[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 60 (Thursday, April 29, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E820-E821]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    INTRODUCTION OF THE HOMELESSNESS ASSISTANCE FUNDING FAIRNESS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. JOHN ELIAS BALDACCI

                                of maine

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 29, 1999

  Mr. BALDACCI. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce today the 
Homelessness Assistance Funding Fairness Act that will ensure that 
every state receives a minimum allocation of funding from the 
Department of Housing and Urban Development's ``Continuum of Care'' 
grant programs. I am introducing this legislation in conjunction with 
Senator Susan Collins of Maine. We have been working to address the 
challenges of meeting the needs of homeless people in a rural state for 
some time now, and I believe that this legislation represents an 
important step forward.
  Homelessness is a problem that knows no boundaries. In every state, 
Americans find themselves without adequate shelter or access to 
affordable housing. Unfortunately, since the Continuum of Care grants 
are currently awarded on a competitive basis, some states may be denied 
funding in a given year.
  Homelessness is also not limited to urban areas. In fact, rural 
homelessness is a significant problem and may pose even greater 
challenges due to geographical realities. Maine is a predominantly 
rural state. Homelessness is a growing problem, with more than 14,000 
people currently believed to be homeless. While this number may seem 
relatively small, when we consider that the state's overall population 
is only 1.2 million, we recognize that there is in fact a significant 
problem.
  In the past, Maine organizations have competed successfully for 
Continuum of Care funding. In fact, last year, HUD Secretary Andrew 
Cuomo visited several of Maine's homeless assistance projects and 
presented them with a ``Best Practices'' award in recognition of their 
excellent work. For that reason, it came as a shock when HUD announced 
in 1999 Continuum of Care grant recipients and we learned that no funds 
had been awarded to any Maine applicants.
  In addition to Maine, three other states--Oklahoma, Kansas and North 
Dakota--were not awarded any Continuum of Care funding this year. The 
homeless of these four rural states are just as deserving and in need 
of assistance as the homeless of the other 46 states. Unfortunately, 
they are now facing drastic cuts in services and the outright 
elimination of many programs that have sought to provide housing and 
services to help break the cycle of poverty and dependency.
  I respect the goals of the competitive funding process: to encourage 
excellence; to foster innovation; and to ensure that Federal taxpayers 
get the most ``bang for their buck'' when it comes to providing 
assistance to

[[Page E821]]

America's homeless. But I also recognize that in a competition such as 
this, excellent programs sometimes fall just short of the cut-offs that 
are determined by funding availability. And I am concerned especially 
because the cut-offs are absolute--Maine's funding, for example, went 
from about $3.7 million to $0.
  For that reason, I am introducing this legislation which will provide 
a safety net to ensure that every state receives at least a minimum 
allocation to provide a Continuum of Care to that state's homeless. My 
legislation would continue the grant competition, but would provide 
that every state must receive at least half a percent of the total 
Continuum of Care funds. This would ensure that the homeless of every 
state would be able to count on some continuity of services from year 
to year.
  It is not an exaggeration to say that lives depend on the services 
provided as a result of the Continuum of Care grants. People must have 
a place to escape the bitter cold of a January day in Maine or the 
brutal heat of an August day in Texas. People must have a chance to 
break out of poverty ad to become productive citizens. This is 
difficult to do when much of each day must be spent meeting such basic 
needs as finding food and shelter.
  The Homelessness Assistance Funding Fairness Act would take a small 
step in ensuring that no state's homeless persons are left without 
assistance in finding permanent or transitional housing. Unless we take 
action, the tragedy that has befallen Maine's homeless population this 
year, could easily happen to those of other states next year when the 
funds are competed again.
  I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

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