Order Code RL30442
Homelessness: Targeted Federal Programs
and Recent Legislation
Updated October 30, 2008
Libby Perl, Coordinator;
Adrienne L. Fernandes, Gail McCallion,
Garrine P. Laney, and Ramya Sundararaman
Domestic Social Policy Division
Francis X. McCarthy
Government and Finance Division
Barbara English
Knowledge Services Group

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Homelessness:
Targeted Federal Programs and Recent Legislation
Summary
There is no single federal definition of homelessness, although a number of
programs, including those overseen by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of Labor (DOL) use
the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) definition. The
definition considers a “homeless individual” one 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.
A number of federal programs in seven different agencies, many authorized by
the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (P.L. 100-77), serve homeless
persons. These include the Education for Homeless Children and Youths 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 a number of programs that serve homeless individuals.
These include 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 four separate
programs that provide housing and services for homeless individuals — the
Supportive Housing Program, the Shelter Plus Care program, the Section 8 Moderate
Rehabilitation of Single-Room Occupancy Dwellings program, and the Emergency
Shelter Grants program. The VA operates numerous programs that serve homeless
veterans. These include the Health Care for Homeless Veterans program 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.
Legislation in the 110th Congress regarding homelessness included bills to
reauthorize the HUD Homeless Assistance Grants: the Homeless Emergency
Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act (H.R. 840 and H.R.
7221), the second version of which was approved by the House on October 2, 2008,
and the Community Partnership to End Homelessness Act (S. 1518), which was
approved by the Senate Banking Committee on September 19, 2007 Four bills with
a focus on homelessness were signed into law during the 110th Congress: the
Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act (P.L. 110-378), Higher Education Opportunity
Act (P.L. 110-315), Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-289),
and College Cost Reduction and Access Act (P.L. 110-84).
This report will be updated as warranted.

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Key Policy Staff
Telephone
Program
Name
and E-Mail
Education for Homeless
Gail McCallion
7-7758
Children and Youths
gmccallion@crs.loc.gov
Emergency Food and Shelter
Francis X. McCarthy
7-9533
program
fmccarthy@crs.loc.gov
Health Centers for the
Barbara English
7-1927
Homeless
benglish@crs.loc.gov
HUD programs and Homeless
Libby Perl
7-7806
Veterans
eperl@crs.loc.gov
Projects for Assistance in
Ramya Sundararaman
7-7285
Transition from Homelessness
rsundararaman@crs.loc.gov
Runaway and Homeless Youth Adrienne L. Fernandes
7-9005
programs
afernandes@crs.loc.gov
Violence Against Women Act
Garrine P. Laney
7-2518
programs
glaney@crs.loc.gov

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Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Defining Homelessness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
The Federal Response to Homelessness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Department of Education (ED) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Education for Homeless Children and Youths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Emergency Food and Shelter (EFS) Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) . . . . 7
Grants for the Benefit of Homeless Individuals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act of 2008 and Homeless
Youth Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Department of Justice (DOJ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Transitional Housing Assistance for Child Victims of
Domestic Violence, Stalking, or Sexual Assault . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Homeless Assistance Grants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Department of Labor (DOL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Demonstration Program for Referral and Counseling
for Veterans Transitioning from Certain Institutions . . . . . . . . . . 15
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans (DCHV) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Compensated Work Therapy Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Guaranteed Transitional Housing for Homeless Veterans . . . . . . . . . . 17
HUD VA Supported Housing (HUD-VASH) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Other Activities for Homeless Veterans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Social Security Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Administration Initiatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
The Chronic Homelessness Initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Proposed Consolidation of the HUD Homeless Assistance Grants . . . . . . . 23
Legislative Activities in the 110th Congress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Enacted Homelessness Legislation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
General Homelessness Legislation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Legislation Regarding Homeless Veterans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Legislation Regarding Homeless Children and Youth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

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List of Tables
Table 1. Homelessness: Targeted Federal Programs Appropriations,
FY2005-FY2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Table 2. Homelessness: Targeted VA Program Obligations,
FY2004-FY2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

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Homelessness: Targeted Federal Programs
and Recent Legislation
Introduction
Federal assistance targeted to homeless individuals and families was largely
non-existent 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 Veterans Affairs (VA) Health Care for
Homeless Veterans and Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans programs, the
Department of Labor (DOL) Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program, the
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Grants for the Benefit of
Homeless Individuals, Education for Homeless Children and Youths, and Health
Care for the Homeless.
This report describes existing 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 summarizes
homelessness legislation that was introduced (and where applicable, enacted) in the
110th Congress. The legislation described does not constitute an exhaustive list of all
bills related to homelessness that have been introduced, however. Finally, Table 1
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 2 shows funding levels for VA programs.

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CRS-2
Defining Homelessness
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 McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (P.L. 100-77), enacted in 1987,
authorized numerous programs to assist homeless individuals (McKinney-Vento is
discussed more fully in the next section of this report). The act included programs
to address various needs of homeless persons such as housing, education, health care,
and food assistance, among others, all administered by various federal agencies.
McKinney-Vento also contained a definition of the term “homeless individual” for
purposes of those programs that were authorized through the law (see Section 103
of McKinney-Vento). The definition of homeless individual in McKinney-Vento is
used today to determine eligibility for the HUD Homeless Assistance Grants,
FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter program, the VA homeless veterans programs,
and the DOL’s Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program.1 Section 103 of
McKinney-Vento defines 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.2
The definition is sometimes described as requiring one to be “literally homeless” in
order to meet its requirements3 — 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
to be homeless because the accommodation is precarious or temporary.
Among the federal programs that have adopted a definition of homelessness that
differs from the definition in Section 103 of McKinney-Vento is the Department of
Education (ED) Education for Homeless Children and Youth program. The ED
program defines “homeless children and youths” in part by reference to the Section
103 definition of “homeless individuals”: those living in places not meant for human
1 The definition of “homeless veteran” is a veteran who is homeless as defined by
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.
2 42 U.S.C. §11302(a).
3 See, for example, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, The Third Annual
Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, July 2008, p. 2, footnote 5, available at
[http://www.hudhre.info/documents/3rdHomelessAssessmentReport.pdf].

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CRS-3
habitation.4 In addition, however, the Education for Homeless Children and Youth
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) those living in hotels or motels, trailer parks or campgrounds due to
lack of alternative arrangements, (3) those awaiting foster care placement, and (4)
children of migrant workers.5
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Runaway and Homeless
Youth program also has its own definition of homelessness. However, unlike the
Education for Homeless Children and Youth program, the Runaway and Homeless
Youth program definition does not refer to the McKinney-Vento Act Section 103
definition. Instead, the statute defines a “homeless youth” as either age 16 to 21 (for
transitional housing) or age 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.6
Different definitions are also used by the Health Care for the Homeless program
and Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH), both
administered by HHS. Under the Health Care for the Homeless program, a homeless
individual is one who “lacks housing” and includes those living in a private or
publicly operated temporary living facility or in transitional housing.7 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 abuse 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 way in which a homeless individual is defined has been the subject of
recent legislation that would reauthorize the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance
Grants. Three bills, H.R. 840, the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid
Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act, H.R. 7221, also called the HEARTH Act, and
S. 1518, the Community Partnership to End Homelessness Act, would expand the
current definition of “homeless individual” in Section 103 of McKinney-Vento. For
more information about these bills, see the section of this report entitled “General
Homelessness Legislation.” The Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act of 2008 (P.L.
110-378), signed into law on October 8, 2008, amends the definition of homeless
youth and add a definition of “runaway youth.” For more information about these
bills and the new law, see the section of this report entitled “Legislation Regarding
Homeless Children and Youth.”
4 42 U.S.C. §11434a.
5 “Migratory children” are defined at 20 U.S.C. §6399.
6 42 U.S.C. §5732a(3).
7 42 U.S.C. §254b(h)(5)(A).

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CRS-4
The Federal Response to Homelessness
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.8 Skid rows were usually removed from the more
populated areas of cities, and it was uncommon for individuals to actually live on the
streets.9 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.10
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.11 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.12 The increased visibility of homeless people was due,
in part, to the decriminalization of actions such as public drunkenness, loitering, and
vagrancy.13
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).14 In 1983,
the first federal task force was created to provide information to local governments
8 Peter H. Rossi, Down and Out in America: The Origins of Homelessness (Chicago: The
University of Chicago Press, 1989), pp. 20-21, 27-28.
9 Ibid., p. 34.
10 Ibid., pp. 39-44.
11 Ibid., p. 33.
12 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.
13 Down and Out in America, p. 34; Over the Edge, p. 123.
14 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.)

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CRS-5
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
providing an array of services for homeless persons. 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-Vento 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
homelessness, are discussed below.
Department of Education (ED)
Education for Homeless Children and Youths. (42 U.S.C. §§11431-
11435) This program, also known as the Education for Homeless Children and Youth
program, was initially authorized under Title VII, Part B, of the McKinney-Vento
Homeless Assistance Act; it provides assistance to 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,
immunization, residency requirements, and the lack of birth certificates or school
records.
Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program 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

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CRS-6
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 must also transfer 1.0% of the total appropriation to the Department
of the Interior for services to homeless children and youth provided by the Bureau of
Indian Affairs.
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: (1) those separate schools
offer services that are comparable to local schools; and (2) homeless children are not
required to attend them. The Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program
was authorized under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 through FY2007
(FY2008 with the automatic one-year extension provided by the General Education
Provisions Act).15
The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, signed into law on July 30,
2008 (P.L. 110-289), includes a provision increasing the authorization for the
McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program from $70
million to $100 million for FY2009, and such sums as may be necessary for each
subsequent fiscal year. If appropriated funds for the program are greater than $70
million, this provision authorizes the Secretary to award emergency grants (not to
exceed $30 million) to SEAs based on need, to assist children and youth who have
become homeless due to foreclosure. SEAs would then award these grants to LEAs
based on their need for such awards. Determination of need is to be based on the
number of children, youth, and their families who have become homeless due to
foreclosure of their home or rental property.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Emergency Food and Shelter (EFS) Program. (42 U.S.C. §§11331-
11352) The Emergency Food and Shelter program, the oldest federal program
serving all homeless populations,16 was established in March 1983 and 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. 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 of America, the Salvation Army, the National Council of Churches
15 See Section 422 of the General Education Provisions Act, as amended by P.L. 103-382.
42 U.S.C. §1226a.
16 The Runaway and Homeless Youth Program, discussed later in this report, was enacted
in 1974.

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CRS-7
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.17
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.
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Health Care for the Homeless (HCH) Program. (42 U.S.C. §254b(h))
The Health Care for the Homeless program is authorized as a Consolidated Health
Centers Program and currently allocates funds to 184 grantees to provide health
services to a special medically underserved population comprised of homeless
individuals. This is the only federal program with responsibility for addressing the
primary health care needs of homeless people; it furnishes a range of services that
include emergency shelter, transitional housing, job training, primary health care,
education, and some permanent housing. 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 homeless persons are required to provide substance abuse treatment as a
condition of the grant. In CY2006, approximately 701,623 homeless individuals were
provided services by this program. Authorization for the Health Centers Program
expired at the end of FY2006 (42 U.S.C. §254b(r)). (For more information, see CRS
Report RL32046, Federal Health Centers Program, by Barbara English.)
Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH).
(42 U.S.C. §290cc-21 through §290cc-35) Created in 1987, the PATH program is
authorized under Title V of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act Sections 521-535
and administered by the Center for Mental Health Services within the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The PATH formula
grant program supports a wide network of state and local agencies that provide
17 For more information about recipient jurisdictions, see the National Board website,
available at [http://efsp.unitedway.org/].

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CRS-8
community-based outreach, mental health, substance abuse, case management, and
other support services in a variety of settings for people with serious mental 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
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 FY2005, states exceeded the minimum
level of matching funds, providing more than $32.7 million in funds to match the
$52.4 million federal allocation. Up to 20% of the federal payments may be used for
housing subsidies and other services to help individuals access housing resources.
Authorization for the PATH program expired at the end of FY2003; however, it
continues to be funded through annual appropriations.18
Grants for the Benefit of Homeless Individuals. (42 U.S.C. §290aa-5)
Another program administered through SAMHSA, the Grants for the Benefit of
Homeless Individuals program was one of the programs originally authorized under
the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.19 The program is also sometimes
referred to as Section 506 grants after the section of the Public Health Service Act
where it was transferred as part of the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health
Administration Reorganization Act of 1991 (P.L. 102-321). Through the Section 506
grants, SAMHSA supports community services for homeless individuals with
substance abuse disorders or with co-occurring substance abuse and mental disorders.
The goal is to link substance abuse and mental health treatment services with housing
programs and other services for homeless persons. The programs are evaluated based
on outcomes such as employment, permanent housing, reduced criminal
involvement, reduced substance abuse, and improved mental health. In FY2007,
SAMHSA budgeted $37.1 million for Section 506 grants.20
Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act of 2008 and Homeless Youth
Program. 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 authorizes federal funding for three programs through FY2013:
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.21
18 For more information, see [http://pathprogram.samhsa.gov].
19 See Section 613 of McKinney-Vento.
20 For more information, see [http://www.samhsa.gov/Matrix/matrix_homelessness.aspx].
21 Other program activities include a national communications system for runaway youth and
their families, logistical support for grantee organizations, HHS’s National Clearinghouse
(continued...)

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CRS-9
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 Federal Programs, by
Adrienne L. Fernandes.)
Basic Center Program. (42 U.S.C. §§5701-5751) 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. In FY2007, approximately 330 BCP
shelters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, America Samoa, and Guam served 43,867
youth.22 These centers, which generally shelter as many as 20 youth for
approximately two weeks, 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 food, clothing, individual and family counseling, and health care
referrals. Some centers serve homeless youth 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.23 Grantees are required to
establish relationships with law enforcement, health and mental health care, social
service, welfare, and school district systems to coordinate services.
Transitional Living Program. (42 U.S.C. §5714-1 through §5714-2) The
Transitional Living Program provides longer-term shelter and assistance for youth
ages 16 to 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. TLP grants are distributed competitively by HHS to community-based public
21 (...continued)
on Families and Youth, demonstrations, and the administration of the management
information system that tracks data on runaway and homeless youth, known as NEO-
RHYMIS.
22 U.S. Department Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families
Justification of Estimates for Appropriations Committees, FY2008, p. 93. Data on youth
served by the BCP, TLP, and SOP are provided in HHS’s NEO-RHYMIS reporting system
on runaway and homeless youth, available at [https://extranet.acf.hhs.gov/rhymis/
custom_reports.html].
23 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.

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CRS-10
and private organizations. In FY2007, just over 200 organizations received TLP
grants and served 3,662 youth.24 All but five states (Idaho, Nevada, New Hampshire,
North Dakota, and Wyoming), Puerto Rico, and Guam appear to have at least one
TLP grantee.25 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.
The new law to reauthorize the program, P.L. 110-378, continues to allow youth to
remain at TLP projects for up to 540 days (18 months) or longer for youth under age
18 and adds that a youth may remain in the program for a continuous period of 635
days (approximately 21 months) under “exceptional circumstances.”26 The new law
further authorizes that 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. Youth receive
several types of TLP services:
! basic life-skills training, including consumer education, and
instruction in budgeting and housekeeping;
! interpersonal skill-building;
! educational preparation, such as GED courses and post-secondary
training;
! assistance in job preparation and attainment;
! education and counseling on substance abuse; and
! mental and physical health care services.
The 2003 amendments to the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (P.L. 108-96)
provided statutory authority for TLP funds to be used for maternity group homes.
For FY2003 through FY2006, the President requested $10 million to fund the group
homes. However, Congress has not appropriated any specific funding for the
initiative. Grantees may and do use TLP funds to directly serve unwed pregnant and
parenting teens, without a specific set-aside. These organizations provide youth with
parenting skills, including child development education, family budgeting, health and
nutrition, and other skills to promote their well-being and the well-being of their
children.
Street Outreach Program.27 (42 U.S.C. §5712d) Runaway and homeless
youth living on the streets or in areas that increase their risk of using drugs or being
subjected to sexual abuse, prostitution, or sexual exploitation are eligible to receive
services through the Street Outreach Program. The program’s goal is to assist youth
in transitioning to safe and appropriate living arrangements. SOP services include
24 U.S. Department Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families
Justification of Estimates for Appropriations Committees, FY2008, p. 93.
25 See “Locate a TLP Program” on the Family and Youth Services website, available at
[http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/fysb/content/youthdivision/programs/locate.htm].
26 This term means circumstances in which a youth would benefit to an unusual extent from
additional time in the program.
27 This program is also known as the Education and Prevention Services to Reduce Sexual
Abuse of Runaway, Homeless, and Street Youth Program.

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CRS-11
outreach and education, treatment, counseling, provision of information, and referrals
to other social service agencies. 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.
In FY2007, street workers with grantee organizations made 661,286 contacts with
street youth (multiple contacts may have been made with an individual youth). Of
those youth, most received written materials about referral services, health and
hygiene products, and food and drink items.
Collaboration on the Prevention of Adolescent Dating Violence. The
Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA), Title III of the Child Abuse
Amendments of 1984 (P.L. 98-457), authorized funds for Family Violence
Prevention and Service grants that work to prevent family violence, improve service
delivery to address family violence, and increase knowledge and understanding of
family violence. Some of these projects focus on runaway and homeless youth in
dating violence situations through HHS’s Domestic Violence/Runaway and
Homeless Youth Collaboration on the Prevention of Adolescent Dating Violence
initiative. The initiative was created because many runaway and homeless youth
come from homes where domestic violence occurs and may be at risk of abusing their
partners or becoming victims of abuse.28 The initiative funds projects carried out by
faith-based and charitable organizations that advocate or provide direct services to
runaway and homeless youth or victims of domestic violence. The grants fund
training for staff at these organizations to enable them to assist youth in preventing
dating violence. Eight projects are funded at $75,000 annually, for FY2008 through
FY2010, the most recent funding cycle.
Department of Justice (DOJ)
Transitional Housing Assistance for Child Victims of Domestic
Violence, Stalking, or Sexual Assault. (42 U.S.C. §13975) 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), which contains the
Transitional Housing Assistance for Child Victims of Domestic Violence, Stalking,
or Sexual Assault program. The PROTECT Act authorizes the Attorney General to
provide grants to states, units of local governments, Indian tribes, and nonprofit
organizations to assist an eligible adult, minor, and their dependents who are fleeing
domestic violence, or for whom emergency shelter services are lacking. Under the
act, eligible adults, minors, and their dependents may be assisted with transitional
housing, short-term housing assistance such as help with rent and utility payments,
and supportive services, including help in finding and maintaining permanent
28 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Domestic Violence/Runaway and
Homeless Youth Collaboration on the Prevention of Adolescent Dating Violence Grant
Announcement, April 24, 2007, available at [http://www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/open/HHS-
2007-ACF-ACYF-EV-0103.html].

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CRS-12
housing. Grants may be used to help eligible persons with temporary housing for a
maximum of 24 months.
The transitional housing assistance program had been authorized at $30 million
for each of FY2004 through FY2008; however, during the 109th Congress, the
Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005
(P.L. 109-162) increased the authorized funding level and extended the authorization
period for the transitional housing program, providing $40 million for FY2007
through FY2011. At least 7% of the total appropriation in any fiscal year for this
program must be allocated to tribal organizations serving victims of domestic and
dating violence, stalking, or sexual assault. For FY2005 through FY2008, Congress
appropriated funding for the program through a set-aside from the Special Training
Officers and Prosecutors (STOP) grant. Enacted FY2008 funding for the transitional
housing assistance grant program is $17.39 million. (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 HUD Homeless Assistance Grants
were established in 1987 as part of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance
Act (P.L. 100-77). The grants, administered by HUD, fund housing and services for
homeless persons. Initially, four programs, including the Emergency Shelter Grants
(ESG) program, Supportive Housing Program (SHP), and Section 8 Moderate
Rehabilitation Assistance for Single-Room Occupancy Dwellings (SRO) program,
were funded through HUD’s Homeless Assistance Grants. Since 1987, Congress has
added and removed grant programs, but these three remain, together with the Shelter
Plus Care (S+C) program, which was introduced as part of the Cranston-Gonzalez
National Affordable Housing Act (P.L. 101-625) in 1992. Two additional programs
— Rural Homeless Grants and Safe Havens for Homeless Individuals — still exist
statutorily, although they have not been funded since FY1994 when Congress gave
HUD the authority to use SHP funds for these programs.
Funding for the ESG program is allocated to states and localities on a formula
basis. Funding for the other three programs — SHP, S+C, and SRO — is
disseminated through HUD’s Continuum of Care (CoC) system. Under the CoC
strategy, localities and states are encouraged to develop and maintain assistance
systems that integrate programs and services for persons experiencing homelessness
or who are at risk of becoming homeless. Local communities establish CoC
coordinating boards made up of local government officials 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. Out of concern that not enough CoC dollars were being
spent on housing (versus services), since FY2002 Congress has required that not less
than 30% of funds appropriated to the Homeless Assistance Grants programs be used
for permanent housing. Following is a description of the four programs that are
presently funded under the Homeless Assistance Grants. (For more information
about the distribution of the funds for the four grants, see CRS Report RL33764, The
HUD Homeless Assistance Grants: Distribution of Funds, by Libby Perl.)

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Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) Program. (42 U.S.C. §§11371-11378)
The ESG program distributes formula grants to state and local governments; recipient
governments may then distribute all or a portion of the funds to private nonprofit
organizations that 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 is 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.
Emergency Shelter Grants may be used for the renovation, major rehabilitation
or conversion of buildings into emergency shelters. The funds may also be used for
essential services, including employment, health, drug abuse or education services,
although not more than 30% of funds may be used for services. Another allowable
use of funds is the maintenance, operation, insurance, utilities, and furnishing costs
for these emergency shelters, although not more than 10% of the funds may be used
for staffing costs. Funds may also be used to prevent homelessness. Financial
assistance may be given to families that 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 prevention activities. 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.
Supportive Housing Program (SHP). (42 U.S.C. §§11381-11389)
Housing funded under the SHP may be transitional housing for individuals and
families for up to 24 months, permanent housing for disabled individuals, or single
room occupancy dwellings. 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, and food and cash assistance.
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 boards. SHP requires that not less than 25% of 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 for
acquisition, rehabilitation, and construction activities, a 20% match for services, and
a 25% match requirement for operational expenses. 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.

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CRS-14
Shelter Plus Care Program (S+C). (42 U.S.C. §§11403-11406b) The S+C
program provides tenant- and project-based rental subsidies to homeless adults with
disabilities. Like the Section 8 program, tenants pay 30% of their income toward
housing and the administering body pays the rest. The assistance is initially funded
for five years, but can be renewed at the end of those five years on an annual basis.
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 services and the dollar for dollar match
requirement can be met through spending on services. Not less than 50% of S+C
rental units 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
authority 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.
Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation Assistance for Single-Room
Occupancy Dwellings (SRO). (42 U.S.C. §§11401, 11407-11407b) Under the
SRO program, HUD provides rental subsidies, through public housing authorities,
to support housing units that are similar to dormitories, having single bedrooms,
community bathrooms, and kitchen facilities. The SRO units are funded as part of
HUD’s Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation program; the program requires grant
recipients to spend at least $3,000 per unit to rehabilitate property to be used for SRO
housing. Grant recipients are then reimbursed for the costs of rehabilitating the SRO
units through Section 8 rental assistance payments that they receive over a 10-year
contract period. The costs of rehabilitation are amortized and added to a base rental
amount. 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.
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 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. Initially, HVRP was authorized by the McKinney-
Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987, but in 2001 it was reauthorized under the
Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Assistance Act (P.L. 107-95). Currently HVRP
is authorized through FY2009 at $50 million per year. (For more information about

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CRS-15
HVRP and other programs for homeless veterans, see CRS Report RL34024,
Veterans and Homelessness, by Libby Perl.)
Demonstration Program for Referral and Counseling for Veterans
Transitioning from Certain Institutions. (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 and extended these seven grants through March 2006 with funding of $1.6
million.29 The statute enacting the program provided that it would cease on January
24, 2006, four years after its enactment. At least two bills in the 110th Congress
(H.R. 2874 and S. 1233, discussed later in this report) propose to extend the program.
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV).30 (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 abuse
problems. 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 Grant and Per Diem program is described below). In FY2006, VA’s
131 HCHV sites provided outreach, treatment, and referral services to just over
60,857 homeless veterans.31 Of those receiving assistance, 1,131 veterans stayed in
residential treatment facilities in FY2006, with an average stay of about 58 days.32
The HCHV program is authorized through December 31, 2011 (P.L. 109-461). (For
more information about programs for homeless veterans, see CRS Report RL34024,
Veterans and Homelessness, by Libby Perl.)
Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program.33 (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
29 U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Assistance Secretary for Veterans’ Employment
and Training, FY2005 Annual Report to Congress, March 23, 2007, p. 13, available at
[http://www.dol.gov/vets/media/FY2005_Annual_Report_To_Congress.pdf].
30 Formerly called the Homeless Chronically Mentally Ill Veterans (HCMI) program.
31 Wesley J. Kasprow, Robert A. Rosenheck, Diane DiLello, Leslie Cavallaro, and Nicole
Harelik, Healthcare for Homeless Veterans Programs: Twentieth Annual Report, U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs Northeast Program Evaluation Center, March 31, 2007, p.
25.
32 Ibid., pp. 117-118.
33 Formerly called the Homeless Veterans Comprehensive Services Programs.

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CRS-16
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 permanently authorized at $130 million
(P.L. 109-461).
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” 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 (including women who care for minor dependents), frail elderly, terminally
ill, or chronically mentally ill. The program was initially authorized at $5 million per
year for FY2003 through FY2005. The program was reauthorized from FY2007
through FY2011 at $7 million per year (P.L. 109-461).
Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans (DCHV). (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 abuse disorders, or both.34 The VA operates the
DCHV program at 38 locations with 1,991 total beds across the country.35 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. In FY2006, 5,394
34 Sandra G. Resnick, Robert Rosenheck, Sharon Medak, and Linda Corwel, Eighteenth
Progress Report on the Domiciliary Care for Homeless Veterans Program, FY2006, U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs Northeast Program Evaluation Center, March 2007, pp. 9-
10.
35 Ibid., p. 1.

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CRS-17
veterans completed treatment in DCHV programs with an average stay of 104 days
at the VA facilities.36
Compensated Work Therapy Program.37 (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. §1718(c).
Guaranteed Transitional Housing for Homeless Veterans. (38 U.S.C.
§§2051-2054) The Guaranteed Transitional Housing for Homeless Veterans
Program was created as part of the Veterans Programs Enhancement Act of 1998
(P.L. 105-368). Through the program, qualified nonprofit organizations or other
qualified organizations that have experience in underwriting transitional housing
projects may obtain a loan for the construction, rehabilitation or acquisition of land
for a multifamily transitional housing project for homeless veterans. The 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 veterans 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 of up to $100 million may be
guaranteed under this program. To date, the VA has committed to two multifamily
housing projects. One project, sponsored by Catholic Charities of Chicago, opened
in January 2007 with 141 transitional units for homeless veterans.38 A second project
in San Diego is also expected to provide 144 transitional housing units.39
36 Ibid., p. 9.
37 The CWT program was formerly called the Special Therapeutic and Rehabilitation
Activities Fund.
38 See U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, “Multifamily Transitional Housing Loan
Guarantee Program: Program Overview,” Presentation by Claude B. Hutchinson, Jr., July
2007, available at [http://www1.va.gov/homeless/docs/Loan_Guarantee_Informational_
Video_Slides.ppt].
39 Statement of Pete Dougherty, Director, Homeless Veterans Programs, Senate Veterans
(continued...)

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HUD VA Supported Housing (HUD-VASH). (42 U.S.C. §1437f (o)(19))
HUD-VASH is a joint HUD and VA initiative that provides specially designated
Section 8 vouchers to homeless veterans while the VA provides supportive services.
HUD-VASH serves homeless veterans who have chronic mental illnesses or chronic
substance abuse disorders. Before a veteran may participate in HUD-VASH, he or
she must agree to continue treatment for the mental illness or substance abuse
disorder. 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 created. 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. However, 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. On April 16, 2008, HUD announced the award of 10,105 vouchers to
housing authorities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.40
Other Activities for Homeless Veterans. In addition to the targeted
programs for which specific funding is available (see Table 2 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, substance use disorders and others. The Advisory Committee is
authorized through December 30, 2011 (P.L. 109-461).
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.41 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
39 (...continued)
Affairs Committee, Looking At Our Homeless Veterans Programs: How Effective Are
They?, 109th Cong., 2nd sess., March 16, 2006.
40 For a list of housing authorities and the number of vouchers allocated to each, see
[http://www.hud.gov/news/releasedocs/hud-vash_chart.doc].
41 Comprehensive Homeless Centers are located in Anchorage, Brooklyn, Cleveland, Dallas,
Little Rock, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

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CRS-19
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 (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.
Social Security Administration
The Social Security Administration (SSA) operates an initiative to increase the
access of homeless individuals to federal benefits through employee training,
outreach to homeless persons, and assistance with applications. Through the
program, called the Homeless Outreach Projects and Evaluation (HOPE) initiative,
SSA employees conduct outreach to disabled, chronically homeless individuals
(those persons who have been homeless for more than one year or on four or more
occasions during the last three years) and assist them with filling out applications for
benefits such as Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental
Security Income (SSI).42 The program also helps individuals find assistance for their
other needs such as health care, counseling, and housing. Congress provided $8
million per year for the HOPE initiative in FY2003, FY2004, and FY2005, and this
funding has been used to support 41 HOPE programs throughout the country.43 An
evaluation of the program found that, despite the fact that SSI and SSDI applications
from HOPE program participants were processed more quickly than comparison
groups, there was no significant difference in allowance rates between applications
42 For more information about the HOPE Initiative, see the SSA “Service to the Homeless”
website at [http://www.socialsecurity.gov/homelessness/index.htm].
43 Marion L. McCoy, Cynthia S. Robins, James Bethel, Carina Tornow, and William D.
Frey, Evaluation of Homeless Outreach Projects and Evaluation (HOPE), Social Security
Administration, October 2007, p. 1-1, available at [http://www.socialsecurity.gov/homeless
ness/docs/hopefinalreport.doc].

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CRS-20
from HOPE programs and the comparison groups.44 However, the evaluation found
improved housing conditions for HOPE program participants.45 Smaller percentages
of participants were living on the streets, in shelters, or in places not meant for
human habitation 12 months after participating in HOPE.
In addition to the HOPE initiative, a collaboration among SSA, HUD, and HHS
makes technical assistance available to train state and local human services workers
to better serve homeless individuals with mental illnesses or substance abuse
disorders who may qualify for Social Security benefits. The program is called
SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery (SOAR), and since the program began,
employees at both the state and local government level in 24 different states have
received SOAR training.46 A preliminary evaluation of seven states and localities
that received SOAR assistance found higher than average approval rates (among
homeless applicants) on initial applications for SSI and SSDI, improved access to
housing for some individuals who gained benefits, and cost savings for state public
benefits programs.47
Administration Initiatives
The Chronic Homelessness Initiative
In 2002, the Bush Administration established a national goal of ending chronic
homelessness within 10 years, by 2012. A chronically homeless individual is “an
unaccompanied homeless individual with a disabling condition who has been
continually homeless for a year or more, or has had at least four episodes of
homelessness in the past three years.”48 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.49
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-HUD Secretary Martinez
44 Ibid., pp. 3-11 and 3-13.
45 Ibid., p. 3-15.
46 In August 2007, an additional 10 states were selected to participate in SOAR training. See
USICH Newsletter, August 9, 2007, available at [http://www.ich.gov/newsletter/archive/
8-09-07_e-newsletter.htm].
47 Preliminary Outcomes from the SOAR Technical Assistance Initiative, Policy Research
Associates, March 23, 2007, available at [http://www.prainc.com/SOAR/about/SOAR
PreliminaryOutcomes.pdf].
48 24 C.F.R. §91.5.
49 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.

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CRS-21
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.50 By 2003, the Interagency Council on Homelessness had been
re-engaged after six years of inactivity and was charged with pursuing the President’s
10-year plan.51 As of the date of this report, 49 states, the District of Columbia,
Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and 300 cities and counties had developed
ten-year plans to end chronic homelessness.52
Permanent supportive housing is generally seen as a solution to ending chronic
homelessness.53 Permanent supportive housing consists of low-cost 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. Providing 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 addictions.
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 by more expensive public services, such as hospitals, jails, or prisons.54
More recently, a HUD study of three housing first programs found that during a one-
year period, 43% of clients remained in housing during the entire twelve-month
period. Another 41% stayed intermittently, ultimately returning to the housing first
programs before the end of the year.55 The study also looked at health outcomes; it
found little change in psychiatric impairment among those who stayed in housing
50 The report is available at [http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/mhc/MHCReport.pdf]. See pp.
54-56.
51 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 18 federal departments
and agencies whose policies and programs have some responsibility for homeless services,
including HUD, HHS, DOL, and the VA.
52 Interagency Council on Homelessness, “City and County 10-Year Plan Update,” available
at [http://www.usich.gov/slocal/10-year-plan-communities.pdf].
53 Report from the Secretary’s Work Group on Ending Chronic Homelessness, Ending
Chronic Homelessness: Strategies for Action, Department of Health and Human Services,
March 2003, pp. 12-13, available at [http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/homelessness/strategies03/].
54 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.
55 Carol L. Pearson, Gretchen Locke, Ann Elizabeth Montgomery, and Larry Buron, The
Applicability of Housing First Models to Homeless Persons with Serious Mental Illness,
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, July 2007, p. 62, available at
[http://www.huduser.org/Publications/pdf/hsgfirst.pdf]. The sample size in the study was
80 individuals.

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CRS-22
permanently or intermittently and some decrease in participants’ level of impairment
related to substance use.56
The Administration has undertaken several projects to reach its goal of ending
chronic homelessness in 10 years. Most recently, in August 2005, HUD announced
a pilot program called Housing for People Who Are Homeless and Addicted to
Alcohol to provide supportive housing for chronically homeless persons (those who
have been homeless for at least 365 days during a five-year period) and who have a
long-term addiction to alcohol. The initiative awarded two-year grants totaling just
under $10 million to 12 grantees for FY2005.57 According to the Interagency
Council on Homelessness, the program has provided supportive housing to over 500
homeless clients.58
Two collaborative efforts to end chronic homelessness, undertaken by several
federal agencies, began in 2003. The Collaborative Initiative to Help End Chronic
Homelessness, announced on October 1, 2003, is a grant initiative initially funded at
$35 million through the joint efforts of HUD, HHS, and VA. Specifically, $20
million in HUD funds was made available to provide permanent supportive housing
under the SHP, S+C, or SRO programs; $7 million was made available through
HHS’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency to fund substance abuse
treatment and mental health and related social services for chronically homeless
individuals; $3 million was available through HHS’s Health Resources and Services
Administration to provide primary care for chronically homeless individuals; and $5
million in additional resources was made available at local VA hospitals for serving
homeless veterans. By 2005 HHS had dedicated an additional $20 million to the
initiative. The Collaborative Initiative has enrolled 1,242 individuals in the program,
of whom an estimated 89% remained housed 12 months after entering the program.59
Ending Chronic Homelessness through Employment and Housing, another initiative
from 2003, is 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 chronically homeless individuals in five communities gain access to
employment and permanent housing.60
The initiative to end chronic homelessness has raised some concerns among
advocates for homeless people that allocating resources to chronically homeless
56 Ibid., pp. 83-84 and 88-89.
57 For a list of grantees see Federal Register, vol. 71, no. 167, August 29, 2006, p. 51207.
58 U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness e-newsletter, March 6, 2007, available at
[http://www.ich.gov/newsletter/archive/03-06-07_e-newsletter.htm].
59 Alvin S. Mares and Robert A. Rosenheck, Evaluation of the Collaborative Initiative to
Help End Chronic Homelessness, Northeast Program Evaluation Center, February 26, 2007,
pp. 32-33; [http://www.hudhre.info/documents/CICH_ClientOutcomesReport.pdf].
60 These cities are Portland, OR, Boston, San Francisco, Indianapolis, and Los Angeles. See
the Department of Labor website, available at [http://www.dol.gov/odep/programs/
homeless.htm].

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CRS-23
individuals is done at the expense of families with children who are homeless.61 Two
bills to reauthorize the HUD Homeless Assistance Grants, the Homeless Emergency
Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act (H.R. 840) and the
Community Partnership to End Homelessness Act (S. 1518) would make changes to
current law that would give communities more discretion to serve families with
children. This includes changing the definition of “chronically homeless” to include
families with an adult head of household who has a disability. These bills are
discussed in more detail, below, in the section entitled “General Homelessness
Legislation.”
Proposed Consolidation of the HUD Homeless Assistance
Grants
The President’s FY2009 budget proposes to consolidate HUD’s three
competitive homeless assistance grants — the Supportive Housing Program (SHP),
Shelter Plus Care (S+C), and Section 8, Moderate Rehabilitation Assistance for
Single-Room Occupancy Dwellings (SRO) — into one competitive grant program.
The President made similar consolidation proposals in each year from FY2003
through FY2008. HUD has indicated that the consolidation of the three competitive
programs would significantly streamline homeless assistance in the United States.
Among other changes, the number of applications that HUD would be required to
review would be reduced from about 6,000 to less than 500, and match requirements
and eligible activities would be unified under one program.62 In the 110th Congress,
two bills have been introduced (H.R. 840 and S. 1518, discussed in the next section)
that would consolidate the three competitive grants.
Legislative Activities in the 110th Congress
Enacted Homelessness Legislation
Four bills were enacted to provide services to homeless individuals.
The Reconnecting Homeless Youth Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-378), enacted on
October 8, 2008, reauthorizes the Runaway and Homeless Youth Program from
FY2009 through FY2013. The legislation authorizes FY2009 appropriation levels
for the Basic Center Program, Transitional Living Program, and related activities that
exceed the levels authorized for FY2004 by $35 million (these are the only recent
years for which Congress has specified authorized appropriation levels). The law also
increases the authorized annual minimum levels of BCP funding available for states
61 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, available at
[http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_house_hearings&doci
d=f:39908.pdf].
62 FY2009 HUD Budget Justifications, Department of Community Planning and
Development, p. 65; [http://www.hud.gov/offices/cfo/reports/2009/cjs/cpd1.pdf].

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CRS-24
and territories. Further, P.L. 110-378 permits youth to remain in a program funded
under the BCP and TLP longer than they were able to under the prior law, although
the law imposes additional criteria for youth who stay longer at TLP-funded
programs. The law also changes the definition of “homeless youth” to permit youth
older than age 18 and 22 to stay at BCP- and TLP-funded programs, respectively, but
only under certain circumstances.
The new law requires HHS to periodically submit to Congress an incidence and
prevalence study of runaway and homeless youth ages 13 to 26, as well as the
characteristics of a representative sample of these youth. HHS must consult with the
U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness in developing the study. The law also
directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to evaluate the process by
which organizations apply for BCP, TLP, and SOP, including HHS’s response to
these applicants. GAO is to submit a report on its findings to Congress.
On August 14, 2008, the President signed the Higher Education Opportunity Act
(HEOA; P.L. 110-315). The bill amends the Higher Education Act (HEA) to
authorize services for currently or formerly homeless children and youth, as defined
under the Education for Homeless Children and Youth program. The HEOA
specifies that homeless children and youth (and youth in foster care, including youth
who have left foster care after reaching age 16) are eligible for what are collectively
called the federal Trio programs. These programs are designed to identify potential
post-secondary students from disadvantaged backgrounds, prepare them for
post-secondary education, provide certain support services to these students while
they are in post-secondary education, and train individuals who provide these
services. P.L. 110-315 directs the Department of Education to require applicants
seeking Trio funds to identify and make available services — including mentoring,
tutoring and other services — to homeless children and youth. P.L. 110-315 further
authorizes that funds allotted through one of the Trio programs, Student Support
Services, may be used to provide temporary housing during breaks in the academic
year for homeless children and youth. Separately, the HEOA allows the Fund for the
Improvement of Postsecondary Education to establish demonstration projects that
provide comprehensive support services for students who were homeless anytime
before age 13 (or in foster care), to enable them to enroll and succeed in
postsecondary education.
The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, signed into law on July 30,
2008 (P.L. 110-289), includes a provision increasing the authorization for the
McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program from $70
million to $100 million for FY2009, and such sums as may be necessary for each
subsequent fiscal year. If appropriated funds for the program are greater than $70
million, this provision authorizes the Secretary to award emergency grants (not to
exceed $30 million) to State Education Agencies (SEAs) based on need, to assist
children and youth who have become homeless due to foreclosure. SEAs would then
award these grants to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) on that basis of their need
for such awards. Determination of need is to be based on the number of children,
youth, and their families who have become homeless due to foreclosure of their home
or rental property.

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The College Cost Reduction and Access Act (P.L. 110-84), signed into law on
September 27, 2007, amended the Higher Education Act to deem a student
independent for financial aid purposes if the student is verified as both homeless and
unaccompanied (defined as youth not in the physical custody of a parent or
guardian63). The verification is to be made by a local education agency liaison for
homeless children; a director of an emergency shelter program; or a financial aid
administrator.64
General Homelessness Legislation
Several bills were proposed in the 110th Congress that, if enacted, would have
provided assistance to homeless children, youth, and adults.
Three bills to reauthorize the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants
have been considered in the 110th Congress.65 The Homeless Emergency Assistance
and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act (H.R. 840), was introduced on
February 6, 2007, and was approved by the House Financial Services Committee on
July 31, 2008. The Community Partnership to End Homelessness Act (S. 1518) was
introduced on May 24, 2007, and was approved by the Senate Banking Committee
on September 19, 2007. Many differences between H.R. 840 and S. 1518 were
resolved at the Financial Services Committee markup. Nonetheless, on September
29, 2008, a new bill, also entitled the HEARTH Act, was introduced in the House
(H.R. 7221). That bill was nearly identical to S. 1518. On October 2, 2008, the
House passed H.R. 7221. Both H.R. 840 and S. 1518 are discussed below.
If enacted, H.R. 840 would have eliminated the distinctions among the three
competitive HUD grant programs — Shelter Plus Care (S+C), the Supportive
Housing Program (SHP), and Section 8 Moderate Rehabilitation Assistance for
Single-Room Occupancy Dwellings (SRO) program — and unify them under one
grant program called the Continuum of Care Program. The grant application process,
now largely governed through HUD’s annual notice of funding availability, would
have been codified. In addition to consolidating the competitive grants, the bill
would have added to the HUD definition of homeless individuals those persons or
families who are being evicted from their residence within 14 days, those who are
residing in a hotel and do not have the resources to stay for more than 14 days, and
those who are living with another family where there is credible evidence that they
will not be able to stay for more than 14 days. The bill would have also considered
homeless anyone who is fleeing a situation of domestic violence or other life-
threatening condition. In addition, H.R. 840 would have allowed communities to
serve families with children or unaccompanied youth who are defined as homeless
under other federal programs under certain circumstances (for example the Education
63 42 U.S.C. 11434a(6).
64 The FAFSA Fix for Homeless Kids Act (H.R. 601) includes similar provisions. The bill
was referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor on January 22, 2007.
65 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.

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for Homeless Children and Youth program, Head Start, and the Runaway and
Homeless Youth program).
The HEARTH Act would also have allowed more funds to be used for
homelessness prevention activities. Under current law, only the Emergency Shelter
Grants can be used to prevent homelessness; the other three homeless assistance
grants cannot be used for prevention. The HEARTH Act would have allocated 20%
of funds made available by Congress for the Homeless Assistance Grants to the
newly named Emergency Solutions Grants program, of which at least 50% would be
available for prevention activities. The bill would have also created a program for
homeless persons in rural areas. Under the new rural program, communities would
have been able to serve those persons who do not meet HUD’s current definition of
“homeless individual”: those at risk of homelessness, those in imminent danger of
losing housing, and the lowest-income residents in the community. The HEARTH
Act would have authorized the Continuum of Care program and the Emergency
Solutions Grants at $2.2 billion for FY2010 and such sums as necessary for FY2011
through FY2013.
If enacted, the Community Partnership to End Homelessness Act (S. 1518), like
H.R. 840 (described above), would have consolidated the S+C, SHP, and SRO
programs into one grant program, called the Community Homeless Assistance
Program, and codified the process through which prospective grantees apply for
HUD funds to assist homeless persons. The Senate bill would have also expanded
the definition of “homeless individual” to those sharing housing or living in a hotel
or motel, provided those individuals and families lack financial resources to rent
decent and safe housing, and have moved at least twice within the last 21 days, or
three times within the last year. Like H.R. 840, the Community Partnership to End
Homelessness Act would have made 20% of the total amount appropriated for the
Homeless Assistance Grants available for homelessness prevention activities through
the Emergency Solutions Grants program. Of this amount, at least 40% would have
been required to be used for prevention activities. S. 1518 would have also retained
portions of McKinney-Vento’s rural homelessness subtitle and allowed grantees in
rural communities to apply separately for funds and to serve persons who do not meet
HUD’s definition of “homeless individual.” The bill would have allowed HUD to
award grants in rural areas for assisting those in the worst housing situations in their
geographic area, those in imminent danger of losing housing, and the lowest-income
residents in the community. S. 1518 would have authorized the Community
Homeless Assistance Program and Emergency Solutions Grants program at $2.2
billion for FY2008.
The Services for Ending Long-Term Homelessness Act (S. 593), introduced on
February 14, 2007, focused on providing services to chronically homeless individuals
living in permanent supportive housing. The bill would have established a grant
program to be administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA). States, cities, public, or nonprofit entities would have
been eligible to apply for grant funds to 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 have required initial grantees to provide $1 for every $3 of federal

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CRS-27
money and renewal grantees to provide $1 for every $1 of federal money. The bill
was referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
The Homeless Access to Recovery and Treatment (HART) Act (H.R. 4129)
would have made amendments to various portions of the Public Health Service Act
in order to ensure that homeless individuals received available mental health and
substance abuse treatment. The bill would have required that any state-supported
inpatient health facility, or any facility receiving federal funds under the Public
Health Service Act or Medicaid, establish systems to ensure that individuals are
discharged into appropriate housing. The bill would also have required that
recipients of block grants for the prevention and treatment of substance abuse (42
U.S.C. §300x-21) and mental health services (42 U.S.C. §300x-2) give preference
in receiving services to persons experiencing homelessness. H.R. 4129 would also
have prioritized certain treatment services for runaway and homeless youth and
would have reauthorized the portion of the Public Health Service Act devoted to
substance abuse treatment services for children and adolescents. In addition, H.R.
4129 would have reauthorized Grants for the Benefit of Homeless Individuals (and
rename it Grants for Treatment and Recovery of Homeless Persons) and the Projects
for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) program. Another portion
of H.R. 4129 would have required the Secretary of Health and Human Services to
prepare a plan that summarizes current federal, state, and local efforts to address
homelessness, addiction, and mental illness; identify barriers to access and care of
homeless persons; and recommend action that could be taken to increase the access
of homeless persons to addiction and mental health services. H.R. 4129 was referred
to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health.
The National Homelessness Task Force Act (H.R. 3385), introduced on August
3, 2007, would have created a homelessness task force within the legislative branch.
The task force would have been composed of ten members, each appointed by either
the House Financial Services Committee or the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban
Affairs Committee (each committee would have been able to appoint up to five
members). Members could have been from federal, state, and regional agencies,
boards, commissions, universities, tribes, and nongovernmental organizations. The
task force would have reviewed existing reports regarding homelessness, evaluated
existing federal homeless programs, and conducted research regarding homelessness.
H.R. 3385 would have also required the task force to issue a final report to Congress
making recommendations on options for reducing homelessness. After issuing the
final report, the task force would have been terminated. H.R. 3385 was referred to
the House Committee on Financial Services.
S. 1098 and H.R. 2636, bills to amend the Public Health Service Act to increase
minimum allotments for the Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness
(PATH) program, were introduced on April 12, 2007, and June 7, 2007, respectively.
The bills would have amended the law to make PATH grants to the states the greater
of the amount the state received in FY2006 or $600,000. The minimum grant
amount for the territories would have been $100,000. The bill was referred to the
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Two bills introduced in the House, the Hate Crimes Against the Homeless
Enforcement Act (H.R. 2217) and the Hate Crimes Against the Homeless Statistics

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Act (H.R. 2216) would address crimes committed against homeless persons. H.R.
2216 would have added homeless status to the categories of individuals protected
under the federal definition of “hate crime,” while H.R. 2217 would have required
the Justice Department to include crimes against homeless individuals in its
collection of hate crimes data. Both bills would have defined “homeless status” to
include individuals who meet HUD’s current definition of homelessness, as well as
those who share housing due to economic status or loss of their own housing. Both
bills were referred to the House Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Crime,
Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
The Emergency Housing Assistance Act (H.R. 5894), introduced on April 24,
2008, would have appropriated an additional $300 million to FEMA’s Emergency
Food and Shelter Program for FY2008 in order to prevent homelessness among those
persons who lose housing due to foreclosure. The funds could have been used to pay
for expenses such as foreclosure or eviction prevention, relocation expenses, security
and utility deposits, and mortgage or rental assistance. Eligible families would have
been those who own or rent a home or unit in a building subject to foreclosure and
did not have resources to prevent themselves from becoming homeless. These
families would have been eligible for assistance for up to three months. H.R. 5894
was referred to the House Financial Services Committee.
S. 1667, a bill to create a pilot program to expedite the disposal of federal
surplus real property, was introduced on June 20, 2007, and referred to the
Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs. On November 14, 2008,
the bill was approved by the committee. Under the pilot program, information about
available federal properties would have been posted on a website, and HUD would
have been required to both make efforts to ensure that homeless assistance
organizations were aware of the available properties and to determine the suitability
of the properties for use in assisting homeless persons. If property was determined
to be suitable, homeless service providers would have had 90 days to submit an
application for use of the property. If an application were to be approved, the
applicant could have entered into a lease or deed with the government to use or
obtain the property pursuant to existing statute at 40 U.S.C. §550.
Legislation Regarding Homeless Veterans
The Veterans’ Health Care Improvement Act (H.R. 2874) contains several
provisions to assist homeless and low-income veterans. As introduced on June 27,
2007, H.R. 2874 had multiple provisions related to homeless veterans, but a number
of these were removed from the bill in markup by the Veterans’ Affairs Committee’s
Subcommittee on Health on July 11, 2007. Remaining in the bill were provisions
that would have expanded eligibility for dental care for homeless veterans, enhanced
the ability of domiciliary care programs to serve homeless female veterans, and
authorized a new program that would have provided supportive services to very low-
income veteran families living in permanent housing. The bill would have also
extended the authority for the Program of Referral and Counseling for At-Risk
Veterans Transitioning from Certain Institutions, which was authorized in P.L. 107-
95 as a demonstration program. The full Veterans’ Affairs Committee approved
H.R. 2874 on July 17, 2007; the House passed the bill on July 30, 2007. The bill was
referred to the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee on August 3, 2007.

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The Veterans Traumatic Brain Injury and Health Programs Improvement Act
(S. 1233), which was approved by the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee on
August 29, 2007, contained several provisions that would add to or amend programs
for homeless veterans. Many of the provisions were drawn from S. 1384, a bill to
amend Title 38 of the United States Code, and S. 874, the Services to Prevent
Homeless Veterans Act, both described below.66 The bill attempted to address the
per diem portion of the Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem program by
removing from law the requirement that per diem payments to service providers be
offset by receipt of other sources of funding. It would have also created a
demonstration program to identify members of the armed services who are at risk of
homelessness upon leaving active duty and to provide counseling and supportive
services for these individuals. Similar to H.R. 2874 (described above), the bill would
have extended the authority for the Program of Referral and Counseling for At-Risk
Veterans Transitioning from Certain Institutions and would enhance the ability of
domiciliary care programs to serve women veterans. The bill would have also
created a program to provide supportive services for homeless veterans and their
families who are residing in permanent housing.
Similar versions of the Homes for Heroes Act (S. 1084 and H.R. 3329) were
introduced in both the House and the Senate. S. 1084, introduced on April 10, 2007,
was referred to the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. H.R.
3329 was introduced on August 2, 2007, and referred to the House Financial Services
Committee. On June 24, 2008, the Financial Services Committee approved H.R.
3329, and on July 9, 2008, the full House approved the bill. Both bills would have
provided various forms of housing assistance for veterans through both HUD and the
VA. The two bills would have created a new housing program within HUD to
provide grants and rental assistance to private, nonprofit organizations, enabling them
to acquire, rehabilitate, and construct permanent supportive housing for very low-
income veterans and their families. Services for veteran families, including health
care, employment and training, educational assistance, transportation, child care, and
housing counseling, would have been provided through the VA. Both S. 1084 and
H.R. 3329 would have authorized $200 million for this new housing grant program.
In addition, S. 1084 and H.R. 3329 would have authorized sufficient funds to provide
no fewer than 20,000 Section 8 vouchers for homeless veterans. As introduced, both
S. 1084 and H.R. 3329 would have excluded veterans’ benefits when determining
rent in federally assisted housing. However, at the House Financial Services
Committee markup of H.R. 3329, the bill was changed so that only service-connected
disability payments to veterans or family members would have been excluded from
income in determining the amount of rent that veterans would pay in federally
assisted housing.
Two similar bills, both entitled the Services to Prevent Veterans Homelessness
Act (S. 874 and H.R. 2378), would have given the VA authority to distribute per
diem grants to private nonprofit organizations and consumer cooperatives so that they
could provide services to very low-income homeless veterans and their families who
were transitioning to or living in permanent supportive housing. The two bills
proposed different methods to determine the amount of per diem payments, however.
66 See S.Rept. 110-147 to accompany S. 1233.

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Under S. 874, per diem payments would have been the daily cost of care estimated
by the service provider, but reduced by other sources of income and not to exceed the
daily rate under VA Domiciliary Care (this is similar to the way payments work
under the VA’s Grant and Per Diem program). H.R. 2378 would have required the
VA to establish a formula for per diem payments and to take into consideration cost
of living, family size, and cost of services provided. Included among the eligible
services that S. 874 and H.R. 2378 would have provided were outreach, health care
services, case management, transportation, assistance with employment and training,
legal services, child care, and housing counseling. The Senate bill would have
allocated $15 million to provide services in FY2008, $20 million in FY2009, and $25
million in FY2010. The House bill did not specify funding levels. S. 874, which was
introduced on March 14, 2007, was referred to the Senate Veterans’ Affairs
Committee. Portions of S. 874 were included in S. 1233, which was approved by the
Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee on August 29, 2007. H.R. 2378, which was
introduced on May 17, 2007, was referred to the House Committee on Veterans’
Affairs.
Two bills to amend Title 38 of the U.S. Code and assist homeless veterans, S.
1384 and H.R. 2699, attempted to address the per diem portion of the Homeless
Providers Grant and Per Diem program by removing from law the requirement that
per diem payments to service providers be offset by receipt of other sources of
funding. Both bills would have also instituted a demonstration program in which the
VA and Department of Defense would work together to identify members of the
armed services who are returning home and are at risk of homelessness. In addition,
S. 1384 and H.R. 2699 would have reauthorized the Program of Referral and
Counseling for At-Risk Veterans Transitioning from Certain Institutions. The
program, authorized in P.L. 107-95, was initially a demonstration program. The two
bills would have removed the demonstration status and authorized it through
FY2011. Two provisions from H.R. 2699 — the reauthorization of the Program of
Referral and Counseling and a provision that would enhance the ability of
domiciliary care programs to serve homeless female veterans — were included in
H.R. 2874, which passed the House on July 30, 2007. A number of provisions in S.
1384 were included in S. 1233, which was approved by the Senate Veterans’ Affairs
Committee on August 29, 2007.
The Enhanced Opportunities for Formerly Homeless Veterans Residing in
Permanent Housing Act (S. 2273), introduced on October 31, 2007, would have
created several pilot programs to assist low-income and formerly homeless veterans.
One of these programs would have made grants available to public and private
nonprofit organizations to provide supportive services to very low-income, formerly
homeless veterans living in permanent housing. The permanent housing would have
been located on qualifying property — former federal property or military property
available through the base realignment process — in order to receive funds for
services. The bill would have authorized $3 million in each year from FY2009
through FY2013 to award up to ten grants to service providers. Another pilot
program proposed in S. 2273 would have made funds available to public and
nonprofit organizations that provided outreach to low-income and elderly veterans
in rural areas to inform them about pension benefits. S. 2273 would have authorized
$1.275 million for each year from FY2009 through FY2013 for this purpose. A third
pilot program would have made grants to public and nonprofit organizations to

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CRS-31
provide supportive services to veterans participating in vocational rehabilitation
activities. Eligible services would have included transportation, child care, and
clothing assistance. The bill would have authorized $5 million for each year from
FY2008 through FY2010 for these supportive services grants.
Two bills entitled the Veterans Homelessness Prevention Act (S. 2330 and H.R.
4161), introduced on November 8, 2007, and November 16, 2007, respectively,
proposed a pilot program similar to a program proposed in the Homes for Heroes Act
(S. 1084 and H.R. 3329). If enacted, the pilot program would have provided
permanent supportive housing together with supportive services for very low-income
veteran families. Under S. 2330 and H.R. 4161, funds provided through HUD would
have been available to both plan for and finance the construction or rehabilitation of
permanent housing for eligible families. Funds could have also been used for rental
assistance. Funds would have been provided through the VA for supportive services
such as case management, health services, financial planning, transportation,
employment and training, education, legal aid, and child care, among other services.
S. 2330 was referred to the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee;
H.R. 4161 was referred to the House Financial Services and Veterans’ Affairs
Committees.
H.R. 5823, introduced on April 16, 2008, is a bill that would have amended the
Internal Revenue Code to allow taxpayers to designate three dollars for a fund that
would provide assistance to homeless veterans. The designation would have
operated in much the same way that the Presidential Election Campaign Fund
designation works, with taxpayers checking a box on their tax returns to allocate the
funds. Checking the box would not increase tax liability or reduce a taxpayer’s
refund. The bill would have established a Homeless Veterans Assistance Fund in
which an amount equivalent to funds designated by taxpayers would be transferred
pursuant to appropriation. The bill was referred to the House Ways and Means and
Veterans’ Affairs Committees.
Legislation Regarding Homeless Children and Youth
The Homeless Education Improvement Act (H.R. 3205), introduced on July 27,
2007, addressed the education subtitle of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance
Act. Among the provisions in H.R. 3205 were those that would ensure adequate
transportation services to allow homeless children to remain in their schools of
origin, improve the ability of homeless children to attend preschool, and provide
appropriate professional development for local educational agency liaisons. The bill
would have also increased the program’s authorized level to $140 million from $70
million. H.R. 3205 was referred to the House Committees on Education and Labor
and Financial Services.
As discussed above, the Homeless Access to Recovery and Treatment (HART)
Act (H.R. 4129) would have amended various parts of the Public Health Service Act
in order to ensure that homeless individuals receive available mental health and
substance abuse treatment. The bill would have identified runaway, homeless, and
street youth as a population eligible for services provided under grants to fund
projects that demonstrate effective models for the prevention, treatment, and

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rehabilitation of drug abuse and alcohol abuse among high-risk youth (42 U.S.C.
§290bb-23).
The Place to Call Home Act (H.R. 3409), introduced on August 3, 2007,
contained multiple provisions pertaining to unaccompanied, runaway, and homeless
youth. The bill would have reauthorized the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act. It
would have also amend the Social Security Act to attempt to ensure that youth are not
discharged from institutional care into homelessness. H.R. 3409 would have further
changed HUD’s definition of homeless individual to include those who are sharing
housing, living in a motel/hotel or campground, in an emergency or transitional
shelter, abandoned in a hospital, awaiting foster care placement, or are “migratory
children” as defined in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The bill was
referred to multiple House Committees: Education and Labor, Ways and Means,
Energy and Commerce, Financial Services, and Judiciary.
A bill to amend the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to provide for
the implementation of protection and services for children and youth in out of home
care (H.R. 4880), was introduced on December 19, 2007. The bill defined “children
and youth in out of home care” as those in the custody of public child welfare
agencies, including foster care, kinship care, and group homes. H.R. 4880 would
have extended No Child Left Behind provisions that ensure equal access to education
for homeless children and youth to those children and youth who are in out of home
care. If enacted, the provisions would have taken effect if either the appropriation for
the Education for Homeless Children and Youth program reached $90 million, or two
years after enactment of H.R. 4880, whichever occurred first. Among the protections
that would have been extended by H.R. 4880 were the opportunity to remain in the
school of origin during the duration of the child’s or youth’s time in out of home
care; immediate enrollment in one’s school of choice; timely transfer of records;
assurances that children and youth would not be segregated in separate schools or
separate programs due to their status; and equal access to services and programs.
H.R. 4880 would have also ensured that transportation would be provided to enable
out of home care children and youth to remain in their school of origin in certain
circumstances — if the appropriation for the Education for Homeless Children and
Youth program were to reach $140 million, if transportation was required by law, or
if the child welfare agency reimbursed the costs of transportation. H.R. 4880 was
referred to the House Financial Services and Education and Labor Committees.
The Reconnecting Youth to Prevent Homelessness Act (H.R. 4208/S. 2560),
introduced on November 15, 2007, in the House and January 28, 2008, in the Senate,
would have required states to ensure that a child is not placed in foster care because
his or her family is homeless or lives in substandard housing. It would have further
required that states work with the family and state housing authorities to secure
permanent housing for any family that includes a minor child and is homeless or at
risk of becoming homeless. The bill would have also provided that within 12 months
of the bill’s enactment, the Comptroller General submit a report to Congress detailing
the policies and practices of the states regarding (1) access to child welfare services
by youth who have attained 13 years of age, and (2) consideration of runaway and
homeless situations in determining the appropriateness of placement in the child
welfare system. Further, H.R. 4208/S. 2560 would have amended the Internal
Revenue Code to add “qualified homeless youth” as a population eligible for the

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Work Opportunity Credit. “Homeless youth” would have included youth ages 16 to
25 and meet the definition of “homeless” as described in the Education for Homeless
Children and Youth program. The bill was referred to the House Ways and Means
Committee and Senate Finance Committee.
Funding
Table 1 shows final appropriation levels for FY2005-FY2008 for all of the
targeted homeless programs included in this report except for programs administered
by the VA. 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 FY2004-FY2008. The figures in Table 2
were obtained fromVA budget documents and conversations with VA employees.
Table 1. Homelessness: Targeted Federal Programs
Appropriations, FY2005-FY2008
($ in thousands)
Program
Agencies
FY2005
FY2006
FY2007
FY2008
Education for Homeless
ED
62,496
61,871a
61,871
64,067b
Children & Youth
DHS/
Emergency Food & Shelter
153,000
151,470
151,470
153,000
FEMA
Health Care for the Homelessc
HHS
149,000
161,000
170,968
177,590b
Projects for Assistance in
HHS
54,809
54,223
54,261
53,313b
Transition from Homelessness
Consolidated Runaway and
HHS
88,725
87,777
87,837
96,128b
Homeless Youth Program
— Runaway and Homeless
HHS
48,786
48,265
48,298
d
Youth - Basic Center
— Runaway and Homeless
HHS
39,939
39,511
39,539
d
Youth - Transitional Living
Runaway and Homeless Youth
HHS
15,178
15,017
15,027
17,221b
- Street Outreach Program
Homeless Assistance Grants
HUD 1,240,511 1,326,600 1,441,600 1,585,990
Homeless Veterans
DOL
20,832
21,780
21,809
23,620b
Reintegration Program
Transitional Housing
Assistance for Child Victims
DOJ
14,840
14,808
14,847
17,390
of Domestic Violence,
Stalking, or Sexual Assaulte
Source: Table prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). Unless otherwise stated,
sources of data were 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.

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Note: Italics indicate amount is subsumed under earlier line item.
a. P.L. 109-148 provided supplemental FY2006 appropriations of $5 million for assistance to local
educational agencies serving homeless children and youth who have been displaced by
Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita; these funds are to be used “consistent with” the provisions
of the McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth program.
b. In the FY2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act, P.L. 110-161, Division G, Section 528, an across-
the-board rescission of 1.747% was applied to nearly all Departments of Labor, Health and
Human Services, and Education programs. The values in the table reflect the rescission.
c. The Health Care for the Homeless Program is funded under the Health Resources and Services
Administration (HRSA), Community Health Centers program. The HCH program generally
receives about 8.6% of the funds appropriated for the CHC program. The appropriation figures
are based on this estimate.
d. As of the date of this report, it was not known how Consolidated Runaway and Homeless Youth
funds would be divided between the Basic Center and Transitional Living programs.
e. This funding is a set-aside under the VAWA STOP grant program.
Table 2. Homelessness: Targeted VA Program Obligations,
FY2004-FY2008
($ in thousands)
FY2004
FY2005
FY2006
FY2007
FY2008
Program
(actual)
(actual)
(actual)
(actual) (estimate)
Health Care for Homeless
Veterans (HCHV)a
$42,905
$40,357
$56,998
$71,925
$74,802
Homeless Providers Grants and
Per Diem Programb
62,965
62,180
63,621
81,187
107,180
Domiciliary Care for Homeless
Veterans (DCHV)
51,829
57,555
63,592
77,633
80,738
Compensated Work
Therapy/Therapeutic Residence
Program (CWT/TR)
10,240
10,004
19,529
21,514
22,375
Loan Guarantee for Transitional
Housing for Homeless Veterans
605
574
507
613
660
HUD VA Supported Housing
(HUD-VASH)
$3,375
$3,243
$3,626
$7,487
$7,786
crsphpgw
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.

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