CSH endorses and stands with U.S. Senators and Representatives calling for President Biden’s Administration to accelerate data-driven solutions that effectively address homelessness. A letter to the President signed by 36 congressional members requests urgent action to tackle rising homelessness with proven solutions like affordable housing and supportive services.
The letter acknowledges the recent Supreme Court decision on Johnson v. Grants Pass that overturned constitutional protection for people experiencing homelessness with no other options for safe shelter. The decision gives communities a free pass to refuse to provide safe shelter options in favor of ticketing, arresting, and jailing people experiencing homelessness. The congressional members also acknowledge the acute differences among people experiencing homelessness and who are disproportionately Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC).
The Members of Congress asked the Administration to act on “proactive, evidence-based policies across the country that can reduce initiatives to criminalize homelessness”:
- Public Health Priority: Declare unsheltered homelessness a public health priority. Strengthen the relationship between homeless services providers and public health agencies. Provide additional resources for harm reduction efforts and evidence-based approaches to address substance use disorder and mental illness. Deploy the U.S. Public Health Service to assist communities with outreach to homeless people.
- Civil Rights and Liberties: Defend the civil rights and liberties of people experiencing homelessness and those who serve them. Direct federal agencies and law enforcement to provide necessary resources without displacing individuals facing complex barriers to housing. Develop consistent guidance for engagement using a harm reduction approach that connects unhoused people to services and housing.
- Federal Resources for Stable Housing: Allow states and communities to use federal resources effectively. Provide waivers for flexibility in administering the Housing Choice Voucher program. Convert underused federal buildings to housing and shelter. Resolve conflicts to facilitate the transfer of surplus federal properties for sheltering and housing people experiencing homelessness.
