[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 121 (Thursday, July 21, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E769-E770]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES 
                        APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2023

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. GWEN MOORE

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 19, 2022

  Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of H.R. 
8294, legislation that would authorize appropriations for Fiscal Year 
2023 for a number of federal agencies and programs, including the 
Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD.
  I want to thank Chairwoman DeLauro and Chairman Price, among others, 
for their support and leadership in putting together this strong 
package. While there are many good provisions in this package, I want 
to take a moment to highlight one of the key victories for our 
communities.
  Americans nationwide have faced difficulties finding affordable 
housing long before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the 
pandemic has exacerbated an existing crisis. As rent increases and 
wages stay stagnant, many members of our communities are facing the 
threat of homelessness.
  Without stable housing, children face challenges in school, adults 
struggle to maintain employment, and those battling physical and mental 
health disorders, as well as substance abuse, lack the support they 
need to adequately address and treat these issues.
  According to the Housing and Urban Development 2021 Annual Assessment 
Report, the number of sheltered individuals that identified as 
chronically homeless increased by 20 percent between 2020 and 2021. The 
report also identified that more than 326,000 people are still 
experiencing sheltered homelessness in the United States on any given 
night. Homeless Assistance Grants, like the Continuum of Care and the 
Emergency Solutions grants, help people who are at risk of or are 
currently experiencing homelessness through non-profits, community 
organizations, government agencies, or other providers. These programs 
are successfully used by state and local governments, as well as an 
extensive network of providers of shelter and housing services in 
hundreds of communities, to reduce homelessness.
  I am delighted that the package that passed the House would provide 
$3.6 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development's 
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants program. Earlier this year, I 
led a letter, signed by 140 of my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle, urging the inclusion of that amount.
  McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants, like the Continuum of Care 
grant, have a profound impact on our communities, including my own city 
of Milwaukee. According to the City of Milwaukee, the Milwaukee 
Continuum of Care was able to track a 77 percent decrease in people 
experiencing chronic homelessness over the last 10 years. This decrease 
was made possible through robust federal funding of supportive housing 
programs to end homelessness, including the Homeless Assistance Grants 
program.
  Given the lack of affordable housing across the Nation and the 
ongoing effects of the

[[Page E770]]

COVID-19 pandemic, strong funding for HUD's McKinney-Vento Homeless 
Assistance Grants program is necessary to address homelessness and to 
get more people off the streets and into permanent housing. The 
increase in this bill is necessary and will provide much-needed 
resources to state and local governments to address the housing crisis. 
I look forward to working with the Chair and my colleagues to ensure 
this increase is maintained and even increased as the FY 2023 
appropriations process moves forward.

                          ____________________