as shared by our colleagues at Housing Action Illinois ...
Urge Senator Kirk to Support Increased Federal Resources to End HomelessnessCongress has begun the process for creating the fiscal year 2015 federal budget. Housing Action Illinois is making a special effort to get Senator Mark Kirk to support a funding level of at least $2.4 billion in FY 2015 for federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants by asking him to sign a “Dear Colleague” letter being circulated by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) in support of providing the President Obama's requested amount for these programs. Your petition signature will help show Senator Kirk that ending homelessness is a high priority to people in Illinois despite our federal budget challenges.A substantial increase in homelessness was expected due to Great Recession and the faltering economic recovery, but the number of people experiencing homelessness in the U.S. remained relatively stable in recent years because of the hard work of communities and the solutions-oriented focus of the Department of Housing and Urban Development's homeless assistance programs. HUD's data shows that homelessness among most all populations, including veterans and people who are chronically homelessness, has actually decreased since 2010. During the same period, however, the number of "doubled up" households has increased, which is a sign that unless we continue to increase resources we will not be able to maintain the momentum we've created to end homelessness in the United States. McKinney-Vento programs and other housing programs are being negatively impacted by sequestration, which is reducing ability of service providers to address homelessness throughout Illinois and around the nation. Increased funding for the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) and Continuum of Care programs within the Homeless Assistance Grants is needed in FY 2015 to help overcome these challenges. Sign the Petition!By April 2, 2014 please sign our petition to Senator Kirk asking him to ensure further federal investment to keep homelessness in Illinois from rising. Both organizations and individuals can sign the petition. Click here to sign the petition! |
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