WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein (both D-Calif.) have introduced the Fighting Homelessness Through Services and Housing Act, a bill to authorize $1 billion annually to help local governments address homelessness.

The bill recognizes that solving homelessness requires significantly more affordable housing as well as comprehensive mental health care, substance use disorder treatment, and job training.

Grant recipients would be required to provide 25 percent of project funds and report on measures of success, including whether individuals remain housed.

“With 30 percent of the nation’s people who are experiencing homelessness and over 50 percent of its unsheltered population in California, confronting our homelessness crisis requires addressing its root causes. This means working across all levels of government to invest and align our resources so everyone has roof over their head and a place to call home,” said Senator Padilla. “The Fighting Homelessness Through Services and Housing Act would take a holistic approach to this challenge by providing services that address causes of homelessness. I look forward to helping usher this legislation through during this session of Congress.”

“Homelessness remains one of the most intractable problems in our nation. Nearly 600,000 individuals are without a permanent roof over their heads, and more than 170,000 of those are in California. This problem has reached a crisis level and we must do more to combat it,” said Senator Feinstein. One reason homelessness is so difficult to address is that it’s not just a housing issue or a poverty issue, and frequently requires addressing mental health, substance abuse, education, job training, life skills and more. We must address those root causes for homelessness, which means comprehensive supportive services. This bill does that by requiring that housing be paired with these critical services so we can finally break the cycle of homelessness.”

The bill is also cosponsored by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.).

The Fighting Homelessness Through Services and Housing Act would:

    Authorize $1 billion annually for five years to fund supportive housing models that provide comprehensive services and intensive case management;
    Require a 25 percent match for services and housing from non-federal funds;
    Allow grants to be used for any combination of operations and capital building costs as long as housing and services requirements are fulfilled;
    Require grantees to track outcomes and report on housing stability and improvements in health and wellbeing, including the education of children

Grant eligibility and requirements

    Grants may go to local governmental entities consisting of cities, counties, regional collaboratives and tribal governments.

    Services must address issues including mental health; substance use disorders; disabling or other chronic health conditions; educational and job training/employment outcomes; and life skills classes.

    Intensive case management must be provided with a ratio of no greater than one case manager for every 20 people served.

    When serving families with children, services available must also include children’s behavioral and mental health services, early childhood education, regular and age-appropriate children’s programming and activities, child health and nutrition screening and education and parenting classes and support programs.

    Services must also have in place protocol for staff training and best practices to identify and prevent child trafficking, abuse, and neglect.