[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 57 (Monday, April 20, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4437-S4438]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HOMELESS EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE AND RAPID TRANSITION TO HOUSING ACT

  Mr. BOND. Mr. President, I rise to speak on the introduction of S. 
808, the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing 
Act or ``HEARTH'' Act, which I am very proud to cosponsor. The HEARTH 
Act is a landmark housing bill as it significantly improves Federal 
programs designed to end and prevent the tragedy of homelessness that 
afflicts too many American individuals and families.
  Before I offer some comments on the bill, I praise Senator Jack Reed 
for his long-term commitment and hard work on addressing homelessness. 
Senator Reed has been a longtime leader in housing issues and I value 
the strong partnership we have had over the past several years. I also 
applaud his staff, led by Kara Stein, who has worked tirelessly and 
patiently over the past 8 years on homeless legislation. Further, I 
would be remiss to not mention the work of our former colleague, 
Senator Wayne Allard, who also was heavily involved in this legislation 
before he retired from this Chamber. Finally, I thank Nan Roman of the 
National Alliance to End Homelessness and Dr. Dennis Culhane of the 
University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice who 
have provided us invaluable insights and research on homelessness that 
helped guide our policy work.
  Over 20 years ago, the Federal Government took its first major step 
in addressing the plight of homelessness through the enactment of the 
Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, which was later renamed 
the McKinney-Vento Act after the death of Representative Bruce Vento 
who was an early advocate of the law. When this comprehensive law was 
enacted back in 1987, some legislators thought that homelessness was a 
temporary problem that could be solved in a few years. Unfortunately, 
this was clearly not the case. Despite billions of private and public 
dollars spent on the homeless, millions of veterans, families, 
disabled, and children have and continue to experience the sad tragedy 
of living without a home.
  Fortunately, homelessness is not a hopeless situation. As the former 
chair and current ranking member of the Senate Appropriations 
subcommittee that funds most of the Federal homeless programs, I have 
worked with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle--especially 
Senators Barbara Mikulski and Patty Murray--to ensure resources were 
being provided to the appropriate programs. This is an important task 
and I am proud of being in position to make a difference.
  We learned that throwing money at the problem was not going to solve 
homelessness but that a smarter, more effective approach was needed. 
Specifically, we learned that providing permanent supportive housing 
was the key component in solving homelessness, especially those 
considered to be chronically homeless. Research led by Dr. Culhane 
found that chronically homeless received housing primarily through 
regular, long-term use of the emergency shelter system. Serving the

[[Page S4438]]

chronically homeless through emergency shelters interfered with their 
treatment regimen, resulting in costly hospital and jail stays. 
Further, local emergency systems became clogged with permanent users, 
reducing their ability to address the more temporary problems of 
families and individuals who are homeless because of an economic 
crisis. Moving away from emergency shelter programs to permanent 
supportive housing has become the most critical change over the past 
several years and based on recent studies and programs I have seen in 
my home state of Missouri, it has clearly worked.
  To implement this approach, I worked with Senator Mikulski to include 
a provision, beginning in fiscal year 1999 VA-HUD Appropriations Act 
and carried every year thereafter, to require that at east 30 percent 
of the Department of Housing and Urban Development's--HUD--homeless 
assistance grants be used for permanent housing. Focusing a significant 
amount of funds towards permanent housing helped reverse the revolving 
door for the homeless using local emergency systems.
  We also learned the importance of gathering data and analyzing the 
characteristics of our homeless population to design and target funds 
to programs needed to serve the homeless. The establishment of the 
Homeless Management Information Systems or HMIS through HUD has now 
become a critical tool for local continuum of care systems throughout 
the Nation in addressing their particular homeless populations. 
Requiring and funding HMIS systems through the VA-HUD appropriations 
bill was another critical component.

  Finally, we learned that despite the involvement of several Federal 
agencies in serving the homeless, there were gaps in services and 
coordination was lacking. Again, I worked with my colleagues to 
reactivate the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness to improve 
Federal, State, and local coordination of homeless programs. We also 
required that 25 percent of HUD homeless funds used for supportive 
services be matched with other funds to expand funding for these needs 
by encouraging other Federal agencies such as the Department of Health 
and Human Services and Department of Veterans Affairs to meet their 
obligations.
  The HEARTH Act codifies these important provisions that have been 
carried in appropriations and builds on our work over the past several 
years. In addition, the act includes a number of other important 
provisions that create a new program to assist rural communities help 
the homeless, increases local flexibility by combining HUD's 
competitive grant programs, and provides incentives to house rapidly 
homeless families.
  Homelessness is a national tragedy. We are reminded of this tragedy 
when walking around Washington, DC, St. Louis, and other towns and 
cities across the Nation. It is my hope that one day, our Nation's 
homeless will not be worrying about where they will receive their next 
meal or where they will be sleeping that night. It is an unacceptable 
situation. But by working together with advocates, the private sector, 
and government, we can solve homelessness. The HEARTH Act is a prime 
example of that partnership and advances our ability to end 
homelessness.
  Updating and improving our homeless programs is even more critical as 
more Americans face the prospects of homelessness due to the economic 
downturn. The housing crisis has already displaced many families and 
individuals creating more strain on social safety net and homeless 
programs.
  Again, I thank Senator Jack Reed for his leadership and commitment on 
homeless issues and I strongly urge my colleagues to support this 
legislation so it can be enacted as soon as possible.

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