One-half of one percent of proposed stimulus package could provide for NJ 5,618 new vouchers for the homeless and $54,922,800 in additional ESG funds to help 7,832 households!
Action needed now!
New data show that homelessness among families with children is already mounting due to the recession.
If unemployment reaches 9 percent, as some experts predict, the ranks of the poor could expand by up to 10 million and the ranks of the very poor by up to 6 million. Large increases in homelessness could result.
The housing market crisis adds to the risk of increased homelessness. Foreclosures have pushed many families into the rental market, driving up rents in many areas and making housing less affordable.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) released a new report today that documents both the need and the cost effectiveness of funding efforts to end homelessness by spending “one-half of one percent of the cost of the overall package.” The report entitled “NUMBER OF HOMELESS FAMILIES CLIMBING DUE TO RECESSION: Recovery Package Should Include New Housing Vouchers and Other Measures to Prevent Homelessness” by Barbara Sard, can be read by clicking here.
This effort to secure this modest funding has been an issue that the Advocacy Network has supported. Click here to find out what you can do to help.
New data indicate that the number of homeless families with children has climbed in recent months and continues to mount. Although the recovery package that Congress will consider in coming weeks is expected to include measures to restore several million jobs, an unusually large number of people are still likely to fall into severe poverty and to be at risk of homelessness, due to the depth of the recession. As a result, it is important that the package include funding for effective homelessness prevention strategies. Such measures could be included for a cost equal to just one-half of one percent of the cost of the overall package.
The funding initiatives are:
Funding for 200,000 additional housing vouchers. Noted researcher and former HUD Policy Director Jill Khadduri has written, “An extensive body of careful research has demonstrated that housing vouchers are critically important both for preventing families with children from becoming homeless and for helping those who do enter the shelter system to leave it for permanent housing and not become homeless again.”
A significant funding increase for homelessness prevention assistance through HUD’s Emergency Shelter Grant program. With an additional $1.5 billion to $2 billion, states and localities, through existing networks of service providers, could provide short-term assistance to enable approximately 400,000 families to avert eviction or obtain new housing.
