CAPITOL HILL DAY 2014 Report and Summary National Alliance to End Homelessness August 2014 Prepared by: Kate Seif, Policy Outreach Coordinator Photo Credit: Joan Serviss and Margaret Kilman
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 2014 was yet another monumental success, with a large contingent of conference participants from numerous states visiting a number of congressional offices. This year, over 235 participants visited congressional offices representing 33 different states. Volunteers serving as State Captains organized over 200 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, and the National Housing Trust Fund. The full results of the energy and efforts of these 2014 Capitol Hill Day participants will be more fully visible in the months ahead. To date, Congress has not yet finalized the fiscal year (FY) 2015 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 2014 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 is a time for constituents from across the country to meet with the offices of their U.S. Senators and Representatives. These experts, including providers, local leaders, city and state government employees, people who have experienced homelessness, and advocates, collectively act as the voice to end homelessness. Because federal advocacy is a critical component of our efforts to end homelessness, personal meetings with Members of Congress and their staffs are among the most effective ways for participants to advance the interests of people experiencing 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 meetings equip offices with the knowledge they need to ensure that communities have the resources required to end homelessness once and for all. For Capitol Hill Day 2014, volunteer State Captains from across the country organized more than 235 Capitol Hill Day participants to attend over 200 meetings with congressional offices representing 33 states. This report includes an overview of Capitol Hill Day 2014, a list of the Capitol Hill Day policy priorities, and a review of key offices with which advocates met. This year, the Alliance was honored to welcome First Lady Michelle Obama as a keynote speaker at the Conference. In front of approximately 1,400 conference attendees, Mrs. Obama spoke on the state of veterans homelessness and encouraged everyone to continue their hard work on the issue. The timing of her speech and the last-minute preparations required everyone involved with Capitol Hill Day to do extra work, and although some meetings could not happen as a result, in general the flexibility and resourcefulness of State Captains and others produced a success. Combined with the impact of the First Lady s involvement, Capitol Hill Day boosted overall understanding and awareness of homelessness around the country, as well as in Congress. Progress on 2014 Capitol Hill Day Priorities This year, Capitol Hill Day included five 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 $2.406 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2015 for HUD s McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants. o Capitol Hill Day participants reached 8 out of the 19 members of the Senate Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (T-HUD) Appropriations Subcommittee. They also reached 8 out of the 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 $2.406 billion for McKinney-Vento programs with more than 170 congressional offices. Please see table 2 for further details. o In June, the House Appropriations Committee approved $2.105 billion for the program for FY 2015. This funding level, representing flat funding from FY 2014, would not be enough to cover all Continuum of Care renewals and would lead to cuts in programs across the country. o The Senate Appropriations Committee approved $2.145 billion for the program for FY 2015, which, by the Alliance s preliminary estimates, would be enough to cover Continuum renewals, but would not allow for any new funding for new projects. o The full Senate has yet to take action on the bill and it is unclear when the FY 2015 legislation will be finalized. 2. Provide $1.641 billion for VA s targeted homeless veteran programs, including $500 million for the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program. o Capitol Hill day participants reached 5 out of the 15 members of the Senate Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (Milcon-VA) Appropriations Subcommittee. They also reached 7 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 $1.641 billion for targeted homeless veteran programs within VA, including $500 million for SSVF, with over 110 congressional offices. Please see table 2 for further details. o In April, the full House voted to provide $1.4 billion for VA s homeless assistance programs, including $300 million for SSVF in FY 2015 representing flat funding from FY 2014. o The Senate Appropriations Committee voted to provide $1.641 billion for VA s homeless assistance programs, representing a $241 million increase over FY 2014 and $41 million more than the amount requested by the Administration. o The full Senate has yet to take action on the bill and it is unclear when the FY 2015 legislation will be finalized. 3. Provide sufficient funding to renew all existing Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers in FY 2015 and replace those lost by sequestration. In addition, provide a $75 million set-aside to account for about 10,000 new HUD VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program vouchers. o Capitol Hill Day participants reached 8 out of the 19 members of the Senate T-HUD Appropriations Subcommittee. They also reached 8 out of the 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 70 congressional offices. Please see table 2 for further details. o In June, the full House voted to provide $19.357 billion for Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers in FY 2015, which included $75 million for approximately 10,000 targeted HUD-VASH vouchers. This funding level represents a $180 million increase over FY 2014, but is significantly less than the amount requested by the President and it would not get back any vouchers lost through sequestration. o The Senate Appropriations Committee voted to provide $19.562 billion for the program, which is still nearly $500 million less than the amount requested by the Administration and would similarly not allow housing authorities to replace vouchers lost by sequestration. o The full Senate has yet to take action on the bill and it is unclear when the FY 2015 legislation will be finalized. 4. Increase the capacity of the federal government to address youth homelessness. o Capitol Hill Day participants reached 8 out of the 18 members of the Senate HHS Appropriations Subcommittee. They also reached 4 out of the 11 of the House HHS Appropriations Subcommittee members. Please refer to Table 1 for further details. o Capitol Hill Day participants discussed the importance of increased funding for the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act with approximately 35 congressional offices. In addition, many of these meetings included discussions around RHYA reauthorization and the need for an incidence and prevalence study of youth homelessness to better understand and assess the scope and need of homeless youth. o RHYA programs received $110 million in FY 2014, representing flat funding from the previous year. The President s Budget Proposal for FY 2015 recommends flat funding the program but urges Congress and the Administration to focus on an incidence and prevalence study. o The Senate Appropriations HHS Subcommittee released FY 2015 funding legislation; however, the details for RHYA were not made available. The House has not yet released HHS funding legislation. 5. Fully fund the National Housing Trust Fund. o Capitol Hill Day participants reached 14 out of the 2 members of the Senate Banking Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. They also reached 12 out of the 20 of the House Financial Services Housing and Insurance Subcommittee members. Please refer to Table 1 for further details.
o Capitol Hill Day participants discussed the importance of fully funding the National Housing Trust Fund with more than 40 congressional offices. Please see table 2 for further details. o The Administration s FY 2015 budget proposed $1 billion in mandatory funding to capitalize the Trust Fund. The Housing Finance Reform and Taxpayer Protection Act of 2013, S. 1217, also known as the Johnson-Crapo housing finance reform bill would provide a $3.75 billion annual investment in the NHTF. That bill has been approved by the full Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs but has not yet reached the Senate floor. While it is not likely that the House and Senate will reach a compromise on housing finance reform this Congress, whatever passes the Senate will likely be the basis for efforts in the next Congress. o In addition, on March 12, 2013 Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN) introduced HR 1213, the Common Sense Housing Investment Act of 2013. This legislation would: lower the cap on the amount of mortgage for which interest can be deducted from $1 million to $500,000; convert the mortgage interest deduction to a 15 percent non-refundable mortgage interest tax credit; phase these changes in over five years; 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, or inclusion in comprehensive tax reform legislation, in the future. Capitol Hill Day 2014 At-A-Glance Highlights o 50 volunteer State Captains (with many states having Co-Captains) from across the country; o Over 235 participants; o 200 congressional meetings, including 48 in which a Member of Congress joined the conversation in person, and three additional receptions held by Missouri, New Hampshire, and Minnesota. o Congressional offices representing 33 states.
Table 1 Meetings Held with Congressional Offices of Members on Key Committees Member Visits Total No. Cmte Members Senate T- HUD Senate HHS Senate VA Senate Banking Cmte House T- HUD House HHS House VA House Fin Serv Mikulski Harkin Kirk Schumer Latham Stewart Culberson Luetkemeyer Feinstein Landrieu Begich Menendez Granger DeLauro Rooney Miller Collins Durbin Collins Brown Simpson Roybal- Forten- Capito Allard berry Harkin Mikulski Murkowski Warner Pastor Lee Fattah Garrett Blunt Shaheen Johanns Hagan Wolf Valadao Duffy Durbin Graham Manchin Dent Bishop Hurt Graham Kirk Warren Price Price Ross Kirk Johanns Crapo Quigley Cleaver Vitter Clay Johanns Sherman Toomey Himes Kirk Sinema Coburn Heller 8 8 5 14 8 4 7 12 19 18 15 22 11 11 11 20 Table 2 Policy Priorities Discussed Policy Priority Number of Meetings Percent of Meetings McKinney-Vento Homeless 170 85 Assistance Grants VA Homeless Funding 110 55 Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers 70 35 Youth Homelessness 35 18 National Housing Trust Fund 40 20 Participation by Conference Attendees o At least 235 people from 33 states participated in Capitol Hill Day. This represents slightly less than 1 in 6 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 Other states with high participation rates include: Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Maine, Nevada, New Hampshire, Utah, and West Virginia.
District Visits Capitol Hill Day participants invited more than 52 offices to visit programs in their districts over the coming months. Since Congress is in recess during August and much of fall this year, 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. Conclusion The full impact of Capitol Hill Day 2014 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 235 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.