Congress MUST provide critical resources for People Experiencing Homelessness!

TAKE ACTION

Our advocacy is working! The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released this guidance Sunday, saying that encampment residents and those living outdoors should not be forced into congregate shelter or further displaced! For the time being, it is much safer for unhoused folks to stay in their tents, and for cities to provide restrooms and handwashing stations!

But Congress is still not including enough emergency assistance to assist people experiencing homelessness and service providers in the COVID relief spending packages being considered.

As a reminder, here are our demands:

Provide $15.5 billion specifically targeted to people who are currently homeless.
Cancel the 2020 NOFA: Direct HUD to automatically renew Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Funding in 2020 to programs that were recently renewed through the 2019 renewal process, as currently allowed in the HEARTH Act, so long as the Continuum of Care Entity documents that a) there is a continuing demonstrated need for the project and b) that the project continues to comply with CoC program requirements. Use the 2020 CoC NOFA process to competitively award only additionally appropriated funding for New Projects to meet the needs of those currently on the streets, in shelters, or the newly homeless.
Require HUD to increase flexibility to allow communities to utilize CoC Homeless Assistance Funding to meet local needs and local priorities.
Call for a moratorium on all homeless encampments sweeps during the pandemic. The CDC has released guidelines saying encampments should not be displaced unless housing is available!
Ensure that any stimulus payments are available to all Americans, especially those who make too little to submit a tax return, in equal amounts (no matter how low your income), and in a form that all can access (Debit or EBT card if someone doesn't have a bank account).

Send these demands to your Legislator!