Sense of the House Resolution To End Involuntary Homelessness For Families, Children, And Women In America By 2015 Whereas according to the Stewart B. McKinney Act, 42 U.S.C. Section 11301, homeless is defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, (HUD,) as an individual who lacks a fixed regular, and adequate night time residence; or lives in a supervised publicly or privately run shelter. Whereas Involuntary Homelessness is when families or women who do not want to be homeless end up living in homeless shelters, hotels, cars, friends, family, and strangers due to unemployment, illness, accident, or domestic violence due to the inability to find decent and affordable housing. Whereas having a home is an absolute necessity for stability, peace of mind, good health, self-sufficiency, and being productive. President Franklin Roosevelt in his Second Bill Of Economic Rights declared that housing for all Americans must be a fundamental civil and human right. The United States, being one of the wealthiest nations in the industrialized world, has more than enough resources to provide safe, affordable, and decent housing for all families, children, and women. Whereas there has been an increase in homeless middle class working families with children since the recent economic down turn and the home foreclosure crisis, with the majority of the new involuntary homeless families living with relatives, friends, emergency shelters, vehicles, or on the streets after being foreclosed or evicted from their homes. Whereas the federal government should take all reasonable measures, and make the necessary federal investments, to establish an effective affordable housing safety net for all families, children, and women who lose their apartment or home due to unemployment, illness, poverty, domestic violence, or periods of personal hardship so they will have access to safe, decent, and affordable during difficult times. Whereas the federal government, to the maximum extent possible, should try to prevent families with children from being foreclosed from their homes, or evicted from their apartments, given the severe psychological harm that children experience that results from becoming homeless. Whereas approximately 600,000 families experience homelessness in the United States, making up approximately 50% of the homeless population over the course of the year; and are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population. Families accounted for less than 1% of the U.S. homeless population in the mid 1980’s, but are now about 1/3 of the homeless population. Whereas 29% of adults of homeless families are working. Lack of affordable housing is a primary cause of homelessness in families, often one or both parents are working, but not making a living wage. Additionally, events such as illness unemployment, accidents, and domestic violence limit the ability to secure stable and affordable housing. Families experiencing homelessness are under considerable stress, move frequently, and many live doubled up in over- crowded apartments with relatives and friends. Whereas there are 1.6 million children, or one in 45 children, who are homeless each year in America; equating to 30,000 children each week, and more than 4,400 each day. This is a 38% marked increase in homeless children since 2007. The vast majority of homeless children live in shelters, doubled up with friends, or relatives, or in situations such as motels and campgrounds. Whereas homeless children suffer from hunger, poor physical and emotional health, and missed educational opportunities. Homeless children experience severe and damaging psychological trauma due to being homeless, are four times as likely to have developmental delays, twice as likely to have learning disabilities, and twice as likely to repeat a grade. Approximately 87% of school age homeless children are enrolled in school, although only 77% of homeless children attend school regularly. Whereas the majority of women who are homeless have experienced sexual abuse in their lifetime, are homeless due to physical and emotional abuse from a spouse or partner, and are more likely to experience continued sexual abuse as the result of being homeless. 50% of mothers who have experienced homelessness have experienced a major depressive episode since becoming homeless. Whereas involuntary homeless families, children, and women face numerous barriers preventing them from obtaining permanent housing , such as the lack of quality and safe affordable housing, transitional housing with comprehensive services, child care, transportation vouchers, and employment at a livable wage. Whereas regardless of best intentions, homeless shelters cannot replace the security, sanctity, and privacy of living in one’s own apartment or home, and are often not appropriate places to live for those who just need a an affordable home or apartment to live in, and do not have serious drug, alcohol, or mental health problems. Shelters are often under-funded, can be unsafe, and are neither suitable nor sustainable long term living environments for families and women who want to become independent and self sufficient. Whereas America needs a Housing First policy, where transitional housing, community living, or apartments are the first choice of affordable housing as opposed to a shelter first housing policy. There are several successful non-profit administered transitional housing, community living, or apartment programs with job programs for low income people across the nation that provide decent and affordable housing to families, children, and women who have special needs, until they are ready to move into permanent housing. Whereas there are cities and towns in America who have successful “scattered site” small scale apartment units for low- income families that are connected to transportation and high employment corridors operated by local Housing Authority Agencies. Most cities across the country have long waiting lists for scattered site public housing, and Section 8 subsidized Apartments due to the shortage of federal funding for these successful affordable housing programs that assist low income residents in obtaining housing. Whereas Habitat For Humanity and other non-profit affordable housing providers have a successful track record in creating home ownership programs and community run condominium programs so low- income residents have access to decent affordable housing. Whereas any new federal funding that expands affordable housing programs for the involuntary homeless should have a requirement that tenants must look for work in a timely and reasonable manner, or perform community service, unless through no fault of their own they are unable to work either temporarily or permanently. Whereas the federal government should work with local governments to provide affordable and quality child care, transportation vouchers, and jobs at a livable wage either through the private or public sector for those who want to be self-sufficient. Whereas renovating existing housing stock, or building new affordable housing would create scores of new jobs in the construction and trades industry at a time period where there are high unemployment rates in the construction industry, and there does not exist a robust home or apartment construction sector due to the current economic down turn. Whereas there are scores of vacant apartments, hotels, and homes across the nation which can be renovated and utilized for affordable housing programs by non-profit organizations and public housing agencies through an expansion of the Section 8 Housing Voucher program, or by increasing funding for the Community Development Block Grant Program, (CDBG). Therefore, be it resolved, that is it is The Sense of this Congress to end involuntary homelessness for low- income families, women, and children by 2015. Also, be it therefore resolved, that the federal government, to the maximum extent possible, should provide Section 8 vouchers and Community Development Block Grants to local cities and towns so they can build, renovate, or provide affordable housing to all families, women, and children who need housing regardless of employment status.