Washington D.C. – On Tuesday, critical legislation extending access to housing support services for homeless children and families currently ineligible for assistance was introduced in the House of Representatives.
The Homeless Children and Youth Act of 2009 (H.R. 29), aims to broaden the definition of homelessness used by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to include homeless children and youth who are already defined as homeless by other federal programs, including the Departments of Education, and Health and Human Services. During the 2006-2007 school year, 470,000 children and youth were considered homeless by the Department of Education, but did not qualify for shelter, transitional housing, and other homeless services provided by HUD.
“Each year, hundreds of thousands of children are being denied access to the assistance they need to grow up healthy and safe,” said Bruce Lesley, President of First Focus. “Children experiencing any level of homelessness face a greater risk of physical and mental problems than their peers. They are also more likely to perform below grade level, be held back, and dropout of school. With our nation’s future at stake, we cannot continue allowing our most vulnerable children to fall through this bureaucratic gap.”
Currently, the discrepancy in definitions undermines the work of schools and youth serving programs. The legislation, introduced by Representatives Judy Biggert (R-IL), Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Geoff Davis (R-KY), Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX), and André Carson (D-IN), would address this concern while facilitating collaboration between both government and non-profit agencies.
“In these tough economic times, many kids and their families are struggling to keep a roof over their heads,” said Representative Biggert. “Our legislation will ensure that homeless children aren’t barred from the services they need to stay off the streets. These kids deserve our support and a chance at a brighter future.”
Specifically, the legislation allows children and families verified as homeless by four federal programs to be considered homeless by HUD, allowing them access to HUD funded homeless assistance. The four programs include the Education for Homeless Children and Youth program, the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Act, and the Head Start Act.
“We are heartened to see this critical legislation introduced on the first day of the 111th Congress,” Lesley added. “We applaud the group of bipartisan sponsors for acting swiftly to provide relief as more children become homeless during this economic downturn.”
A report released last year by First Focus revealed that over 2 million children will be directly impacted by the foreclosure crisis. A follow up report released last month, found that due to the economic and housing crises, school districts across the country have experienced a significant spike in the number of homeless students.