[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 634 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 634

 Expressing that the United States is obligated to permanently end the 
unhoused crisis by 2027 and uphold, protect, and enforce the civil and 
  human rights of unhoused individuals, including the human rights to 
 housing, universal health care, livable wages, education, employment 
  opportunities, access to public facilities, free movement in public 
 spaces, privacy, confidentiality, internet access, vote, freedom from 
harassment by law enforcement, private businesses, property owners, and 
       housed residents, and equal rights to health care, legal 
  representation, and social services without discrimination based on 
                            housing status.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 28, 2023

 Ms. Bush (for herself, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Norton, Ms. Lee of California, 
 Ms. Jayapal, Mr. Bowman, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Clarke of New York, 
   Mr. Carson, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Casar, Ms. 
Velazquez, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Williams of Georgia, Ms. Pressley, and Ms. 
 Ocasio-Cortez) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
    to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the 
  Committees on Energy and Commerce, Education and the Workforce, the 
    Judiciary, Agriculture, and Ways and Means, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing that the United States is obligated to permanently end the 
unhoused crisis by 2027 and uphold, protect, and enforce the civil and 
  human rights of unhoused individuals, including the human rights to 
 housing, universal health care, livable wages, education, employment 
  opportunities, access to public facilities, free movement in public 
 spaces, privacy, confidentiality, internet access, vote, freedom from 
harassment by law enforcement, private businesses, property owners, and 
       housed residents, and equal rights to health care, legal 
  representation, and social services without discrimination based on 
                            housing status.

Whereas there are currently between 582,000 and 1,500,000 unhoused individuals 
        residing in the United States;
Whereas the population of unhoused individuals in the United States is 
        disproportionately comprised of Black, brown, and Indigenous people, 
        women, children, veterans, undocumented immigrants, people with mental, 
        developmental, and physical disabilities and substance use disorders, 
        and members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender 
        nonconforming, and queer community;
Whereas older adults are the largest growing segment of the homeless population 
        and nearly 40 percent of older Americans rely only on Social Security 
        income in retirement, leaving housing stability out of reach for most 
        older Americans;
Whereas Black Americans make up more than 40 percent of the unhoused population, 
        but represent 13 percent of the general population, and Indigenous 
        people are similarly disproportionately overrepresented within the 
        unhoused population;
Whereas children under the age of 18 comprise almost 40 percent of the total 
        unhoused population in the United States;
Whereas 4,200,000 children and youth experience homelessness each year in the 
        United States;
Whereas 420,000 children are not connected with a school system because of 
        homelessness each year in the United States;
Whereas lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender nonconforming, and queer 
        individuals, including children, are forced to accept inappropriate or 
        unsafe accommodations to access publicly funded emergency shelters;
Whereas survivors of domestic violence, partner violence, sexual assault, and 
        stalking are faced with the impossible choice of living with an abusive 
        person or becoming unhoused due to a lack of an adequate housing safety 
        net;
Whereas the root causes contributing to the unhoused crisis are poverty, a lack 
        of affordable housing options, systemic racism, chronically low wages, 
        underemployment and unemployment, gentrification, housing 
        discrimination, mass incarceration, immigration status, criminalization 
        of poverty, domestic violence, discrimination against lesbian, gay, 
        bisexual, transgender, gender nonconforming, and queer individuals, 
        trauma, disabilities, personal and medical debt, a lack of affordable 
        childcare, natural disasters, institutionalization, and unexpected loss 
        of household income;
Whereas in the wake of a deadly global pandemic and a compounding economic 
        crisis that resulted in massive job loss, rates of housing insecurity 
        have skyrocketed as millions of people across the Nation faced financial 
        instability;
Whereas the pandemic significantly increased the number of unhoused children and 
        youth due to high unemployment, unstable living conditions, and job 
        insecurity, leaving millions of children and youth vulnerable to 
        criminalization, exposure to extreme weather, disease, malnutrition, 
        mental and physical disorders, substance use disorders, sex trafficking, 
        kidnapping, physical and sexual assault, and premature death;
Whereas the Emergency Rental Assistance Program provided $46,000,000,000 to keep 
        countless tenants housed during the COVID-19 pandemic, along with 
        stimulus checks, expanded unemployment benefits, child tax credits, and 
        increased Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program allocations;
Whereas low-income renters face increasingly high rents and rising housing 
        instability, and without the supports provided by pandemic-era benefit 
        programs, safe, stable, and affordable housing remains out of reach;
Whereas, since July 2009, Federal minimum wage has remained stagnant at an 
        abysmal $7.25, forcing low-wage workers to work two to three jobs to 
        afford housing and basic needs;
Whereas, from 2009 to 2021, the median rent across the United States increased 
        42 percent, from $817 a month to $1,163;
Whereas, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, in 2023 the 
        housing wage, defined as an annual estimate of the hourly wage full-time 
        workers must earn to afford a rental home at fair market rent without 
        spending more than 30 percent of their incomes, was $28.58 per hour for 
        a modest two-bedroom rental home and $23.67 per hour for a modest one-
        bedroom rental home;
Whereas, in no State, metropolitan area, or county can a full-time minimum-wage 
        worker afford a modest two-bedroom rental home, and a full-time minimum-
        wage worker cannot afford a modest one-bedroom rental home in more than 
        92 percent of United States counties;
Whereas the gap between wages and housing costs is largest for people of color, 
        and particularly women of color, as a result of decades of racist 
        housing policies that have led to people of color facing 
        disproportionate challenges accessing decent and affordable homes;
Whereas lack of access to public restrooms, handwashing facilities, laundry 
        facilities, showers, and garbage removal services severely deteriorates 
        overall quality of life and greatly increases the chance of unhoused 
        individuals contracting communicable diseases, impacting both housed and 
        unhoused communities and threatening public health;
Whereas health disparities significantly contribute to a broken social system 
        that creates and maintains poverty, and the unhoused crisis is a public 
        health crisis, resulting in unhoused persons suffering from 
        significantly higher rates of chronic health conditions and premature 
        death than housed persons, and vastly increasing the spread of 
        communicable diseases throughout unhoused and housed communities;
Whereas unhoused persons exhibit higher rates of depression, anxiety, 
        psychological distress, physical health problems, substance use 
        disorders, and mental trauma than housed persons, combined with 
        increased difficulties in accessing health services due to a lack of 
        stable living environment, functioning communication devices, physical 
        distance, and knowledge of programs and procedures, among other 
        structural barriers, thereby exacerbating the public health crisis;
Whereas inadequate access to healthy, affordable, and fresh food options, and 
        severe restrictions on the usage of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 
        Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and 
        Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children 
        (WIC) benefits foster conditions of chronic malnutrition and food 
        insecurity for unhoused persons, particularly youth, significantly 
        weakening their ability to stave off infections and diseases and 
        contributing to compounding public health crises;
Whereas unhoused people lack the necessary stable, safe, and supportive 
        environment to comply with treatment plans and heal from illnesses and 
        are often prematurely discharged from medical facilities, thereby 
        exacerbating existing medical conditions and hindering the recovery and 
        treatment processes;
Whereas, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless, human 
        immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and the 
        unhoused crisis are intricately related--as many as 50 percent of people 
        living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency 
        syndrome in the United States are at risk of becoming unhoused due to 
        high medical costs and health-related job loss, and since human 
        immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome targets the 
        immune system, unhoused people living with human immunodeficiency virus/
        acquired immunodeficiency syndrome do not have the ability to fight off 
        disease due to factors related to malnutrition, access to hygiene 
        facilities, and exposure to extreme weather conditions;
Whereas the compounding physical and psychological trauma stemming from lack of 
        access to housing, health care, safety, food, water, restrooms, showers, 
        laundry facilities, electricity, internet, technology, property storage, 
        and leisure, combined with exposure to extreme weather conditions, and 
        higher rates of personal violence, including physical and sexual 
        assaults endured by unhoused individuals, inevitably worsens the mental 
        health of individuals and makes it more difficult to access permanent 
        housing and employment, as well as social, medical, and mental health 
        services;
Whereas the criminalization of unhoused individuals and communities through the 
        creation of State and local ordinances that ban panhandling, loitering, 
        sleeping in tents or vehicles, eating in public, and third parties 
        distributing food to unhoused people violates the basic human and civil 
        rights of unhoused individuals to exist in public without fear of law 
        enforcement surveillance, harassment, violence, destruction of property, 
        fines, vehicle impoundment, or arrest;
Whereas the vicious cycle of mass incarceration forces people to lose 
        employment, homes, student loans, and financial assistance, and makes 
        access to housing, gainful employment, education, and public assistance 
        extraordinarily difficult for individuals reentering the community from 
        the criminal and juvenile justice systems or with criminal records, 
        thereby contributing to higher recidivism rates and exacerbating the 
        unhoused crisis;
Whereas unhoused individuals lack the resources necessary to obtain adequate 
        legal representation and are often denied relief or damages through 
        courts when they have been unfairly targeted by law enforcement 
        officers, private businesses, property owners, or housed residents and 
        have had their constitutional rights violated;
Whereas encampment sweeps, evictions, and cleanups, the removal of outdoor 
        living spaces, or impounding vehicles being used as residences 
        exacerbates the complex issues faced by unhoused individuals and fails 
        to address the lack of affordable and accessible housing options;
Whereas neighborhood protection orders criminalize people without homes and 
        needlessly bar individuals from accessing social services that will help 
        them transition to permanent supportive housing;
Whereas unhoused people are disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis 
        because chronic exposure to climate induced extreme weather and 
        disasters including hurricanes, wildfire, freezing temperatures, and 
        extreme heat conditions leaves unhoused persons susceptible to 
        hypothermia, hyperthermia, frostbite, sunburn, heat exhaustion, and 
        death;
Whereas hostile architecture and defensive urban design transform public spaces 
        into impractical and unwelcoming environments for both housed and 
        unhoused communities, by making benches thinner or with armrests to 
        prevent laying down, building bus stops with no seating or shelter, 
        deliberately placing gaps in awnings that allow in rain, adding rocks to 
        parks, trails, and highway underpasses, installing devices that prohibit 
        sitting, or adding spikes, rocks, or studs to flat surfaces to render 
        them dysfunctional;
Whereas the Department of Housing and Urban Development point-in-time method to 
        count the number of sheltered and unsheltered individuals in the United 
        States undercounts children, youth, older adults, and families by not 
        accounting for individuals who fall in and out of homelessness 
        throughout the year, people who are sheltered with family or friends, or 
        individuals temporarily residing in hotels, motels, medical facilities, 
        and jails, and is limited to a count one night per year during one of 
        the coldest months;
Whereas inadequate statistical methods for counting unhoused individuals 
        severely limit the capacity of policymakers to develop accurate, data-
        driven legislation;
Whereas the long-term solution for ending the unhoused crisis is a housing first 
        approach that provides adequate, accessible, and affordable permanent 
        housing for unhoused individuals, without preconditions and low or no 
        barriers to entry, and permanently fosters conditions that prevent 
        persons from becoming unhoused;
Whereas rates of homelessness continue to rise, the overburdened repair backlog 
        for public housing units is estimated at over $70,000,000,000, and the 
        overburdened tenant-based ``section 8'' rental assistance program, also 
        known as a housing choice voucher, is not funded by Congress at the 
        level necessary to match the ever-increasing demand for housing 
        assistance;
Whereas emergency shelters, transitional housing programs, permanent supportive 
        housing initiatives, and rapid rehousing programs are inadequately 
        funded and unable to keep up with the constant demand to provide 
        adequate temporary, transitional, or permanent housing for unhoused 
        individuals;
Whereas the cost of maintaining an unhoused population places undue financial 
        burden on taxpayers of an amount between $30,000 and $50,000 each year 
        for each chronically unhoused person because of the costs of 
        incarceration, medical treatments, jails, detention centers, psychiatric 
        and rehabilitation institutions, congregate shelter that does not lead 
        to permanent housing, law enforcement costs of encampment cleanups and 
        evictions, and the criminalization of unhoused people;
Whereas there are nearly 16,000,000 vacant homes in the United States that are 
        available to house individuals and families, and the cost to end the 
        unhoused crisis is at least $20,000,000,000, nearly 2 percent of the 
        2024 fiscal year defense budget of $886,300,000,000;
Whereas a lack of political will at the Federal, State, and local levels of 
        government drastically restricts the amount of funding available for 
        States, counties, cities, and municipalities to provide services and 
        resources to unhoused communities; and
Whereas addressing the roots of the housing affordability crisis requires a 
        sustained commitment to investing in new affordable, accessible housing, 
        preserving affordable rental homes that already exist, bridging the gap 
        between incomes and rent through universal rental assistance, providing 
        emergency assistance to stabilize renters when they experience financial 
        shocks, and establishing strong renter protections: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This resolution may be cited as the ``Unhoused Persons Bill of 
Rights''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHING PROTECTIONS FOR UNHOUSED INDIVIDUALS FROM 
              VIOLATIONS OF THEIR RIGHTS.

    (a) Protected Rights of Unhoused Individuals.--It is the sense of 
the House of Representatives that the United States must protect the 
fundamental civil and human rights of unhoused individuals, including--
            (1) the right to decent, affordable, and accessible 
        housing, livable wages, and universal health care;
            (2) the right for persons reentering the community from the 
        criminal justice system to access public housing, voucher 
        programs, rental assistance programs, employment, higher 
        education grants, scholarships, and Federal student loans 
        without discrimination on the basis of their criminal record;
            (3) the rights, privileges, or access of an individual to 
        public services, parks, sidewalks, transportation, buildings, 
        or facilities without discrimination on the basis of their 
        housing status;
            (4) the right to uninhibited access to public parks, 
        transportation, facilities, sidewalks, buildings, and restrooms 
        without discrimination on the basis of their housing status;
            (5) the right to access safe and clean restroom facilities, 
        safe and clean drinking water, public handwashing facilities, 
        and public electricity sources without discrimination on the 
        basis of their housing status;
            (6) the right to access 24-hour and disaster emergency 
        shelters, transitional housing, social services, public 
        housing, and voucher programs without discrimination on the 
        basis of their housing status;
            (7) the right not to be subject to penalties for standing, 
        walking, resting, or sleeping in a public place or vehicle in a 
        nonobstructive manner, including relying on tents, sleeping 
        bags, additional clothing, or other supplies intended to make 
        sleep comfortable and possible;
            (8) the right to pray, meditate, or practice religion in 
        public spaces without being subject to criminal or civil 
        sanctions, harassment, or arrest;
            (9) the right to solicit donations in public spaces without 
        being subject to criminal or civil sanctions, harassment, or 
        arrest in a manner that violates the right to free speech;
            (10) the right to engage in lawful self-employment, 
        including the right to seek self-employment in junk removal and 
        recycling that requires the collection, possession, redemption, 
        and storage of goods for reuse and recycling, without being 
        subject to criminal or civil sanctions, harassment, or arrest;
            (11) the right to not face discrimination while seeking 
        employment or public assistance due to a lack of permanent 
        mailing address, or the use of a mailing address from a 
        shelter, library, or social service provider;
            (12) the right to internet access and technology that will 
        enable accessing the internet;
            (13) the right to obtain copies of identification 
        documents, including social security cards, without difficulty 
        or discrimination based on housing status;
            (14) the right to vote, register to vote, and receive 
        documentation necessary to prove identity for voting without 
        discrimination due to housing status or use of a shelter, 
        library, or social service provider for an address;
            (15) the right to receive emergency and nonemergency 
        medical care without discrimination based on housing status;
            (16) the right for unhoused children to access high-quality 
        education without discrimination due to their housing status;
            (17) the right to confidentiality of personal and medical 
        records, documentation, and information;
            (18) the right to a reasonable expectation of privacy in 
        personal property to the same extent as personal property in a 
        permanent residence; and
            (19) the right to protest, gather in groups, and conduct 
        community outreach without harassment by law enforcement or 
        private citizens.
    (b) Protections of Unhoused Individuals.--It is the sense of the 
House of Representatives that the United States must establish 
regulations and enforcement tools to protect unhoused individuals from 
the violation of their fundamental civil and human rights, including 
protections from--
            (1) law enforcement against undue surveillance, 
        mistreatment, harassment, destruction of personal property, 
        vehicle impoundment, and unjustified detention, searches, 
        ticketing, and arrests; and
            (2) private businesses, property owners, including business 
        improvement districts, and housed residents against 
        discrimination, harassment, mistreatment, assault, detention, 
        banishment, and destruction of private property.
    (c) Protections for Third Parties Providing Services to Unhoused 
Individuals.--It is the sense of the House of Representatives that the 
United States must establish blanket legal protections for third 
parties distributing food, beverages, clothing, or providing services 
to unhoused individuals and communities.
    (d) Civil Actions for a Violation of the Rights of Unhoused 
Individuals.--It is the sense of the House of Representatives that the 
United States must establish a process such that in any civil action 
alleging a violation of rights described previously, a court may award 
appropriate damages and all attorney's fees and costs to a prevailing 
plaintiff, and the court may take into consideration housing status and 
apply leniency while attempting to compile records, receipts, and 
documentation from the plaintiff.

SEC. 3. ACTIONS IN PURSUIT OF PROTECTION OF THE RIGHTS OF UNHOUSED 
              INDIVIDUALS.

    (a) Funding.--The House of Representatives shall strive to provide 
funding for the following:
            (1) The House of Representatives shall strive to allocate--
                    (A) not less than $20,000,000,000 from the defense 
                budget to permanently end and prevent the unhoused 
                crisis in the United States;
                    (B) $140,000,000,000 every 5 years in the Public 
                Housing Capital Fund to urge the Subcommittee on 
                Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and 
                Related Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations of 
                the House of Representatives to preserve public housing 
                units for future generations;
                    (C) full funding for the Public Housing Operating 
                Fund to better support this important source of 
                affordable housing until the United States has 
                permanently ended and prevented the unhoused crisis;
                    (D) $40,000,000,000 annually in the Department of 
                Housing and Urban Development National Housing Trust 
                Fund to build and preserve homes affordable to the 
                lowest-income and most marginalized households in the 
                United States;
                    (E) $3,000,000,000 annually for a permanent 
                Emergency Rental Assistance Program administered by the 
                Department of Housing and Urban Development;
                    (F) the highest level of funding possible for city, 
                county, State, Indian Tribal governments, and local 
                governments to build and maintain 24-hour public 
                restrooms, handwashing stations, showers, laundry 
                facilities, and water fountains in proportion to their 
                respective unhoused population; and
                    (G) robust funding for States, Indian Tribal 
                governments, cities, localities, and municipalities to 
                provide trash cans, recycling bins, sharps disposal 
                containers, and frequent garbage removal services to 
                unhoused camps and common areas in coordination with 
                local unhoused advocates and community-based 
                organizations.
            (2) The House of Representatives shall strive to provide 
        the highest possible funding level for Federal housing and 
        supportive services programs, including--
                    (A) the Department of Housing and Urban Development 
                Continuum of Care (CoC) program;
                    (B) the Department of Housing and Urban Development 
                Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program;
                    (C) the Department of Housing and Urban 
                Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-
                VASH) program;
                    (D) the Department of Housing and Urban Development 
                Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) program;
                    (E) the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) 
                transitional housing assistance grants program for 
                survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual 
                assault, and stalking;
                    (F) the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
                Administration (SAMHSA) Grants for the Benefit of 
                Homeless Individuals (GBHI) program;
                    (G) the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
                Administration Treatment for Individuals Experiencing 
                Homelessness (TIEH) program;
                    (H) the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
                Administration Projects for Assistance in Transition 
                from Homelessness (PATH) program;
                    (I) Health Resources and Services Administration 
                health center programs, particularly the Health Care 
                for the Homeless program;
                    (J) the Health Resources and Services 
                Administration Primary Care Human Immunodeficiency 
                Virus Prevention (PCHP) program; and
                    (K) the Department of Education McKinney-Vento 
                Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) Act 
                program.
            (3) The House of Representatives shall strive to provide 
        the highest level of funding to--
                    (A) permanently provide nutritious, healthy, and 
                expansive universal school meals for K-12 students;
                    (B) drastically expand eligibility, income 
                thresholds, and time limitations and remove all 
                purchase restrictions for the Supplemental Nutrition 
                Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for 
                Needy Families (TANF) program, and Special Supplemental 
                Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children 
                (WIC); and
                    (C) remove food assistance restrictions on the 
                purchase of hot foods and ready-to-eat foods at 
                retailers that accept the Supplemental Nutrition 
                Assistance Program (SNAP).
            (4) The House of Representatives shall strive to provide 
        robust Federal funding and resources to aggressively enforce 
        fair housing and civil rights laws.
    (b) Low-Income Housing.--The House of Representatives shall strive 
to increase the availability of low-income housing by--
            (1) funding the construction of permanent low-income 
        housing to replenish all of the units that have been removed 
        from the stock since 1978;
            (2) fully funding subsidies to operate additional units to 
        meet demand; and
            (3) repealing the Faircloth Amendment to allow a net 
        increase in the number of public housing units.
    (c) Housing Choice Vouchers.--The House of Representatives shall 
strive to provide universal housing choice vouchers to all eligible 
households through the tenant-based ``section 8'' rental assistance 
program.
    (d) Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act 
Consolidated Programs.--The House of Representatives shall strive to 
reauthorize and provide at least $300,000,000 to the Runaway and 
Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act consolidated programs, 
including the street outreach program.
    (e) Fair Housing Act Protections.--The House of Representatives 
shall strive to--
            (1) bolster and enforce tenant protections against 
        discrimination as described in the Fair Housing Act; and
            (2) expand the Fair Housing Act to ban discrimination based 
        on previous housing status, adverse effects of domestic 
        violence, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, 
        and source of income, particularly in shelters, transitional 
        housing programs, permanent supportive housing initiatives, and 
        rapid rehousing programs.
    (f) Department of Housing and Urban Development Requirements.--The 
House of Representatives shall strive to require the Department of 
Housing and Urban Development to--
            (1) develop policies, guidelines, and procedures for 
        permanently eradicating the unhoused crisis by 2027;
            (2) work in coordination with tenant advocates community-
        based organizations to develop, implement, and enforce 
        regulations that disrupt and reverse trends of neighborhood 
        displacement, gentrification, and redlining that 
        disproportionately impact communities of color, particularly 
        Black and brown communities;
            (3) develop, implement, and enforce regulations to 
        immediately remove barriers which prevent people with criminal 
        backgrounds and undocumented immigrants from accessing public 
        housing, section 8 vouchers, and rental assistance programs;
            (4) work in partnership with community-based organizations 
        and advocates to bolster criminal justice reentry programs and 
        wraparound services to prevent individuals from becoming 
        unhoused postrelease;
            (5) develop, implement, and enforce performance standards 
        and regulations for immediately making all public shelters, 
        transitional housing programs, and supportive services 
        available 24 hours each day, and prohibit these programs from 
        profiling unhoused individuals, denying services, and 
        discriminating against individuals based on their medical 
        conditions and treatments, gender identity, criminal 
        background, immigration status, and other protected classes of 
        the Fair Housing Act;
            (6) work in coordination with the Department of Health and 
        Human Services, the Health Resources and Services 
        Administration, and related health agencies to provide 24-hour 
        medical respite programs to cities, counties, Indian Tribal 
        Governments, and States to allow unhoused people to fully 
        recover from medical conditions or injuries without fear of 
        premature discharge;
            (7) develop and implement processes to prioritize funding 
        allocations directly to grassroots and community-based 
        organizations, as well as organizations led by impacted 
        individuals who provide direct supportive and housing, medical, 
        and emergency services to unhoused persons;
            (8) develop and implement more accurate methods of counting 
        unhoused individuals throughout the duration of the year, 
        accounting for individuals residing inside of housing 
        structures with family and friends, undocumented immigrants, 
        unhoused individuals in jails, medical, and rehabilitation 
        facilities, and those who experience temporary homelessness 
        throughout the year;
            (9) make the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) 
        more comprehensive by implementing biennial gaps analyses to 
        identify gaps in access to housing or services appropriate to 
        meet the needs of unhoused persons and make recommendations to 
        improve the system components that worsen the quality of life 
        for unhoused persons, including--
                    (A) the accessibility of information and barriers 
                to accessing existing housing resources and services;
                    (B) the geographic and physical location of 
                programs within the respective region;
                    (C) the quality of outreach in identifying and 
                targeting unhoused individuals and families for 
                services;
                    (D) the ability of prevention services to prevent 
                individuals from becoming unhoused in the first place; 
                and
                    (E) the quality of access to supportive services 
                and resources for unhoused persons in emergency 
                shelters, transitional housing programs, permanent 
                supportive housing, and rapid rehousing programs;
            (10) develop policies and guidelines for implementing the 
        new method of unhoused population measurement and gaps analyses 
        and present a report to the Committee on Financial Services of 
        the House of Representatives within 6 months of the enacted 
        legislation;
            (11) work in coordination with the Centers for Disease 
        Control and Prevention to develop procedures to track and 
        report the number of deaths directly caused by persons being 
        unhoused in the United States;
            (12) work in coordination with all Federal agencies that 
        service unhoused people to designate federally subsidized 
        shelters, libraries, social service providers, and other 
        institutions as fixed addresses to be used by multiple unhoused 
        people to receive mail, employment opportunities, and 
        documents, and to vote and conduct all business in a manner 
        similar to housed people;
            (13) coordinate with the Department of Transportation and 
        the National Parks Service to restrict the use of Federal 
        funding on hostile architecture projects and to remove hostile 
        architecture from all privately owned public spaces, public 
        parks, trails, sidewalks, buildings, and transportation 
        facilities;
            (14) work in coordination with the Social Security 
        Administration to develop guidance and regulations creating 
        hardship exemptions for individuals who have difficulty 
        obtaining social security documentation and benefits due to 
        their housing status; and
            (15) coordinate with local community stakeholders, housing 
        advocates, shelters, churches, and transitional housing 
        programs to register and receive voting ballots for unhoused 
        persons, in coordination with the Department of Health and 
        Human Services and related social services.
    (g) Public Health.--The House of Representatives shall strive to 
require the Department of Health and Human Services to declare the 
unhoused crisis a public health emergency and work in coordination with 
the Health Resources and Services Administration to immediately provide 
guidance to mitigate the compounding effects of the unhoused and public 
health crises, particularly as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic, 
human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, 
hepatitis, tuberculosis, and other communicable diseases.
    (h) Federal Grant Programs.--The House of Representatives shall 
strive to require Federal grant programs to establish guidelines for 
measuring direct impact to communities and holding grant awardees to 
the highest levels of community accountability, particularly in 
relation to the impact of the programs on unhoused persons 
disproportionately impacted by criminalization and discrimination.
    (i) Law Enforcement Annual Statistics.--The House of 
Representatives shall--
            (1) encourage law enforcement agencies to compile annual 
        statistics showing the number of instances of physical violence 
        against unhoused individuals, as well as citations, arrests, 
        and other law enforcement activities, to track instances of 
        criminalizing unhoused populations, including camp cleanups, 
        vagrancy violations, sleeping in public, vehicle citations, 
        street sweeps, and panhandling citations, and provide these 
        annual statistics to the Department of Justice; and
            (2) require the Department of Justice to compile the data 
        and statistics provided by law enforcement agencies as 
        incentivized in paragraph (1), and present an annual report to 
        Congress.

SEC. 4. REPORTS TO CONGRESS.

    The House of Representatives shall strive to require the Department 
of Justice, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the 
Department of Health and Human Services to coordinate with community 
advocates, policymakers, and unhoused people to develop guidelines, 
policies, and procedures for decriminalizing unhoused individuals and 
communities, and providing resources and direct services to unhoused 
communities, and make available a report to Congress not later than 6 
months of the enactment of the relevant legislation.
                                 <all>