672,100. Of this amount, $1,563,000
was authorized for the Interagency Council on Homelessness, $143,796,000 for the ESG
program, $212,568,000 for SHP, and $277,745,100 for S+C and SRO programs.

CRS-22
Table 1. Homelessness: Targeted Federal Programs
Appropriations, FY2002-FY2006
($ in thousands)
FY2006
Program
Agencies
FY2002
FY2003
FY2004
FY2005
request
Education for
Homeless Children
& Youth
ED
50,000
54,642
59,646
62,496
62,496
Emergency Food &
DHS/
Shelter (EFSP)
FEMA
140,000
153,000
152,000
153,000
153,000
Health Care for the
Homeless (HCH)a
HHS
116,000
126,621
135,675
145,000
163,000
Projects for
Assistance in
Transition from
Homelessness
(PATH) HHS
39,855
43,073
49,760
54,809
54,809
Consolidated
Runaway,
Homeless Youth
Program
HHS
88,024
89,977
89,431
88,725
88,728
— Runaway and
Homeless Youth -
Basic Center

48,288
49,473
49,171
48,786
48,787
— Runaway and
Homeless Youth -
Transitional Living

39,736
40,504
40,260
39,939
39,941
— Runaway and
Homeless Youth -
Maternity Group
Homes





10,000
Runaway and
Homeless Youth -
Street Outreach
Program
HHS
14,999
15,399
15,302
15,178
15,179
Homeless
Assistance Grants
(HAG)
HUD
1,123,000
1,130,000
1,257,400
1,240,511
1,440,000
Homeless Veterans
Reintegration
Project DOL
17,500
18,250
18,888
20,832
22,000
Transitional
Housing Assistance
for Child Victims
of Domestic
Violence, Stalking,
or Sexual Assault
DOJ



$14,840b
$12,300b

CRS-23
Source: Table prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). Unless otherwise stated,
sources of data were agency budget justifications and congressional appropriations documents.
Notes: (1) Italics indicate amount is subsumed under earlier line item.
a. This program is funded under the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA),
Community Health Centers program. The HCH program generally receives about 8% of the
funds appropriated for the CHC program.
b. This funding is a set-aside under the VAWA STOP grant program.
Table 2. Homelessness: Targeted VA Program Obligations,
FY2002-FY2006
($ in thousands)
FY2002
FY2003
FY2004
FY2005
FY2006
Program
(actual)
(actual)
(actual)
(estimate)
(estimate)
Health Care for Homeless
Veterans (HCHV)a
$54,135
$45,188
$42,905
$43,305
$48,705
Homeless Providers Grants
and Per Diem Program
22,431
43,388
62,965
86,000
99,000
Domiciliary Care for
Homeless Veterans (DCHV)
45,443
49,213
51,829
58,643
60,521
Compensated Work
Therapy/Therapeutic
Residence Program
(CWT/TR)
8,028
8,349
10,240
10,598
10,969
Guaranteed Transitional
Housing for Homeless
Veterans
528
594
600
22,274
15,776
HUD VA Supported Housing
(HUD-VASH)
$4,729
$4,603
$3,375
$3,493
$3,615
Source: Table prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). Data supplied by the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
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.