Blog: Homelessness Ends Here

House Passes Frank Melville Supportive Housing Act
On July 22, the House passed H.R. 1675, the Frank Melville Supportive Housing Investment Act of 2009 under suspension of the rules. The bill would reform the Section 811 program and help to address the enormous housing crisis faced by millions of extremely low-income people with disabilities. H.R. 1675 would also spur the creation of new Section 811 units. The legislation was introduced in March by Representative Chris Murphy (D-CT) and is named after the co-founder of the Melville Charitable Trust, a philanthropic organization dedicated to ending homelessness. The legislation now heads to the Senate.

House Committee Approves SEVRA
On July 23, the House Financial Services Committee voted to approve the Section 8 Voucher Reform Act (SEVRA). The legislation, H.R. 3045, would expand and streamline the Section 8 program and would authorize an additional 150,000 vouchers for fiscal year (FY) 2010. It would also change the formula used to calculate wage eligibility and detail protections for tenants in cases of landlord delinquency. The committee adopted a manger's amendment by Representatives Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Barney Frank (D-MA) related to the Housing Innovation Program, the next iteration of the Moving to Work demonstration program. The amendment would allow select public housing agencies to experiment with efforts to promote self-sufficiency. The legislation is likely to be considered by the full House after the August recess.

Appropriations: House Approves FY 2010 Labor-HHS-Education Bill
Last Friday, July 24, the House approved its FY 2010 Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education legislation. The Senate Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee is expected to mark up its version of the bill today, July 28, with the full Appropriations Committee scheduled to mark it up later this week. The House version of the legislation included:

• $117 million for Runaway and Homeless Youth Act programs, $2 million more than in FY 2009 and than the Administration requested;
• $75 million for SAMHSA Homeless Services (including Grants for the Benefits of Homeless Individuals), equal to both the President's request and the FY 2009 level;
• $2.2 billion for Community Health Centers, resulting in approximately $190 million for Health Care for the Homeless program, similar to the FY 2009 level;
• $68 million for the Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH), equal to the Administration's request but $8 million above FY 2009;
• $37 million for the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program, $11 million more than in FY 2009; and
• $65 million for Education for Homeless Children and Youth, level funding from FY 2009.

Appropriations: House Approves FY 2010 T-HUD Bill
On July 23, the House passed H.R. 3288, FY 2010 legislation for Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (T-HUD). The bill included a total of $47 billion for HUD. The Senate T-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee is expected to mark up its legislation tomorrow, July 29, with the full Appropriations Committee scheduled to consider it later this week. The legislation approved by the House included:

• $1.85 billion for Homeless Assistance Grants, $56 million above the President's request and $173 million above the FY 2009 level (an increase of 10.3 percent);
• $18.2 billion for tenant-based rental assistance, $1.2 billion above FY 2009 and $406 million above President Obama's request;
• $75 million for HUD-VASH vouchers, which would be $75 million above the Administration's request and level funding from FY 2009;
• $8.7 billion for project-based rental assistance, an increase of $1.6 billion over FY 2009 and $600 million above the Administration's request; and
• $350 million for Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA), $40 million above both the President's request and the FY 2009 level.

The legislation also included $1 billion for Section 202 Housing for the Elderly, $350 million for Section 811 Housing for People with a Disability, $250 million for HOPE VI, $4.6 billion for the Community Development Block Grant program, $2.5 billion for the public housing Capital Fund, and $4.8 billion for the public housing Operating Fund.