[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 561 Engrossed in House (EH)]


                In the House of Representatives, U. S.,

                                                         July 23, 2007.
Whereas July 22, 2007, is the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the Stewart 
        B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, which was renamed the McKinney-
        Vento Homeless Assistance Act in October 2000;
Whereas Representatives Stewart B. McKinney and Bruce Vento worked tirelessly in 
        the Congress to develop a Federal response to homelessness;
Whereas Representative Stewart B. McKinney was committed to exposing the depth 
        of the growing problem of homelessness in the 1980s;
Whereas Representative Stewart B. McKinney was a recognized expert on Federal 
        housing law and urban affairs who successfully amended the National 
        Housing Act and the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to 
        better target Federal aid to smaller cities, but became terminally ill 
        with pneumonia after sleeping on a grate outside a Federal building with 
        the homeless of Washington, DC;
Whereas in 1985, after personally viewing the circumstances of the homeless and 
        the need for crisis intervention in his congressional district in St. 
        Paul, Minnesota, Representative Bruce Vento introduced a resolution to 
        express the sense of the Congress that homelessness is a national 
        problem requiring a national solution;
Whereas throughout his career, Representative Vento remained dedicated to 
        securing a commitment of Federal resources to address homelessness;
Whereas the programs established by the McKinney-Vento Act have provided 
        housing, education, health care, and job training assistance, and 
        critical outreach, to thousands of homeless men, women, and children in 
        the United States;
Whereas the Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program of the McKinney-
        Vento Act has resulted in a significant increase in the number of 
        homeless children and youth attending school on a regular basis;
Whereas the McKinney-Vento Act was intended to be only an emergency response and 
        not the sole Federal response to homelessness;
Whereas over the course of a year, as many as 3,500,000 persons are estimated to 
        experience homelessness in the United States;
Whereas approximately 400,000 veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States 
        experience homelessness at some point over the course of a year;
Whereas the homeless population includes vulnerable groups such as children, 
        unaccompanied youth, and persons with disabilities; and
Whereas there were at least 142 unprovoked assaults against homeless persons in 
        2006, including 20 that resulted in death: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the 20th anniversary of the McKinney-Vento Homeless 
        Assistance Act and the impact it has made on homelessness in the United 
        States;
            (2) recognizes the positive impact the McKinney-Vento Act has had on 
        hundreds of thousands of homeless men, women, children, and youth in the 
        United States;
            (3) recognizes the substantial contributions of Representatives 
        Stewart B. McKinney and Bruce Vento in addressing homelessness;
            (4) recognizes that homelessness continues to be an urgent problem 
        in the United States;
            (5) commends the dedication and commitment of service providers, 
        including faith-based and nonprofit organizations, who are working to 
        end homelessness in their communities and provide emergency food, 
        shelter, and services to homeless Americans;
            (6) recognizes that the lack of affordable housing exacerbates 
        homelessness in the United States;
            (7) supports the continued efforts of Federal, State, and local 
        governments and private non-profit organizations in their efforts to 
        prevent and end homelessness through the development of affordable 
        housing;
            (8) recognizes that the life expectancy of a homeless person in the 
        United States is 30 years shorter than that of the average American and 
        supports efforts to improve the health of homeless Americans;
            (9) supports efforts to prevent and end homelessness among veterans 
        of the Armed Forces of the United States;
            (10) supports efforts to ensure accurate and timely processing of 
        applications for disability benefits as a means of decreasing 
        homelessness among disabled persons;
            (11) recognizes that the safety and well-being of homeless persons 
        is an urgent problem;
            (12) recognizes the critical role of education and public schools in 
        preventing and ending homelessness, and supports efforts to improve 
        stability, services, and access to school for homeless children and 
        youth; and
            (13) endeavors to work with the same courage, dignity, and 
        determination exemplified by Representatives McKinney and Vento to 
        eliminate homelessness in the United States.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.