Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Bittersweet Chocolate – The McKinney-Vento Act – 10 steps
Since I love bittersweet chocolate (as my belt size shows), this recent article caught my attention and I hope it will yours. Working with the homeless is a bittersweet experience. Sweet successes and bitter failures are part of the patterns of life in skid row.
The McKinney-Vento Act has helped to ameliorate the suffering of countless homeless people, but it cannot and was never intended to prevent or end homelessness in the United States,” Sheila Crowley, president of NLIHC, said. “Observance of this anniversary should be used to spotlight the growth in homelessness in America in the last two decades as a consequence of decreasing federal investment in affordable housing.”
Maria Foscarinis, executive director of the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, will moderate the event during which all participants will receive bittersweet chocolate bars with labels declaring the “Bittersweet Anniversary.” Following the event, chocolate bars will be distributed to each congressional office to raise awareness about the McKinney-Vento Act and the continuing homeless crisis. The candy bar labels will include a list of 10 steps that Congress and the Administration could take now to help address homelessness.
Here are the 10 steps as suggested:
I would add an “eleventh commandment” … “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” Regardless of how we might react to any of the first 10, the eleventh would get us to the same end. It will take personal responsibility as well as public and political will to see change in homelessness and its contributing factors.
-- Herb Smith, President
The McKinney-Vento Act has helped to ameliorate the suffering of countless homeless people, but it cannot and was never intended to prevent or end homelessness in the United States,” Sheila Crowley, president of NLIHC, said. “Observance of this anniversary should be used to spotlight the growth in homelessness in America in the last two decades as a consequence of decreasing federal investment in affordable housing.”
Maria Foscarinis, executive director of the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, will moderate the event during which all participants will receive bittersweet chocolate bars with labels declaring the “Bittersweet Anniversary.” Following the event, chocolate bars will be distributed to each congressional office to raise awareness about the McKinney-Vento Act and the continuing homeless crisis. The candy bar labels will include a list of 10 steps that Congress and the Administration could take now to help address homelessness.
Here are the 10 steps as suggested:
- Assist currently homeless people by reauthorizing and doubling funds for HUD McKinney-Vento programs.
- Create housing for low income households by enacting a National Housing Trust Fund.
- Protect, preserve and expand existing federal housing programs that serve the lowest income people.
- Appropriate funds for at least 5,000 Section 8 housing vouchers for homeless veterans through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program.
- Expand access to addiction and mental health services for people experiencing homelessness through reauthorization of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
- Increase homeless and low income persons’ access to healthcare by reauthorizing and expanding the Consolidated Health Centers program.
- Increase homeless persons’ access to mainstream disability income, temporary assistance, and workforce investment services.
- Provide homeless children and youth with increased services and support by reauthorizing the Education for Homeless Children and Youth program within the No Child Left Behind Act and the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act.
- Require the Administration to develop and publish a coordinated federal plan to end homelessness.
- Require jurisdictions receiving federal housing funds to protect the civil rights of homeless persons.
I would add an “eleventh commandment” … “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” Regardless of how we might react to any of the first 10, the eleventh would get us to the same end. It will take personal responsibility as well as public and political will to see change in homelessness and its contributing factors.
-- Herb Smith, President
