McKinney-Vento Reauthorization

The House recently passed a compromise version of legislation to reauthorize the HUD McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. In February 2007, Representative Julia Carson introduced the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act, or the HEARTH Act, H.R. 840. In May 2007, Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Wayne Allard (R-CO) introduced the Community Partnership to End Homelessness Act (CPEHA), S. 1518.

CPEHA would consolidate HUD’s Continuum of Care Programs (Supportive Housing Program, Shelter Plus Care, and Moderate Rehabilitation/SRO) into a single Community Homeless Assistance Program. Communities would apply in much the same way as they do now through the Continuum of Care process. The applying entity, which would be known as a Collaborative Applicant, could take on more responsibility for overseeing homeless assistance programs in its community and, in exchange, would be eligible to receive funding for administrative expenses.

The bill would continue incentives for permanent housing and serving people who experience chronic homelessness (adding families to the definition of chronic homelessness). Renewals of permanent housing would be funded out of the same account that funds Section 8. This would free up homelessness funding to serve more homeless people while ensuring that permanent housing that serves homeless people has stable funding.

S. 1518 would add an incentive to serve homeless families using rapid re-housing programs. It includes a separate, much simpler, and more flexible process for rural areas. It would expand the Emergency Shelter Grants program to include significant resources for prevention and rehousing. It would also create a flexibility incentive for communities that are making progress at reducing homelessness. Other features include the following:

• The Collaborative Applicant could become a Unified Funding Agency, which means it could receive funding directly from HUD and then distribute it to project sponsors, and in exchange would receive extra administrative funding for undertaking the added responsibility;
• The Emergency Shelter Grants program would be renamed the Emergency Solutions Grants program, and it would be expanded to include homelessness prevention and rehousing for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, including those who are doubled-up or otherwise living in precarious housing situations;
• Rural areas could choose to apply under a special rural section of S. 1518, under which an applicant in a rural area (not necessarily a Collaborative Applicant) could apply directly to HUD for a grant; the selection criteria would be much simpler than for regular applications, particularly with respect to local planning and coordination requirements; recipients of funds under the rural section would have more flexibility as to the eligible population and the uses of funds; and applicants under the rural section would be judged in comparison to other rural areas, which could potentially make them more competitive;
• The definition of homelessness would be expanded to include people who are living doubled up or in a hotel/motel and have moved frequently and do not have the resources or support networks to obtain stable housing.

CPEHA was unanimously approved by the Senate Banking Committee in September 2007. The Senate is working on moving it through the full Senate in the coming months.

The HEARTH Act was passed by the House Financial Services Committee on July 31, 2008. The bill passed with an amendment offered Representatives Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Gwen Moore (D-WI) that included the following provisions:

• A definition of homelessness that is more similar to the current statute, but including people who are at imminent risk of losing their housing and who lack resources or support networks to obtain housing;
• An Emergency Solutions Grant program that is similar to the Senate proposal, combining emergency shelter activities with prevention and rehousing for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness;
• Incentives for Rapid Rehousing programs for homeless families and permanent supportive housing programs for individuals and families who experience chronic homelessness;
• The ability to use up to 10 percent of resources and in some cases more to serve people who are defined as homeless under other federal programs.

Latest News:
The Community Partnership to End Homelessness Act awaits action on the floor of the U.S. Senate; currently, Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) has placed a hold on the bill.

On October 2, the House of Representatives passed the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act. The bill now awaits action on the floor of the U.S. Senate.