Harris, Murray, Hirono, Gillibrand Announce Comprehensive Legislation to End Homelessness

Statement

U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), along with Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), on Thursday announced the Ending Homelessness Act, a comprehensive plan to confront homelessness in our country. Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, introduced the Ending Homelessness Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation passed the House Financial Services Committee in March and is expected to reach the House floor.

"Housing is a human right -- yet too many people don't have a safe place to call home. We must act quickly to tackle our country's homelessness crisis head on with serious investments in programs that get at the root causes of this issue," said Sen. Harris. "This is our best chance to make a difference and put roofs over people's heads. The Ending Homelessness Act has already passed out of committee and is likely headed to the House floor soon. The women and men who woke up this morning on a bench or under an overpass cannot afford to wait. I'm proud to work with Congresswoman Waters, Senator Murray, Senator Hirono, and Senator Gillibrand to help make homelessness a thing of the past, both in California and around the country.

"The Ending Homelessness Act is a bold and crucial step forward in our work to help the people and families across our nation who struggle with homelessness," said Sen. Murray. "As a voice for Washington state in the Senate, I'm proud to support this bill, which would empower local communities to provide affordable housing for their most vulnerable residents, and I will continue fighting to ensure every family in Washington state and across the country has access to a safe, stable, and secure home."

"Across Hawaii and our country, we continue to face a pervasive housing and homelessness crisis, and yet this administration continues to take steps that make it more difficult for families to access safe, affordable homes," said Sen. Hirono. "The Ending Homelessness Act will provide significant investments in a number of critical programs to expand our nation's affordable housing stock as well as tackle the circumstances that lead to vulnerable populations experiencing homelessness."

"No one should ever be without a place to call home, but in the United States we are seeing far too many families facing homelessness. Congress should be doing more to stop this crisis," said Sen. Gillibrand. "The Ending Homelessness Act would help end chronic homelessness by funding housing organizations across the country that provide critical services to people who don't have access to affordable housing. Safe and reliable housing is absolutely essential for the health of our communities. I am proud to introduce this legislation with Senator Harris, Senator Murray, Senator Hirono, and Congresswoman Waters, and I urge my colleagues to join us in supporting this bill."

"In the richest country in the world, it is simply unacceptable that we have people living in the streets," said Chairwoman Waters. "Today, there are over a half million people experiencing homelessness nationwide. Nearly 160,000 of them are children and nearly 38,000 are veterans who we have failed to support after their service to our nation.

"In Los Angeles County, there are over 50,000 people experiencing homelessness, nearly 5,000 of whom are children, and over 3,800 of whom are veterans.

Chairwoman Waters continued, "As Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, I have made it a top priority to focus on this crisis. That is why I have introduced the Ending Homelessness Act of 2019, which would provide $13.27 billion in new funding over five years to federal programs and initiatives to prevent homelessness.

"It is time for Congress to step up and provide the resources and funding necessary to address this important issue and I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to ensure that every American has a safe, affordable place to call home."

The Ending Homelessness Act will appropriate billions in mandatory emergency relief funding over five years to critical federal housing programs, including construction of new affordable housing units, and support the improved coordination between supportive housing and health care initiatives. This legislation will lead to the construction of 410,000 new affordable housing units.