[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 65 (Tuesday, May 23, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4297-S4298]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. SNOWE (for herself and Ms. Collins):
  S. 2602. A bill to provide for the Secretary of Housing and Urban 
Development to fund, on a 1-year emergency basis, certain requests for 
grant renewal under the programs for permanent supportive housing and 
shelter-plus-care for homeless persons; to the Committee on Banking, 
Housing, and Urban Affairs.


                    homeless assistance legislation

 Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise to introduce legislation 
designed to guarantee funding for Department of Housing and Urban 
Development (HUD) McKinney Act homeless assistance programs, including 
Shelter Plus Care and the Supportive Housing Program (SHP).
  The legislation I am introducing today mirrors legislation introduced 
earlier this year in the House by Representative LaFalce and included 
in the House version of the FY01 supplemental, which would renew 
existing Shelter Plus and SHP contracts and fund them under the budget 
for the HUD Section 8 housing assistance program.
  The renewals funded under this legislation would provide grant 
funding for existing programs that support assistance to some of the 
most vulnerable Americans--the homeless. Without the resources that 
this bill is designed to provide, many who receive assistance today 
will literally be left out in the cold.
  Keep in mind that these are not new programs--they are renewals. And 
they fund community initiatives already in place in cities and towns 
across the country that provide assistance to those in need. Under 
Shelter Plus and SHP, states are awarded grants for services such as 
subsidized housing for the homeless, many of whom are physically or 
mentally ill or disabled, or who suffer from substance abuse problems, 
as well as job training, shelters, health care, child care, and other 
services for this population. Some of the victims that are helped are 
children, low-income families, single mothers, and battered spouses. 
Many are also veterans.
  I have witnessed first-hand the dislocation that can be caused by 
non-renewal. In January of last year, HUD issued homeless grant 
assistance announcements to most states but denied applications 
submitted by the Maine State Housing Authority and by the city of 
Portland, Maine leaving the state one of only four not to receive any 
funds. We were alarmed to learn that this would mean that many homeless 
agencies and programs could lose

[[Page S4298]]

funding altogether, and that in fact, over 70 homeless people with 
mental illnesses or substance abuse problems would lose housing 
subsidies.
  The Maine congressional delegation immediately protested the decision 
to HUD Secretary Andrew M. Cuomo. HUD officials ultimately restored 
about $1 million in funding to the city of Portland, a portion of the 
city's request, but refused to restore any State homeless funding.
  In 1998, Maine homeless assistance providers received about $3.5 
million for HUD, and the State had simply requested $1.2 million for 
renewals and $1.27 million to meet additional needs in 1999. What did 
they get to meet these needs--nothing. In spite of the proven track 
record of homeless programs in Maine, including praise by Secretary 
Cuomo during an August 1998 visit to Maine, HUD completely zeroed out 
funding for Maine. Not a penny for these disadvantaged children, 
battered women, single mothers, disabled individuals, and veterans who 
sacrificed to preserve the freedoms we cherish.
  This could happen anywhere, but it shouldn't. This is why I have also 
cosponsored legislation authored by my colleague from Maine, Senator 
Collins, to guarantee minimum funding for every state and assure a 
fairer, more equitable allocation of funding in the future. The 
legislation requires HUD to provide a minimum of 0.5 percent of funding 
to each state under title IV of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless 
Assistance Act.
  Without this assistance, basic subsidized housing and shelter 
programs suffer, and it is more difficult for states to provide job 
training, health care, child care, and other vital services to the 
victims of homelessness.
  In 1988, 14,653 people were temporarily housed in Maine's emergency 
homeless shelters. Alarmingly, young people account for 30 percent of 
the population staying in Maine's shelters, which is approximately 135 
homeless young people every night. Twenty-one percent of these young 
people are between 5-12 with the average age being 13.
  It is vitally important that changes be made to our homeless policy 
to ensure that no state falls through the cracks in the future. As 
such, I urge my colleagues to join me in a strong show of support for 
the legislation I am proposing today. I hope this legislation will 
contribute to the dialogue under way as to how best to enhance federal 
homeless assistance initiatives, so that programs around the country 
can continue to provide vital services to the less fortunate among us.
  Lastly, Mr. President, I would be remiss if I did not express my 
gratitude to Senator Bond, who chairs the Senate VA-HUD Subcommittee 
for his leadership and his support when HUD zeroed out funding for 
Maine's homeless programs. I am very grateful for his vision and 
leadership on issues of importance to homeless advocates nationwide. To 
that end, I am pleased that the Senate version of the fiscal year 2001 
Agriculture Department appropriations report contains language 
expressing concern about the HUD policies that resulted in a number of 
local homeless assistance initiatives going unfunded in recent years, 
and urging HUD to ensure that expiring rental contracts are renewed. 
HUD is also directed to submit a report to Congress explaining why 
projects with expiring grants were rejected during the 1999 round.
  I look forward to working with the Senate VA-HUD Appropriations 
Subcommittee as well as the Banking Committee as this year's 
legislative and appropriations process continues, and as we endeavor to 
craft a long-term solution to the homeless problem that is fiscally and 
socially responsible and improves the effectiveness of federal homeless 
programs for the future.
  Once again, I applaud the leadership of the Senate VA-HUD and Banking 
panels on this important issue, and I am confident in their commitment 
to further improvements in the program.
                                 ______