Pathway to Stable and Affordale Housing for All Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. MENG. Madam Speaker, I rise today to highlight the human right of every person to have a safe and affordable home. As we know, our nation is faced with a staggering housing crisis. At least 600,000 Americans are experiencing homelessness in a given night-- and this number can vary throughout the year. In the State of New York, we are faced with more than 90,000 New Yorkers without a home. Furthermore, nationwide, only 37 affordable and available homes exist for every 100 extremely low-income renter households. In my own Sixth Congressional District of New York, these numbers are even worse; only 18 housing units are available for every I00 extremely low-income households.

Madam Speaker, these are not just data points; these are heartbreaking numbers--especially when one considers the families, the children in these households. We know that children living in stable, affordable homes are more likely to thrive in school and have greater opportunities to learn inside and outside the classroom.

And yet, low-income families continue to face the unjust and heartbreaking decision of choosing between paying rent or paying for necessary expenses such as groceries, childcare, or prescription drugs.

Madam Speaker, this is a cruel and impossible decision.

In September 2019, the Trump Administration took aim at individuals experiencing homelessness in the U.S. by releasing a report that targeted a handful of states and cities by offering policy responses that adopted an ``out of sight, out of mind' approach, such as rounding up and increasing the policing of vulnerable communities. Slashing HUD programs, tripling the rents for the lowest-income subsidized residents, allowing homeless shelters to discriminate against the LGBTQ community, and evicting thousands of people will only exacerbate the homelessness crisis in America.

In addition, the Administration has repeatedly taken steps to increase the number of families and individuals living in unstable housing situations and those at risk of homelessness. While Congress has continued to push back against the Administration's every attempt to gut and dismantle our federal homelessness and affordable housing programs, Congress must--and can--do more.

That is why I am introducing the Pathway to Stable and Affordable Housing for All Act. We need bold and robust solutions to address these housing challenges that every single congressional district faces. That is why, today, I am introducing the Pathway to Stable and Affordable Housing for All Act--a bill sets forth a 10-year investment plan based on estimates from frontline service providers and experts that focus on meeting the challenges our states and communities face every day.

Specifically, this bill consists of four provisions: two of which would help states and organizations on the ground assist individuals experiencing homelessness into homeless shelters quickly and efficiently, and two focused on getting those in the shelter system into safe, affordable housing:

$10 billion per year in additional funding for Emergency Solutions Grants;

$10 billion per year in additional funding for Continuum of Care grants so organizations can move those experiencing homelessness into the shelter system and provide needed supports;

$40 billion per year direct appropriation to the Housing Trust Fund-- on top of the existing funding provided by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac-- to begin to chip away at the deficit of units in our nation's affordable housing stock; and

Fully funding tenant-based rental assistance to allow all eligible households to get into permanent, safe, affordable housing.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition estimates, if enacted, this bill would effectively end homelessness and housing poverty.

Madam Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this critical bill--the Pathway to Stable and Affordable Housing for All Act--to ensure housing justice for all Americans

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