By Terri Rimmer
The Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2005 passed the House of Representatives recently.
The final vote of 331 to 90 was approved with an amendment authorizing the Affordable Housing Fund.
The legislation goes to the Senate next.
The National Coalition for the Homeless, founded in 1984, a national network of people made up of advocates, service providers, and others committed to a single mission, spearheaded the piece of legislation.
The provisions of the proposed Act state the following:
Every member of society has a right to basic economic and social entitlements.
It is a societal responsibility to provide stable, good, accessible, frugal, and long-term housing.
All people who are able to obtain safe, decent, accessible and permanent housing through their own resources need economic and social supports to help them do this.
People experiencing homelessness deserve entry to safe, decent, accessible, budget-minded, and permanent housing through the systems for people with housing.
People experiencing homelessness have special needs and life circumstances that may be dealt with through programs constructed custom-made for them.
All people should have the same access to safe, decent, accessible, and affordable housing no matter their unique needs or life situations.
Across-the-board access to this type of permanent housing is a form of truly fair society.
The Bringing America Home: the Campaign, a national, detailed initiative is associated with the goal of ending homelessness. The Act, a complete bill (H.R. 4347) introduced in the 109th Congress, details resolutions putting them on file as supporting housing as a basic human right. A National Housing Trust Fund should be created to serve for revenue to establish new housing and the preservation or rehab of existing housing affordable for poor people, stated the Campaign.
A Health Care Access Resolution instructs Congress to enforce legislation guaranteeing every person, regardless of income, age, employment, or health status, has access to affordable, good, comprehensive health care.
The Universal Living Wage Resolution, also part of the campaign, is written on the approach that if a person works 40 hours a week then he/she should be able to pay for basic housing.
The Civil Rights Protection for People Experience Homelessness legislation to stop the criminalization of homelessness is included in the Act.
The Act was reintroduced into Congress by Rep. Julia Carson (D-IN) on Nov. 16th.
She was joined by nine co-sponsors.
The Act is said to be the most comprehensive initiative to address homelessness.
If passed the Act would provide affordable housing, job training, civil rights protections, vouchers for child care, and public transportation, emergency funds for families facing eviction, increased access to health care for all, and Congressional support for living incomes, states a press release from the National Coalition for Homeless.
“The bill has already garnered wide support,” says the release.
“This legislation is crucial to assisting people who are homeless or are near homelessness,” said the release.
For more information on the Act, call 202-462-4822 or visit bringingamericahome.org.
Source: National Coalition for the Homeless, nationalhomeless.org
The Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2005 passed the House of Representatives recently.
The final vote of 331 to 90 was approved with an amendment authorizing the Affordable Housing Fund.
The legislation goes to the Senate next.
The National Coalition for the Homeless, founded in 1984, a national network of people made up of advocates, service providers, and others committed to a single mission, spearheaded the piece of legislation.
The provisions of the proposed Act state the following:
Every member of society has a right to basic economic and social entitlements.
It is a societal responsibility to provide stable, good, accessible, frugal, and long-term housing.
All people who are able to obtain safe, decent, accessible and permanent housing through their own resources need economic and social supports to help them do this.
People experiencing homelessness deserve entry to safe, decent, accessible, budget-minded, and permanent housing through the systems for people with housing.
People experiencing homelessness have special needs and life circumstances that may be dealt with through programs constructed custom-made for them.
All people should have the same access to safe, decent, accessible, and affordable housing no matter their unique needs or life situations.
Across-the-board access to this type of permanent housing is a form of truly fair society.
The Bringing America Home: the Campaign, a national, detailed initiative is associated with the goal of ending homelessness. The Act, a complete bill (H.R. 4347) introduced in the 109th Congress, details resolutions putting them on file as supporting housing as a basic human right. A National Housing Trust Fund should be created to serve for revenue to establish new housing and the preservation or rehab of existing housing affordable for poor people, stated the Campaign.
A Health Care Access Resolution instructs Congress to enforce legislation guaranteeing every person, regardless of income, age, employment, or health status, has access to affordable, good, comprehensive health care.
The Universal Living Wage Resolution, also part of the campaign, is written on the approach that if a person works 40 hours a week then he/she should be able to pay for basic housing.
The Civil Rights Protection for People Experience Homelessness legislation to stop the criminalization of homelessness is included in the Act.
The Act was reintroduced into Congress by Rep. Julia Carson (D-IN) on Nov. 16th.
She was joined by nine co-sponsors.
The Act is said to be the most comprehensive initiative to address homelessness.
If passed the Act would provide affordable housing, job training, civil rights protections, vouchers for child care, and public transportation, emergency funds for families facing eviction, increased access to health care for all, and Congressional support for living incomes, states a press release from the National Coalition for Homeless.
“The bill has already garnered wide support,” says the release.
“This legislation is crucial to assisting people who are homeless or are near homelessness,” said the release.
For more information on the Act, call 202-462-4822 or visit bringingamericahome.org.
Source: National Coalition for the Homeless, nationalhomeless.org