New Executive Director of US Interagency Council on Homelessness
This week, the U.S. Interagency Council (USICH) on Homelessness approved Jeff Olivet as the new executive director. Olivet was nominated through a process led by the White House Domestic Policy Council (DPC) and USICH council leaders and approved by the full council, per statutory requirement. As the executive director of USICH, Olivet will lead the agency, which is committed to the belief that housing should be a right and to the core values of racial equity, Housing First, decriminalization, and inclusion. He will collaborate with the 19 federal agencies that make up the council to develop and release the federal strategic plan later this year.
“Jeff brings more than two decades of experience in working to eradicate homelessness,” said HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge, who also serves as the chair of USICH. “His experience has spanned direct service as a street outreach worker and case manager to serving as CEO of the Center on Social Innovation to consulting both independently and as a founding member of Racial Equity Partners. Beyond what is reflected in his resume, Jeff also stood out among the highly competitive field of candidates we interviewed for his thoughtfulness in understanding and tackling the crisis of homelessness as a complex, multi-faceted issue—rooted in systemic racism and discrimination against people with disabilities—requiring an interdisciplinary and comprehensive approach centered on advancing equity and justice.”
To view the official press, click here.
House Holds Hearing on Addressing Homelessness Challenges
On Wednesday, the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development, and Insurance held a hearing titled Housing America: Addressing Challenges in Serving People Experiencing Homelessness. The Chairman of the Subcommittee, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) stated the lack of housing resources across the nation is a barrier to solving homelessness and reiterated his support for President Biden’s Build Back Better Act that would provide $150 billion toward housing and community development programs. Ranking Member Rep. French Hill (R-AR) discussed assistance for homeless veterans and stated his opposition to having homeless service providers comply with the Housing First approach to receive HUD funding. Housing First is a homeless assistance approach that prioritizes providing permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness with voluntary wrap around services. Witnesses testified that homelessness has increased steadily each year since 2016 and that it disproportionately impacts people of color. Several witnesses also testified that many homeless individuals have jobs but cannot afford housing because their wages are too low and rents are rising too quickly. All witnesses urged the committee to increase funding for affordable housing and homeless service providers. Subcommittee members also discussed Housing Choice Vouchers, wages for homeless service providers, and affordable housing development. One member of the Subcommittee, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) said, “The solution to homelessness is housing… homelessness is a policy choice.”
To view the full hearing, click here.
Bipartisan Anti-Poverty Bill Introduced
Seeking to address homelessness by directing federal funding to high poverty areas throughout the country, Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rob Portman (D-OH), House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn (D-SC), and Representative Hal Rogers (R-KY) recently introduced the Targeting Resources to Communities in Need Act of 2022 (H.R. 6531). The bill seeks to create smarter, more targeted federal investment in communities that need help the most. If enacted, this bill will assist high-poverty communities with the foundational elements of high-impact, inclusive economic development. The bill expands the successful 10-20-30 anti-poverty formula to include a significantly larger group of struggling communities and broader universe of federal accounts. The bill directs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to work government-wide, program by program to increase the share of funds going to persistent poverty counties, high-poverty census tracts, and other high and persistent poverty areas, with a minimum goal of having programs invest in these areas in an amount greater than their proportion of the population. OMB and the relevant agencies have discretion on precisely how to best target funds in each individual program. Following the implementation of these targeting measures, OMB and the General Accounting Office are directed to report to Congress on the measures taken and their impact. The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Reform for further consideration.
To view the full bill text of the Targeting Resources to Communities in Need Act, click here.
Bills Introduced to Address Recent Fires in Federally-Assisted Housing
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Congressman Ritchie Torres (D-NY) recently announced a package of legislative proposals seeking to improve fire safety and housing quality in federally assisted housing. This includes improved standards for space heaters, self-closing doors, and compliance with fire codes. The Housing Temperature Safety Act of 2022 (H.R. 6528) would require the installation of temperature sensors all federally funded or regulated multi-family housing developments. HUD, as well as the state and local housing administrator, would receive real-time reports that flag when the level of heating in a unit is out of compliance with Housing Quality Standards when it comes to heat. The Twin Parks North West Fire Safety Act of 2022 (H.R. 6529) would require the installation of self-closing doors (on apartment units, stairwells, etc.) and would require owners and operators to inspect and certify—under penalty of perjury, on a monthly basis—that the doors are properly functioning and self-closing. Additional policy recommendations include:
- Requiring space heaters to have an automatic shutoff and to require the Commission on Consumer Product Safety to establish mandatory safety standards for the manufacturing of space heaters
- Clarifying that federally funded or regulated multi-family housing developments are required to comply with state and local building, fire, and housing codes
- Requiring HUD to disclose the results of HQS inspections in a publicly searchable online database.
Both bills have been referred to the House Financial Services Committee for further consideration and Majority Leader Schumer has indicated that he intends to push the legislation through the Senate in the coming weeks.
To view the full bill text of The Housing Temperature Safety Act (H.R. 6528), click here.
To view the full bill text of Twin Parks North West Fire Safety Act (H.R. 6529), click here.