The Homeless Children and Youth Act (H.R. 5221) is a bipartisan piece of legislation reintroduced on August 15, 2023, by U.S. Representatives Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ-11), Bill Posey (R-FL-08), Delia Ramirez (D-IL-03), and Don Bacon (R-NE-02). The bill aims to address critical gaps in federal homeless assistance programs by aligning the definition of homelessness used by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) with definitions used by other federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Legislation Overview
Currently, HUD's restrictive definition of homelessness excludes many children, youth, and families who are considered homeless under other federal programs. For example:
- Families living in motels or temporarily staying with others due to lack of alternatives are not recognized as homeless under HUD’s definition. As a result, they are ineligible for HUD homeless assistance programs.
- Children and youth experiencing "hidden homelessness," such as couch-surfing or staying in unsafe temporary accommodations; are invisible in HUD’s data collection like Point-in-Time counts.
This misalignment creates significant barriers for children, youth, and families to access critical housing resources despite their unstable living conditions.
Key Provisions
- Align Federal Definitions
- Streamline Assistance
- Local Flexibility
- Comprehensive Data Collection
Author: Ericka Cameron-Carr
Leave a comment