CSH Applauds Introduction of S. 1801, The Community Partnership to End Homelessness Act of 2005

On September 29, Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) introduced legislation to reauthorize the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987.  Joining Mr. Reed in co-sponsoring S. 1801—The Community Partnership to End Homelessness Act of 2005—were a bi-partisan group of 13 Senators, including such leading Congressional voices on housing and homelessness as Sen. Allard (R-CO), Chair of the Housing Subcommittee of the Senate Banking Committee (of which Mr. Reed is the Ranking Member); Sen. Bond (R-MO), Chair of the HUD Appropriations Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee; and Sen. Sarbanes (D-MD), Ranking Member of the Banking Committee.

Mr. Reed and his staff have been working on this legislation in consultation with CSH and other national advocates for several years.  The result, CSH believes, is a sound approach to reauthorizing the McKinney-Vento programs because S. 180l:

• accomplishes long-overdue consolidation of the McKinney-Vento programs; 
• codifies the ‘Continuum of Care’ approach to applying for and distributing McKinney-Vento funds, thereby preserving the inclusiveness of this process and protecting against a block granting of the McKinney-Vento programs;
• ensures ---by requiring non-competitive renewal of rent/operating subsidies to permanent housing and codifying the “30% permanent housing set aside” for individuals and families with disabilities--  that:
  + all McKinney-Vento funded permanent housing is financially stable for the long-term; and
  + the McKinney-Vento programs will continue to create new permanent supportive housing targeted to those families and individuals least likely to escape homelessness without it;
• acknowledges more than does existing law the importance of certain interventions—such as prevention and the development of new affordable housing stock—and the needs of growing homeless sub-populations (e.g., non-disabled homeless families;
• calls for a FY 2006 funding level-- $1.6 billion—that would far better support the full range of effective, McKinney-Vento eligible interventions than recent  appropriations.

For more information on the bill, click to view a side-by-side comparison of current law and S. 1801 prepared by CSH, and a section-by-section summary of the bill and bill highlights prepared by Sen. Reed’s office.