A bicameral group of 45 Democratic members of the California congressional delegation sent a letter on September 19 to President Donald Trump criticizing his recent threats to further criminalize homelessness in their state (see Memo 9/16). The letter provides alternative proposals to address the root causes of homelessness and urges the president to abandon policy proposals that would increase homelessness.
Last week, the White House Council of Economic Advisors released a report that suggests increased policing as a tool to solve the crisis. In response, the members of Congress state: “Let us be clear: policing and criminalizing your citizens won’t end homelessness,” noting that providing supportive housing is less costly than sending individuals to jail or a hospital.
The letter also states that the administration’s recent budget requests and housing policy proposals demonstrate a “fundamental misunderstanding” of the homelessness crisis. The members of Congress list the recommendations in the president’s fiscal year 2020 budget request that could increase homelessness, including reducing or eliminating resources for critical affordable housing and community development programs and increasing rents for low-income families. They also urge the president to reverse proposals that would prevent mixed-status immigrant families from accessing subsidized housing and would keep LGBTQ individuals experiencing homelessness from safely seeking shelter.
The letter urges the president to support proposals and programs that provide relief from homelessness, including increased funding for the Housing Choice Voucher and HUD-VASH (Veteran Affairs Supportive Housing) programs, homelessness assistance grants, and supportive services.
Read the California delegation letter at: https://tinyurl.com/y2l3kyyl
Read NLIHC’s statement on the White House report on homelessness at: https://bit.ly/2kUrlbj