Housing America: Addressing Challenges in Serving People Experiencing...(EventID=114353)

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Connect with the House Financial Services Committee Get the latest news: https://democrats-financialservices.house.gov/ Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HouseFinancialCmte Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FSCDems ___________________________________ On Wednesday, February 2, 2022, at 10:00 p.m. (ET) Housing, Community Development and Insurance Subcommittee Chairman Cleaver and Ranking Member Hill will host a virtual hearing entitled, “Housing America: Addressing Challenges in Serving People Experiencing Homelessness." ___________________________________ Witnesses for this one-panel hearing will be: • Adrienne Bush, Executive Director, Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky • Marc Dones, Chief Executive Officer, King County Regional Homelessness Authority • Ann Oliva, Vice President for Housing Policy, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities • Nan Roman, Chief Executive Officer, National Alliance to End Homelessness • Harriet McDonald, President, The Doe Fund ___________________________________ Overview Since 2016, America’s homelessness crisis has intensified as more people have been forced to live in emergency shelters, on streets, in cars, or in other places not fit for human habitation. The coronavirus pandemic has increased the challenges in addressing homelessness at all levels of government. To respond to this crisis, Congress has provided additional resources to local communities, and homeless service providers have worked to deploy them throughout the pandemic; however, ongoing structural issues, including America’s shortage of affordable housing and unique circumstances created by the pandemic have made it difficult for providers to fully meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness. Background on Homelessness in America While homelessness in America decreased between 2007 and 2015, it has been increasing since 2016. From 2007 to 2015, the annual point-in-time (PIT) count of persons experiencing homelessness overseen by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) registered a 15% decrease, reaching a low of 549,528. Declines in homelessness were especially dramatic among specific subpopulations—veterans experiencing homelessness dropped by 47% during this period, which has been attributed to the adoption of Housing First and increased federal resources. Since 2016, however, overall homelessness has increased by 5.6%, with 580,466 persons experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2020. Increases in homelessness among certain populations have been especially dramatic: for the first time since HUD began conducting the PIT count in 2005, unsheltered individuals experiencing homelessness outnumbered those who were sheltered, with the key driver being persons with chronic patterns of homelessness. Four consecutive years of increased unsheltered homelessness has cut across all geographies. Indeed, rural communities had the largest percentage of people experiencing homelessness in unsheltered locations (44%) in 2020 and experienced the greatest increase in unsheltered homelessness between 2019 and 2020 (8.3%), followed by major cities (39% in unsheltered locations and a 7.5% increase in unsheltered homelessness between 2019 and 2020). Additionally, stark racial inequities in homelessness persist. Although White individuals make up 74% of the U.S. population, they constitute only 48% of people experiencing homelessness. By contrast, over 67% of people experiencing homelessness are Black, Indigenous, and Latinx, despite representing 12%, 1%, and 16% of the total U.S. population, respectively. The overrepresentation of Black, Indigenous, and Latinx households among those experiencing severe rent burdens and homelessness is partly driven by the nation’s long history of racial discrimination and exclusion. In fact, some studies have found that racial discrimination is one of the foremost determinants of homelessness for people of color, despite the Fair Housing Act’s prohibition of housing discrimination based on race, color, national origin, and other protected classes. HUD’s Role in Ending Homelessness There are several programs across seven different federal agencies that serve people experiencing homelessness. HUD plays the primary role in the federal response to homelessness by administering its homeless assistance programs. The Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program focuses on the emergency shelter and service needs of people experiencing homelessness, as well as homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing. The Continuum of Care (CoC) program focuses on providing longerterm housing and services for people experiencing homelessness and is the largest federal program that primarily serves people experiencing homelessness. While supportive services are eligible uses of ESG and CoC funding, in general, these programs focus on providing... Hearing page: https://democrats-financialservices.house.gov/events/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=408499