Skip to content
Advertisement

Waters proposes bill to end homelessness

Advertisement
 (195612)

Rep. Maxine Waters, (CA-43), last week  introduced legislation that she said will end the crisis of homelessness in America.

Waters’ previewed the legislation before more than 800 people in Los Angeles during the Housing First Partners Conference held in downtown Los Angeles Friday.

The legislation, called The Ending Homelessness Act of 2016, would provide $13.27 billion in new funding over five years for a number of federal programs and would help nearly 600,000 Americans who are currently homeless; more than 170,000 who are unsheltered, more than 83,000 who are chronically homeless and nearly 130,000 of whom are under age 18.

If  passed, the legislation will provide access to both housing and supportive services.

Waters calls the proposed act an emergency relief bill that will target areas where the situation has reached crisis proportions.

The plan would double the amount of resources currently directed at addressing homelessness.

The measure has been referred to both the House Financial Services Committee of which Waters is the ranking Democratic member as well as the House Budget Committee. In addition, the Congresswoman has sent a letter urging Chairman  Jeb Henslarling to support the legislation and requesting that a series of hearings be held on the state of homeless in America (including one in Los Angeles County).

In order to pass the proposal, legislators can take two approaches-find offsets that will fund the cost or make the budget deficit larger.

But even before that, the Republicans who control the two committees must agree to hold hearings, which has not yet happened.

Advertisement

Latest