[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 14 (Monday, January 23, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S56-S57]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. Padilla, Ms. Klobuchar, and 
        Mrs. Shaheen):
  S. 24. A bill to fight homelessness in the United States by 
authorizing a grant program within the Health Resources and Services 
Administration for housing programs that offer comprehensive services 
and intensive case management for homeless individuals and families; to 
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Madam President, I rise today to introduce the 
Fighting Homelessness Through Services and Housing Act, which would 
establish a new Federal grant program to increase capacity for 
comprehensive supportive services paired with housing as a way to 
address our country's homelessness crisis.
  As we have seen with the growing diversity of our homeless 
populations--individuals with mental health conditions or those 
struggling with addiction, people who simply could not keep up with 
increases in rent, families with children, and veterans--our Nation's 
homelessness crisis is not going away on its own without coordinated 
efforts at every level of government.
  According to the data released in December from the U.S. Department 
of Housing and Urban Development, there are approximately 582,500 
homeless individuals, including families with small children, in the 
United States. Nearly 30 percent of this population is in California, 
with approximately 172,000 homeless people sleeping on the streets on 
any given night.
  In a nation as prosperous and wealthy as ours, we can and we must do 
better to address the issue of homelessness.
  That is why I am introducing the Fighting Homelessness Through 
Services and Housing Act, which would authorize a new Federal funding 
stream of $1 billion per year, subject to annual appropriations. 
Grantees must serve individuals or families who are homeless or at risk 
of becoming homeless by providing housing paired with a comprehensive 
set of services and must

[[Page S57]]

provide a 25-percent match for any Federal funds received.
  Because each individual and every community is unique, the grant 
program would be flexible in order to work in any region or for any 
homeless population.
  This bill is based on a model that has proven to be effective and 
supports the great work already being done across the country, allowing 
local governmental entities and nonprofit organizations to expand their 
capacity and ensure a greater reach by putting Federal dollars where 
they will be most effective.
  I am proud that this legislation is supported by a wide coalition of 
local governments, housing, health, and child welfare organizations, 
including the mayors and CEOs for U.S. Housing Investment, National 
League of Cities, National Alliance to End Homelessness, National 
Association of Counties, National Low Income Housing Coalition, and the 
National Housing Conference.
  Supportive services such as mental and physical health care, 
substance abuse treatment, education and job training, and life skills 
such as financial literacy are critical components. Paired with 
intensive case management, supportive housing models make a difference.
  We have seen the success of such partnerships in San Francisco, where 
the GLIDE Foundation provides critical services that meet an 
individual's basic needs, including meals, crisis intervention and 
prevention, childcare and educational programming, legal advice, and 
housing.
  This would not be possible without the organization's partnerships 
with the city of San Francisco, particularly the San Francisco 
Department of Public Health, and other critical stakeholders. I highly 
encourage my colleagues to examine this exemplary homeless services 
model to see firsthand how effective partnerships can help to combat 
homelessness.
  It is imperative that we support these types of partnerships, as well 
as nonprofit service providers, as they work to get people into housing 
to both mitigate the spread of the coronavirus and address their long-
term needs.
  I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting the bill and moving 
it through the Senate, especially as we continue to contend with the 
increase in homelessness.

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