Thank you Sister Sarah ~ I work at the local Salvation Army Homeless Shelter here in Sacramento as a Counselor and see the horrors of homelessness daily.
I generally point out to people the connected realities of government irresponsibility, wasting about a trillion on the Iraq-nam war, lack of aggressive leadership and the apathy of the Amerikan people as long as homelessness is not in their backyard. We cannot just blame the government all the time. Many times it is the cold callousness of those who have their safe cozy homes who do not give a damn about the homeless!
Come Together and Help the Homeless!
Peter S. Lopez ~aka Peta
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Sarah Kahn <advocacy@naeh.org> wrote:
Advocacy Update
NATIONAL ALLIANCE TO END HOMELESSNESS | | | August 22, 2007 |
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| McKinney Reauthorization Update | | | Questions: How will homeless families with children benefit from the Community Partnership to End Homelessness Act (CPEHA), S. 1518? Answer: Families with children are the group that would benefit most from the changes that CPEHA, S. 1518 makes to the current McKinney-Vento Act because it: - Places focus on housing and support services for families with children;
- Assists families with children who are "doubled- up";
- Eliminates the requirement for permanent housing that the person have a disability; and
- Includes families in the definition of "chronically homeless".
Please click here for more information on how families reap substantial benefits from CPEHA, S. 1518. Call on your Senators and Representatives to support a McKinney Reauthorization bill that will give your community new, more effective resources for ending homelessness. What To Do:
Please contact the offices of your Senators, especially those on the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, and ask the staff person who works on housing/homelessness issues if their boss will co- sponsor S. 1518 - the Community Partnership to End Homelessness Act. Click here for a current list of co-sponsors. Use the materials in "Quick Links" to describe specifically how the legislation will make the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Program a more effective tool for ending homelessness in your community.
Please contact the offices of your House Members and ask the staff person who works on housing/homelessness issues if their boss will contact the House Financial Services Committee's Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee Chair Maxine Waters (D-CA) in support of a McKinney reauthorization bill that is similar to Senator Reed's bill which provides new resources for families, prevention programs and rural communities.
Please report your results to Sarah Kahn (202-942- 8259, skahn@naeh.org) or Phyllis Gilberti (202-942- 8258, pgilberti@naeh.org ) by Wednesday, August 29. |
| Current Bill Status | | | Senate
Senator Reed (D-RI) along with Senator Allard (R-CO) introduced the Community Partnership to End Homelessness Act (CPEHA), S 1518, in late May. The bill has since gained 19 co- sponsors.
The Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee held a hearing in mid June. It is expected that a markup (or vote) will be scheduled soon after the August recess. House
Representative Maxine Waters (D- CA), Chair of the Subcommittee with jurisdiction over this issue - the Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee, will write a McKinney reauthorization bill this fall. The Congressional process is slow, and to ensure that this legislation moves quickly, Rep Waters needs to hear from your House Members in support of moving a bill that is similar to Senator Reed's version. There is a McKinney reauthorization bill - the HEARTH Act - that was introduced in the House in February. The Alliance is appreciative of the dedication that the bill's sponsors have shown to ending homelessness and to providing resources for homeless and low- income people. However, the HEARTH Act in its current form lacks many of the important features that make S.1518 so promising (including assistance to rural communities, prevention, and more focus on the results that homeless people want), and it would make changes in current law, including a substantial de-targeting of resources, that are extremely controversial and would likely have negative effects on support and funding for the program. Contact:
Phyllis Gilberti, 202-942-8258, pgilberti@naeh.org Sarah Kahn, 202-942-8259, skahn@naeh.org |
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National Alliance to End Homelessness | 1518 K Street, NW, Suite 410 | Washington | DC | 20005 | |
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