Campopiano / 1 Senator Lau

S.B._____

A BILL
To provide one billion dollars per year to the top ten cities suffering from poverty to provide housing to people
without homes.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE
This act may be cited as the Housing Act of 2015.
SECTION 2. FINDINGS
Congress hereby finds and declares that,
1) At least 800,000 people are homeless in the United States on any given night.
2) Any group such as single individuals, families with children, and unaccompanied youth experience are among the
population of people who experience homelessness every night.
3) Of the two to three million persons who experience homelessness annually, ten percent have been identified as
chronically homeless.
4) Thirty-four percent of the homeless population in 2010 comprised of families.
5) 924,000 children experience homelessness in the United States.
6) The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that less than twenty-three percent of
low-income rental households received housing assistance in 2011.
7) Chronic homelessness in Utah has decreased by ninety-one percent in the last ten years due to the Housing First
program, which provides housing for those without.
8) Supportive housing with health and employment for the homeless costs as much as 40,500.
9) Studies show that with stable housing the time spent homeless can drop as much as forty-five percent.
10) The top ten cities with the largest population in emergency and transitional shelters in 2010 were; New York City,
New York, Los Angeles, California, Chicago, Illinois, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Boston, Massachusetts, Atlanta,
Georgia, Seattle, Washington, San Francisco, California, Houston, Texas, and Washington, District of Columbia.
SECTION 3. STATUTORY LANGUAGE
A) The Housing Act of 2015 shall provide one billion dollars per year to the top ten cities suffering from poverty to
provide housing to people without homes. The Housing Act of 2015 shall be similar to the Homelessness Prevention
and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP) of 2009 that gave 1.5 billion dollars to government sponsored homelessness
prevention programs. This act grants one billion dollars per year to the top ten cities with an abundant homeless
population. For the purpose of this bill homelessness shall be defined as an individual or family who lacks a fixed,
adequate, nighttime residence. An individual or family can qualify for a home or an apartment if they have been
homeless for a minimum of six months.
B) Funding shall be provided by taking one billion dollars a year from military spending. The funds shall be handled
by the United States Department Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD is responsible for
dividing the one billion dollars equally among the top ten cities suffering from severe poverty and an abundant
homeless population. The cities selected shall be renewed every two years in order to adjust to the growing rates of
poverty in other cities. HUD shall use the money to fund local government sponsored organizations that specifically
assist the homeless. These government sponsored organizations such as the Continuum of Care Program (CoC) shall
use the money to provide the homeless with stable housing through purchasing homes or apartment complexes.
These homes must already be existing and will be purchased if it has been foreclosed or put up for sale. Apartment
complexes must already be vacant, or they will be built and will be provided to individuals or small families. The
CoC program will also use the funds to provide government approved programs that will allow individuals and
families to look for jobs or further education.
C) The Housing Act of 2016 will significantly decrease the homeless population. This bill shall be enacted on
January 1, 2016. The expiration date for this bill shall be January 1, 2021.

Peggy Lau

Government 1
Mr. Campopiano
2 November 2015
Press Release
On any given night nearly 800,000 people experience homelessness in the United States (U.S.)
(Leavitt). The U.S. government has made notable efforts in the past in the fight to end homelessness. The
McKinney-Vento Act of 1987 created the now known United States Interagency Council on Homelessness
(U.S.I.C.H). U.S.I.H. organizes and manages federal sponsored activities and programs to assist people
experiencing homelessness. These programs and activities are not enough to combat the problem with
homelessness. There needs to be funding for homelessness prevention programs in order to help those in
need. In order to solve the homeless problem in America, more housing should be provided for homeless
people because evidence shows that stable homes for the homeless will save taxpayers money, is cheaper
than other homelessness prevention programs, and helps curb the homelessness cycle.
Building adequate homes for those facing chronic homelessness is one of the many cost-effective
and beneficial solutions to the homelessness crisis in the U.S. A study done by the Penn Center for Mental
Health Policy and Services Research Center states that on average, the homeless population (specifically
the mentally ill) use 40,500 dollars a year in public funds for shelter, jail, and hospital services. They found
that it would cost the same amount to provide them with stable housing along with health and employment
services. Stable housing for the homeless is not only a practical use of public funds, but is also beneficial to
the taxpayers who essentially provide for the public funds. In Seattle, a Housing First program was initiated
in order to provide permanent supportive housing to men and women facing chronic alcohol addiction. An
evaluation of the program published by the Journal of American Medical Association in 2009 found that the
Housing First approach saved taxpayers more than 4 million dollars over the first year of operation. The
similarity between drug or alcohol addicts and the homeless is that both utilize publicly-funded crises
services such as emergency shelters or hospitals for drug or alcohol addicts. Housing First programs not
only saves money, but also curb the homelessness cycle. The homeless population has decreased by ten
percent in the last four years ever since the enactment of the Opening Doors strategy by the Obama
Administration. Opening Doors essentially incorporates the Housing First approach, which provides
stable housing for those in need of a residence regardless of background or mental health issues (Opening
Doors). Permanent housing for those in need clearly shows a steady decrease in the homeless population.
Homelessness has been an issue in America for over a hundred years. As the government developed
the policies regarding how to decrease the homeless population have improved substantially. In recent years
programs such as H.E.A.R.T.H and the H.P.R.P share a similar solution in targeting the homelessness crisis.
Rapid Re-Housing and Housing First strategies have proved to save taxpayers money, be cheaper than other
forms of homeless assistance programs, and have helped curb the homelessness cycle. The end of
homelessness is a possibility in the near future, but in order for that to happen the government must provide
funding to programs like H.E.A.R.T.H and H.P.R.P so every individual or family can have a place to call
home.