In Washington D.C. 
The Coalition advocates for policies and funding at the national level that will create lasting solutions to homelessness. Visit this page for the latest news and policy being considered in Washington D.C. For more information related to all federal legislative activity please visit: Thomas.gov
Current Federal Legislation
1. H.R. 4213: The American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010 -
The American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010, also known as the “Tax Extenders” bill, has been a source of contention in the House and Senate since May. During the last week of June, Senate Republicans were successful in blocking the passage of this legislation for a third time. Several bills have been introduced in the House and Senate since the blockage of H.R. 4213 to address unemployment benefits, one of the larger pieces of the original bill. However, the Senate is now in recess until July 12. There are four additional components of the bill that the Coalition has been tracking. It is unclear what will become of these four components, but advocates believe some of them will be attached to other bills later this summer. They are:
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National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF)
– The NHTF was originally passed as part of the Housing and Economic Relief Act of 2009, but did not include a source of funding. President Obama has signaled his support of the NHTF and H.R. 4213 included $1 billion for the NHTF and an additional $65 million for project-based vouchers to be released in conjunction with capital grants. It is estimated that Colorado would receive just over $14 million annually from the NHTF. These funds would allow for the production, preservation and rehabilitation of affordable housing for extremely low-income families and individuals.
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Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Emergency Contingency Fund (TANF ECF)
– H.R. 4213 also includes a one-year, $2.5 billion extension of the TANF ECF, which was created under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and is set to expire on September 30, 2010. TANF ECF funds can be used for a variety of purposes including: providing short-term rental assistance to families through Homeless Prevention Rapid Re-Housing (HPRP); meeting expenses that HPRP cannot meet (i.e., furniture assistance); assistance in paying all, or part, of a person’s paycheck; and, increasing the cash assistance families receive, providing more resources that they can put toward meeting their housing needs. Without new resources for FY 2011, Colorado will have to eliminate new ECF-funded initiatives.
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Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Exchange Extension
– Originally, the bill included an extension for one year the program that was enacted as part of ARRA that allows state housing agencies to elect to receive a payment in lieu of a portion of the State's allocation of LIHTC's. The state housing agencies then must use a grant to make sub-awards to finance the acquisition or construction of qualified low-income buildings, such as the Coalition's Renaissance Housing Developments. It is expected that this extension will temporarily fill the gap left by a diminished investor demand for LIHTC's.
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Medicaid Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentage (FMAP) Extension
– A provision that was stripped from the bill as it moved through the House would have extended for six months the enhanced FMAP originally enacted in ARRA, which otherwise expires December 31st. Colorado, among other states, has already factored in this extension to balance the 2011 budget. Without this extension, Colorado will be forced to made additional budget cuts that will have significant negative impacts on people experiencing and at-risk of homelessness.
Federal Definition of Homelessness
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On May 20, 2009, President Obama signed the Homeless Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009. The
HEARTH Act
amends and reauthorizes the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act with substantial changes, including a change in the definition of homelessness and chronic homelessness. On April 20, 2010, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published the
proposed rule
for the definition of homelessness. The new definition includes four broader categories of homelessness:
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People who are living in a place meant for human habitation, in emergency shelter, in transitional housing, or are exiting an institution where they temporarily resided. The only significant change from existing practice is that people will be considered homeless if they are exiting an institution where they resided for up to 90 days (it was previously 30 days), and were homeless immediately prior to entering that institution;
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People who must leave their housing, which may include a motel or hotel or doubled up situation, within 14 days and have no other resources or support networks to obtain housing are considered homeless (the previous standard was 7 days);
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Unaccompanied youth and families with children are considered homeless if they experience persistent instability (have not had a lease and have moved at least 3 times in 90 days) and are likely to continue in that status because of disability, multiple barriers to employment, or other factors;
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People who are fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, have no other residence, and lack the resources or support networks to obtain other permanent housing
Federal Homelessness Appropriations
- On February 1, 2010, the Obama Administration released their FY2011 budget proposal. The proposal included an increase in funding for several homeless assistance programs, known commonly as McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants. McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance Grants are administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and are the federal governments’ primary response to homelessness. As part of the HEARTH Act that was passed in 2009, Congress is working on passing a series of appropriations bills that will increase funding for homeless assistance programs. On Thursday, July 1, the House Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (T-HUD) Appropriations Subcommittee marked up its FY2011 spending bill. The legislation includes:
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$2.055 billion for HUD’s McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants (this represents a 10 percent increase over FY2010);
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$75 million for 10,000 new HUD-VA Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers;
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$85 million for 10,000 housing vouchers for the Housing and Services for Homeless Persons Demonstration;
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$350 million for the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program; and,
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$4.4 billion for the Community Development Block Grant
The next step in federal homelessness appropriations will be for the full House to vote on the bill.
Current Federal News
1. National Health Care Reform Update
President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law on March 23, 2010. Colorado Governor Ritter has established an Office of Health Reform to oversee implementation. Visit
www.colorado.gov/governor
to find more information about health care reform in Colorado. The legislation will implemented over a number of years and includes the following provisions:
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All Americans will be required to have health insurance by 2014, with exceptions for people with low incomes, Native Americans and those who cannot participate for religious reasons. Those who do not have coverage will pay a yearly financial penalty.
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After 2014, insurance companies will not be able to turn away anyone who wants to buy health insurance. Children cannot be turned away beginning the end of September 2010.
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People who are uninsured in 2014 are likely to buy insurance through an Exchange. Some businesses will also buy health insurance through Exchanges. Exchanges are health insurance marketplaces that will be set up in each state to help people shop for insurance and assist people in enrolling in Medicaid.
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Medicaid will be expanded to all individuals younger than 65 up to 133% of Federal Poverty Level (FPL) in 2014.
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The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) will be maintained until 2019, with increased federal matching dollars available starting in 2016. Colorado covers children and pregnant women up to 250% of poverty as of May 1, 2010.
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Pre-existing condition exclusions for children will be eliminated by September 2010, adults must wait until 2014. By July 1, 2010, people who have been uninsured for six months and have one or more pre-existing condition will be able to buy insurance through a new Colorado high-risk pool. There will be limits on how much people can be charged. This high risk pool will be in place until all pre-existing condition exclusions are eliminated in 2014.
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By September 2010, young adults up to age 26 will be eligible to be covered under their parents’ health insurance.
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A new Colorado law makes more parents, children and pregnant women eligible for Medicaid and the Child Health Plan beginning May 1, 2010. The new eligibility groups are parents of Medicaid eligible children with incomes under 100% FPL, and children and pregnant women in families up to 250% of poverty.
2. HUD Awards $1.4 Billion in Grants to Homeless Programs
In declaring that help is on the way, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan has announced nearly $1.4 billion in grants that will help an unprecedented 6,400 programs to continue offering critically needed housing and services to homeless persons and families. The grants are being awarded through HUD’s
Continuum of Care programs
. For the first time ever, HUD is quickly providing renewal grants to local programs to prevent any interruption in Federal assistance and will announce funding to new projects in early 2010. For a local summary of the grants, visit
http://www.hud.gov/
.
3. Federal Programs Increase Access to Benefits
The Social Security Administration (SSA) is among many federal agencies working with state and local communities to assist people who are dealing with homelessness and /or with mental health issues. Through its Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) programs, SSA provides critical income support for those who meet eligibility requirements. A new article from the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness suggests that improved federal systems and programs expand access and expedite approvals for SSI/SSDI applicants. To read the article, click
here
.
For more information please contact Meg Costello at 303-285-5220 or mcostello@coloradocoalition.org.
This page last updated on Friday, July 9, 2010