[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 130 (Thursday, July 27, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S3765]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. PADILLA (for himself, Mrs. Feinstein, Ms. Hirono, Mr. 
        Markey, Mrs. Gillibrand, and Mr. Booker):
  S. 2701. A bill to address the homelessness and housing crises, to 
move toward the goal of providing for a home for all Americans, and for 
other purposes; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
Affairs.
  Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I rise in support of the Housing for 
All Act of 2023, which I introduced today.
  Our Nation's homelessness and affordable housing crises have reached 
a breaking point. As of January 2022, over 580,000 individuals in the 
United States--disproportionately people of color--experienced 
homelessness. The rate of homelessness has increased by 6 percent since 
2017. In Los Angeles County alone, the mortality rate for people 
experiencing homelessness increased by 55 percent between 2019 to 2021.
  The lack of adequate Federal investment in affordable housing and 
housing assistance programs contributes to these crises. There is 
currently a shortage of 7.3 million affordable and available rental 
homes in the United States. According to a recent National Low Income 
Housing Coalition report, no State or county exists where a person 
working 40 hours a week and earning the State or local minimum wage can 
afford to rent a modest two-bedroom apartment, and 86 percent of all 
low-income renters in the Nation are considered cost-burdened, spending 
more than 30 percent of their income on just housing costs alone.
  The affordable housing and homelessness crises are not just a 
Democrat problem or an urban problem but impact every Senator's State. 
From our metropolitan areas to our rural heartlands, our constituents 
everywhere feel the real impact of housing unaffordability. And it is 
time for the Federal Government to step up, partner with our State and 
local governments alongside service providers on the ground and other 
stakeholders, and invest in solving these problems at a rate 
commensurate with the need.
  I am proud to reintroduce this bill, which represents a comprehensive 
approach to tackling housing and homelessness. If enacted, it would 
invest in and align Federal resources to support people experiencing 
housing instability. To address the affordable housing and homelessness 
crises, we must invest in proven policies that support strong, 
sustainable, inclusive communities and ensure quality, affordable homes 
for all.
  Specifically, this bill will address the affordable housing shortage 
by investing in the housing trust fund, the Section 202 Supportive 
Housing for the Elderly Program, Section 811 Supportive Housing for 
Persons with Disabilities Program, and the HOME Program. It establishes 
a commission to focus on racial equity in housing and homelessness.
  The bill will address homelessness by investing in housing choice 
vouchers, project-based rental assistance, emergency solutions grants, 
and continuums of care. It also builds on locally-developed and -driven 
approaches by creating new grant programs to strengthen mobile crisis 
intervention teams; to support hotel and motel conversions to permanent 
supportive housing with services; to aid libraries in supporting 
persons experiencing homelessness; to provide people living in vehicles 
with a safe place to park overnight and facilitate a transition to 
stable housing; and to coordinate behavioral health care with 
homelessness services. And it commissions a report on the connection 
between evictions and emergency rental assistance during the pandemic, 
so we can make smarter policies moving forward.
  When I have traveled around California--from Los Angeles County and 
the Inland Empire to the Central Valley, San Diego, and San Francisco--
to better understand the needs for housing in different communities, 
some key elements stood out. On the production side, there is a need 
for more dedicated funding for affordable housing from the Federal 
Government. There is also missing middle-income housing for families, 
especially people of color. And there is not enough housing near 
transit. That is why my bill focuses on supporting inclusive, transit-
oriented development. When I talked to researchers about keeping 
families housed, one main point they made is that we don't have enough 
data on renters and evictions, and that is why I wanted to include a 
section of the bill on data--so we can make evidence-based policies.
  Right now, the cost to build low-income housing in California is very 
high in part because of land and material costs and the fragmented way 
funding is distributed in California. This is a common problem across 
the Nation, not just in California. That is why I included a section to 
provide technical assistance for localities navigating Federal and 
State housing funding sources.
  Affordable housing is essential infrastructure. Every person deserves 
dignity, security, and a space of their own.
  I want to thank Representatives Ted Lieu and Salud Carbajal for 
introducing this bill with me, and I hope our colleagues will join us 
in supporting this comprehensive solution to our nationwide affordable 
housing and homelessness crises.
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