National Alliance to End Homelessness CAPITOL HILL DAY 2013 Report and Summary CAPITOL HILL DAY 2013 Report and Summary National Alliance to End Homelessness August 2013 August 2013 Prepared by: Kate Seif & Julie Klein Prepared by: Kate Seif, Policy Outreach Coordinator
Executive Summary Every year, people from across the country take advantage of being in Washington, DC for the Alliance s National Conference on Ending Homelessness to meet with their U.S. Senators and Representatives and their respective staff members during the Alliance s Capitol Hill Day. Capitol Hill Day 2013 was yet another monumental success, with a large contingent of conference participants from a record number of states visiting a record number of congressional offices. Over 418 participants visited congressional offices representing 45 different states. Volunteers serving as State Captains organized an unprecedented 300 plus congressional meetings. Participants met with an impressive number of the Members of Congress who sit on key committees such as the House and Senate Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (T-HUD) Appropriations Subcommittee and the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (MilCon-VA) Appropriations Subcommittee. Participants focused on key priorities such as funding for HUD s McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants, targeted programs for homeless veterans within VA, Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, Runaway and Homeless Youth Act programs, the National Housing Trust Fund, and the ill effects of sequestration on these key programs. The full results of the energy and efforts of these 2013 Capitol Hill Day participants will be more fully visible in the months ahead. To date, Congress has not yet finalized the fiscal year (FY) 2014 appropriations bills, which will attest to the concrete success of Capitol Hill Day meetings. Still, Capitol Hill Day participants realized valuable opportunities to create and strengthen relationships with their Members of Congress and their staff members. These bonds will have immeasurable impact in the coming weeks, months, and years, particularly as Members work to reach broad budget compromises following the August recess. Further details on the success and results of Capitol Hill Day 2013 are available in the following pages.
Introduction Every year in July, Capitol Hill Day held in conjunction with the Alliance s annual National Conference on Ending Homelessness offers a time for constituents from across the country to meet with their U.S. Senators and Representatives and their staff members. There is no better group to act as the voice of the movement to prevent and end homelessness than these experts, including providers, local leaders, city and state government employees, people who have experienced homelessness, and advocates. They speak first-hand about the scope of homelessness and the successful interventions being implemented in their states and districts. A personal meeting with Members of Congress and their staff is one of the most important ways for stakeholders to take part in federal advocacy a critical component to our efforts to end homelessness. Hearing directly from constituents during Capitol Hill Day about what homelessness looks like in their districts and solutions to the problem helps congressional offices understand the issue. These congressional meetings equip the offices with the knowledge and capacity they need to ensure that communities have the resources and policies required to end homelessness once and for all. During Capitol Hill Day 2013, volunteer State Captains from across the country organized more than 418 Capitol Hill Day participants to attend over 300 meetings with congressional offices representing 45 states. This report includes an overview of Capitol Hill Day 2013, a list of the Capitol Hill Day policy priorities, and a review of some of the key offices with which advocates met. This year, Capitol Hill Day was perfectly timed to allow participants to have maximum impact on the federal funding (appropriations) process. Both the House and Senate were working directly on HUD funding bills, with votes on the full legislation and key amendments scheduled for just days following Capitol Hill Day. This meant the hundreds of meetings that took place, and the many conversations around the need for federal resources, were aptly timed to have the biggest immediate impact on these decisions. These meetings and conversations are an important first step in the process of developing relationships and educating Members and their staff on the importance of federal programs targeted toward preventing and ending homelessness. They provide a great opportunity for constituents to begin a dialogue with their congressional offices that will allow them to keep the conversation and education going well beyond Capitol Hill Day. Progress on 2013 Capitol Hill Day Priorities This year, Capitol Hill Day included six different policy priorities on which Capitol Hill Day participants focused during their meetings with Members of Congress and their staff. Further details on these policy priorities and the activity around them are outlined in this section. 1. Provide $2.381 billion in FY 2014 for HUD s McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants.
Capitol Hill Day Actions o Capitol Hill Day participants reached 16 out of the 19 members of the Senate Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (T-HUD) Appropriations Subcommittee. They also reached all 11 House T-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee members. Please refer to Table 1 for further details. o Capitol Hill Day participants discussed the importance of providing $2.381 billion for McKinney-Vento programs with more than 180 congressional offices. Please see table 2 for further details. o The House Appropriations Committee approved $2.088 billion for the program for FY 2014. This funding level would include at least $200 million for the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) programs and would provide enough funding to cover FY 2013 renewals (though it would not get communities back to their FY 2012 levels, prior to sequestration cuts). o The Senate Appropriations Committee approved $2.26 billion for the program for FY 2014, including $336 million for ESG programs. Both bills await action by the full Chambers. 2. Provide $1.4 billion for VA s targeted homeless veteran programs, including $300 million for the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program. Capitol Hill Day Actions o Capitol Hill day participants reached 13 out of the 15 members of the Senate Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (Milcon-VA) Appropriations Subcommittee. They also reached 9 of the 11 House Milcon-VA Appropriations Subcommittee members. Please refer to Table 1 for further details. o Capitol Hill Day participants discussed the importance of providing $1.4 billion for targeted homeless veteran programs within VA, including $300 million for SSVF, with approximately 120 congressional offices. Please see table 2 for further details. o The Senate Appropriations Committee and the full House each approved legislation in June that included $300 million for SSVF to continue to serve our nation s veterans and their families in fiscal year (FY) 2014. This funding level is equivalent to the amount requested by the Administration in its FY 2014 Budget Proposal. So far, Congress has funded approximately 100,000 SSVF interventions since the creation of the program in FY 2011 with much success: homelessness among veterans has declined by more than 7 percent from 2011 to 2012. 3. Provide sufficient funding to renew all existing Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers in FY 2014 and replace those lost by sequestration. In addition, provide $75 million within the account for about 10,000 new HUD VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program vouchers.
Capitol Hill Day Actions o Capitol Hill Day participants reached 16 out of the 19 members of the Senate T-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee. They also reached all 11 of the House T-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee members. Please refer to Table 1 for further details. o Capitol Hill Day participants discussed the importance of protecting Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers and providing new HUD-VASH vouchers with more than 100 congressional offices. Please see table 2 for further details. o In June, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees each marked up legislation including $18.6 billion and $19.6 billion for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program's Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) account, respectively. Both bills included $75 million for approximately 10,000 new HUD-VASH vouchers for homeless veterans. The legislation now awaits passage in each of the full Chambers. o The House Appropriations Committee s TBRA funding level represents a $640 million increase over the final, sequestered FY 2013 level ($17.96 billion) but is $1.4 billion below the President's Budget Proposal. o The Senate Appropriations Committee s TBRA funding level represents a $1.64 billion increase from the final, sequestered FY 2013 level but is $397 million below the President's Budget Proposal. The Administration recommends funding the program at approximately $20 billion in FY 2014, including $75 million for new HUD-VASH vouchers. 4. Replace funds to critical low-income housing and homelessness programs lost by sequestration. Capitol Hill Day Actions o Capitol Hill Day participants reached 15 of the 22 members of the Senate Budget Committee. They also reached 20 of the 39 members of the House Budget Committee. The Budget Committees in the House and Senate each release an annual budget that sets the tone for, and more recently has dictated, discussions around federal spending. o Hill Day participants discussed the negative impacts of sequestration on homeless assistance and affordable housing programs with nearly 130 congressional offices. Please see table 2 for further details. These conversations also reminded Members and their staff that homeless assistance programs cannot be lost or overlooked in broader budget negotiations. o There are currently no plans to replace or reverse sequestration; however, the appropriations bills currently being considered in the Senate do replace some sequestered funds. In addition, it is likely that Congress will reach some sort of larger budget deal later this year that may address sequestration. 5. Increase the capacity of the federal government to address youth homelessness. Capitol Hill Day Actions o Capitol Hill Day participants reached 13 out of the 18 members of the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (HHS) Appropriations Subcommittee. They
also reached all 11 of the 11 House HHS Appropriations Subcommittee members. Please refer to Table 1 for further details. o Capitol Hill Day participants discussed the importance of increasing the capacity of the federal government to address youth homelessness with more than 60 congressional offices. Please see table 2 for further details. o Following sequestration, the programs will receive a total of $110 million in FY 2013. The President s Budget Proposal for FY 2014 recommends returning funds to the program through providing $115 million for RHYA programs in FY 2014 as well as an additional $3 million for an incidence and prevalence study. The Senate Appropriations Committee released legislation matching the President s request. The House has not yet released HHS funding legislation. 6. Fully fund the National Housing Trust Fund. Capitol Hill Day Actions o Capitol Hill Day participants discussed the importance of fully funding the National Housing Trust Fund with more than 80 congressional offices. Please see table 2 for further details. o The Administration s FY 2014 budget proposed $1 billion in mandatory funding to capitalize the Trust Fund. In addition, on March 12, Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN) introduced HR 1213, the Common Sense Housing Investment Act of 2013. This legislation would adjust the mortgage interest deduction and direct the resulting revenue to the National Housing Trust Fund, as well as the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, Section 8, and the Public Housing Capital Fund. While this bill is not expected to be taken up in the short run, there may be opportunities for passage later this year when the Senate addresses tax reform. Capitol Hill Day 2013 At-A-Glance Highlights o 76 volunteer State Captains (with many states having Co-Captains) from across the country; o Over 418 participants; o 301 congressional meetings, including 77 in which a Member of Congress joined the conversation in person, and two additional receptions held by Missouri and Pennsylvania; and o Congressional offices representing 45 states.
Table 1 Meetings Held with Congressional Offices of Members on Key Committees Senate T- HUD Senate Budget Cmte Senate VA Senate Labor-H House T- HUD House Budget Cmte House VA House Labor-H Murray Murray Johnson Harkin Latham Ryan Culberson Kingston Mikulski Nelson Murray Murray Wolf Garrett Young Alexander Durbin Stabenow Reed Durbin Dent Calvert Carter Simpson Leahy Whitehouse Udall Reed Granger Cole Diaz- Womack Balart Harkin Warner Begich Mikulski Cole Ribble Rooney Fleischmann Feinstein Merkley Merkley Shaheen Herrera Nunnelee Nunnelee Joyce Beutler Johnson Baldwin Kirk Merkley Joyce Walorski Farr Harris Member Visits Total No. Cmte Members Reed Kaine McConnell Moran Pastor Messer Price DeLauro Udall King Collins Cochran Price Schwartz Fattah Roybal- Allard Collins Sessions Murkowski Shelby Quigley Yarmuth Lee Shelby Grassley Coats Kirk Ryan Pascrell Honda Kirk Crapo Hoeven Johanns Ryan Coats Portman Johanns Boozman Moore Blunt Toomey McDermott Moran Johnson Lee Boozman Jeffries Grisham Pocan Lujan Blumenauer Schrader 16 15 13 13 11 20 9 11 19 22 15 18 11 39 11 11 Table 2 Policy Priorities Discussed Policy Priority Number of Meetings Percent of Meetings McKinney-Vento Homeless 183 61% Assistance Grants VA Homeless Funding 120 40% Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers 104 35% Youth Homelessness 65 22% Sequestration 128 43% National Housing Trust Fund 84 28%
Participation by Conference Attendees o At least 418 people from 45 states participated in Capitol Hill Day. This represents approximately 1 in 4 conference attendees. These are recorded individuals known to have definitely participated in meetings; it is very likely that many additional people joined at least one or more congressional meetings. o Three states had a 100 percent participation rate, with every single conference registrant from that state participating in Capitol Hill Day 2013: Rhode Island (5 of 5), North Dakota (1 of 1); and South Dakota (1 of 1). o Other states with high participation rates include: Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, Vermont, and West Virginia. District Visits Capitol Hill Day participants invited more than 121 offices to visit programs in their districts over the coming months. Since Congress is in recess during August, connecting Members directly with programs in their districts is key in following up from Capitol Hill Day and continuing to educate Members and their staff on the positive impact these programs have in their district and on their constituents. Site visits are essential in maintaining dialogues begun during Capitol Hill Day and keeping the issue of homelessness on the agenda of the congressional offices. This year, Capitol Hill Day participants invited their Members on 61 percent more site visits than in 2012, which was already a record-breaking year! Conclusion The full impact of Capitol Hill Day 2013 will unfold over the coming months, and the relationships fostered between local experts and congressional offices will extend far beyond that. It is likely that the more than 418 people who participated in the event have created and strengthened relationships with their Members of Congress which will result in a measureable impact on federal policy surrounding the issue of homelessness.