Homeless Children Offer
Subcommittee a Glimpse of Barriers to Housing Help
January 09, 2012
A Congressional subcommittee heard testimony from a panel of current and
former homeless children as it examines government barriers that prevent
many homeless youth from receiving housing assistance.
The Financial Services Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community
Opportunity is examining how conflicting definitions of “homeless
person” in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act make it more
difficult for children and youth to obtain housing assistance. Passed by
Congress in 1987, the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act established
federal homeless assistance programs and provided the first statutory
definition of homeless persons.
Subcommittee Chairman Judy Biggert said, “Children living in shabby
motels or jumping from couch to couch deserve help, too. Every child
should have a safe place to sleep at night and a chance at a brighter
future. That’s what this hearing is all about, and I hope my colleagues
will listen closely to the stories these young witnesses, who have come
from all over the country, will tell us.”
A study released Tuesday by the National Center on Family Homelessness
says one in 45 children in the U.S. experience homelessness annually.
The Subcommittee also discussed H.R. 32, the Homeless Children and Youth
Act, introduced by Chairman Biggert. H.R. 32 harmonizes the conflicting
definitions of “homeless person” in the McKinney-Vento Homeless
Assistance Act. As a result, H.R. 32 would not only increase the number
of children and youth who could receive housing assistance and services,
it would also allow the Department of Housing and Urban Development to
more accurately estimate the number of homeless persons in the United
States.
Witnesses:
Panel I:
Brandon
Dunlap, Chicago, IL
Rumi Khan, 6th Grade,
Lamberton Middle School, Carlisle, PA
Brittany Amber Koon, PFC,
Fort Hood, TX
Brooklyn Pastor, 7th Grade,
William Paca Middle School, Shirley, NY
Destiny Raynor, 9th Grade,
Winter Springs High School, Sanford, FL
Starnica Rodgers, Truman
College, Chicago, IL
Panel II:
Alicia Puente Cackley,
Director, Financial Markets and Community Investment, U.S.
Government Accountability Office
Maria Estella Garza, Homeless
Liaison, San Antonio Independent School District
Mark Johnston, Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Special Needs, Office of Community Planning
and Development, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Barbara Poppe, Executive
Director, U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness
Grace Whitney, PhD, MPA,
IMH-E(IV), Director, Connecticut Head Start State Collaboration
Office, Connecticut State Department of Education
