[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 22496]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             SERVICES FOR ENDING LONG-TERM HOMELESSNESS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 23, 2009

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the 
Services for Ending Long-Term Homelessness Act. The sad reality our 
nation faces is that more than a half million Americans do not have a 
place to call home each night, and half of them are without shelter. 
This bill will alleviate the widespread problem of chronic homelessness 
across the country.
  According to the Department of Children and Families' most recent 
report, there are 85,907 persons homeless on any given day. At least 2 
million people find themselves homeless at some point each year in our 
country. There isn't nearly enough shelter for these individuals. In 
2007, my home state of Florida alone had 48,000 homeless people, with 
14,900 of them families and 7,691 of them chronic cases.
  Recently, I heard the story of a 25-year-old mother of three young 
children in my district, who was running out of options--staying at a 
hotel in Palm Beach County after fleeing domestic violence in Miami. As 
she was running out of money, she and her kids--ages 6, 5 and 3--soon 
would be homeless. But, they were some of the lucky ones. She was 
referred to The Lord's Place residence for homeless families, where she 
now lives with her children. As a leader in my district for chronic 
homelessness solutions, the Lord's Place is a perfect example of the 
types of establishments that would benefit immensely from this 
legislation. In her words: ``I am here. I am working. I am breathing. 
And I am grateful.''
  Throughout our country, over 100,000 people have nowhere to call home 
for years on end and all too often are confronted with mental illness, 
substance addiction, life-threatening illness or other serious health 
problems. The good news is: this bill presents us with an opportunity 
to put an end to this national crisis that hits home for all of us.
  In 2003, the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health 
recommended the development and implementation of a comprehensive plan 
designed to create 150,000 units of permanent supportive housing for 
consumers and families who are chronically homeless. Affordable housing 
alone can't meet the needs for many people with severe mental illness. 
This bill will establish funding for supportive housing, affordable 
housing linked to accessible mental health, substance addiction, 
unemployment, and other support services as necessary. Permanent 
supportive housing is cost-effective, and is the soundest available 
investment of public and private resources to end long-term 
homelessness.
  Current programs for funding services in permanent supportive 
housing, other than those administered by the Department of Housing and 
Urban Development, were not designed to be closely coordinated with 
housing resources, nor were they designed to meet the multiple needs of 
people who are chronically homeless. This bill will establish a 
comprehensive grant program to provide supportive housing for 
chronically homeless individuals and families that they so badly need. 
Support services will include mental health services, substance use 
disorder treatment, referrals for medical and dental care, health 
education, and services designed to help individuals make progress 
toward self-sufficiency and recovery. Permanent supportive housing can 
help the chronically homeless stay off the streets, out of hospitals 
and jails, and ultimately help them achieve the stability they need to 
lead healthy lives as productive members of their communities.
  Madam Speaker, it is time we take a stand to put an end to long-term 
homelessness in America. I urge my colleagues to support this bill and 
to support a proven and cost-effective solution to ending chronic 
homelessness.

                          ____________________