A Florida congressman who helped found and currently chairs the Congressional Homelessness Caucus has unveiled a proposal to cut down on homelessness at the national level.
Last week, U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., brought out the “Services for Ending Long-Term Homelessness Act.” The bill would have the U.S. Health and Human Services secretary create a national strategy to tackle chronic homelessness and would create match grants “for eligible entities to provide services promoting recovery and self-sufficiency and report performance outcome data on the projects carried out under the Act."
The bill has reeled in the support of some House Democrats including U.S. Reps. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., Barbara Lee, D-Calif., and Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Tex.
“As we continue to prioritize ending homelessness in America, the unfortunate reality is that nearly 100,000 Americans remain chronically homeless. These Americans experience homelessness for longer than a year, or cycle in and out of homelessness due to disabling conditions. That is why I am introducing the Services for Ending Long-Term Homelessness Act, which will help overcome the challenges we face in alleviating the widespread problem of chronic homelessness across the country,” Hastings said when he brought out the bill last week.
“Unstable housing impacts the lives of millions of Americans every year, and addressing this problem will help get chronically homeless individuals and families off the streets," he added. “My bill provides for innovative new requirements for the Department of Health and Human Services to end the problem of unstable housing. By focusing our efforts here, we can improve housing outcomes and better transition chronically homeless individuals into stable housing.
“Allowing men, women, and children to live on the streets is not a standard America should be willing to accept. As the co-founder and co-chairman of the Congressional Homelessness Caucus, I will continue to prioritize efforts to end homelessness across our country," Hastings said in conclusion.
The bill was sent to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee last week. So far, there is no companion bill over in the U.S. Senate.
