FW: Senate, WH to Unveil New FY11 Proposal
Christine Johansen
From: Amanda Krusemark [mailto:AKrus...@NAEH.org]
Sent: Monday, March 28, 2011 1:14 PM
To: Amanda Krusemark
Cc: Catherine Seif
Subject: Senate, WH to Unveil New FY11 Proposal
Good afternoon McKinney Campaign Advocates,
The White House and Senate Democrats are expected to unveil a new funding proposal for FY 2011 very soon (likely early this week). The new proposal is expected to cut an additional $20 billion compared to FY 2010 levels, on top of the $10 billion that Congress has already cut through various stopgap funding measures. The current stopgap funding measure expires next Friday, April 8, and there is a LOT of pressure on congressional leaders to finally wrap up FY 2011 appropriations.
As a result, the final funding level for the McKinney-Vento program could well be decided in the next week or two. We MUST make sure that Congress hears our voices again and understands just how CRITICAL these programs are for our collective efforts to prevent and end homelessness and stave off the worst effects of the recession. You have done an INCREDIBLE job over the last year of making sure this issue is front and center on the minds of Members of Congress. The next couple of weeks may be our final chance to make sure it stays there!
Please contact the DC offices of your Senators and Representatives RIGHT AWAY!
○ If you’re already going to be in Washington, DC, ask to meet with the Member of Congress and/or the staff person who handles housing issues while you’re in town.
○ If you’re more comfortable writing a letter, email the housing staff person in your Member’s office.
○ Otherwise, CALL the DC office and ask to speak to the person who handles housing issues.
Explain the importance of providing an INCREASE for McKinney-Vento programs in the final FY 2011 funding bill.
○ See the attached talking points and/or sample letter.
If you’ve already spoken with the housing staff person, CALL AGAIN!
○ This may be the final week or two to impact the outcome, so we need to make sure EVERY congressional office hears from us and remembers how important these programs are!
Let us know who you contacted!
○ Shoot me an email at akrus...@naeh.org or give me a call at 202-942-2856.
The Alliance thinks that H.R. 1 (the House proposal that would cut $61 billion compared to FY 2010) would prevent/end homelessness for just 23,000 people. This compares to 142,000 people whose homelessness would be prevented/ended under the most recent Senate proposal (with $2.055 billion for McKinney-Vento), and 217,000 under a proposal released by the Senate in December that would have provided $2.2 billion for McKinney-Vento programs. See the attached chart for more details, including the number of veterans, children, and people with disabilities affected by the various funding proposals.
Key talking points for why we need an INCREASE in McKinney-Vento funding, despite the budget environment:
○ Because of their high cost, renewals would basically swallow up ALL of the McKinney-Vento funds if the program receives flat funding. This basically means NO progress toward implementing HEARTH through new CoC projects or the continuation of HPRP through HEARTH, and NO help to deal with the effects of the recession.
○ These programs work. We’ve seen McKinney-Vento programs contribute to strong national and local declines in recent years. We need to continue this progress.
○ Flat funding would put a dead stop to our strong momentum from the last several years under multiple Administrations and multiple Congresses of actually SOLVING homelessness.
○ With a funding level of $2.2 billion, we could make significant progress toward implementing HEARTH and addressing the effects of the recession through new resources for homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing.
We’ll keep you posted as soon as we see the new White House/Senate proposal, or if there are any other major developments. Feel free to touch base with us if you have further questions.
Thanks!
Amanda
PS – The House McKinney sign-on letter is still circulating! Representatives can sign on until this Wednesday, March 30! As you call your House offices, if they’re supportive, ask them to sign onto the letter.
Amanda Krusemark
Program and Policy Associate
National Alliance to End Homelessness
1518 K Street NW, Suite 410
Washington, DC 20005
No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 10.0.1204 / Virus Database: 1498/3534 - Release Date: 03/27/11