,,iv #aaeth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,,con4 ,,res4 #ge ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,july #bh1 #bjag,ms4 ,adams 7for herself and ,mr4 ,conyers7 submitted the following concurrent resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,financial ,services1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,ways and ,means1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,,concurrent ,,resolution ,expressing the sense of the ,congress that homelessness in ,america should be eliminated4 ,whereas1 on any given night1 more than half a million ,americans are sleeping in places not meant for human habitation or in temporary shelters for homeless persons2 ,whereas nearly all ,americans who are experiencing homelessness are involuntary homeless1 meaning that they do not want to be homeless1 are likely to be in financial crisis1 and are in desperate need of affordable work force housing2 ,whereas among persons experiencing homelessness1 there is an overrepresentation of people of color and other vulnerable people1 including young children1 youth who have been abandoned by their parents1 veterans and other ,americans with severe disabilities1 and women who have been subject to domestic violence2 ,whereas according to the ,national ,coalition for the ,homeless1 the rise in homelessness over the past #ce years is due to a growing shortage of affordable rental housing with a simultaneous increase in income inequality1 especially decreased value of wages2 ,whereas according to the ,national ,low ,income ,housing ,coalition1 most cities across the country have long waiting lists for public housing and apartments subsidized under the rental assistance program under section #h of the ,united ,states ,housing ,act of #aicg1 due to insufficient ,federal funding2 ,whereas according to the ,housing ,commission of the ,bipartisan ,policy ,center1 #g4h million households with extremely low incomes--which is #fh percent of such households--receive no rental assistance whatsoever from ,federal programs2 ,whereas according to the ,national ,low ,income ,housing ,coalition1 a lack of affordable housing and the limited scale of housing assistance programs have contributed to the current housing crisis and homelessness1 with #aa4d million extremely low-income renters and just #ce affordable and available units for every #ajj extremely low-income renter households2 ,whereas homeless families with children constituted approximately #cf percent of the homeless population as of ,january #bjaf1 and the number of families experiencing homelessness decreased by an estimated #e4f percent since #bjae2 ,whereas according to the ,urban ,institute of ,washington1 ,,dc1 #bi percent of adults in homeless families are employed2 ,whereas homeless families are under considerable stress1 move frequently1 and experience difficult living situations1 such as overcrowded shelters or the apartments of relatives and friends2 ,whereas according to the ,national ,center on ,family ,homelessness1 #ga percent of families experiencing homelessness are headed by females and over #hj percent of homeless mothers have experienced severe physical or sexual abuse during their lifetimes2 ,whereas according to the ,service and ,housing ,interventions for ,families in ,transition study1 the majority of homeless mothers also reported major depressive symptoms2 ,whereas according to a #bjjf report by the ,united ,states ,conference of ,mayors1 #ee percent of the cities surveyed reported that homeless families may have to break up in order to be sheltered and1 according to the ,child ,welfare ,league of ,america1 #a in #f families who receive child welfare assistance are homeless2 ,whereas according to ,doorways ,for ,women and ,families1 anxiety and depression are #c times higher for children who are homeless than for their housed peers2 ,whereas according to ,doorways ,for ,women and ,families1 homeless children get sick twice as often as other children1 have twice as many ear infections1 #d times more asthma attacks1 #e times more stomach problems1 experience higher rates of obesity1 have twice as many hospitalizations1 and go hungry twice as often as other children1 and homeless children are four times more likely to have developmental delays1 twice as likely to have learning disabilities1 and twice as likely to repeat a grade2 ,whereas the ,national ,alliance to ,end ,homelessness projects a #cc-percent increase over the next decade in elderly people who are homeless1 increasing the number of homeless persons over the age of #fb from the current estimate of #dd1agb to #eh1ggb2 ,whereas according to the ,national ,coalition for the ,homeless1 older adults living in poverty are a forgotten population1 who are now forced to grow old in the streets and in shelters due to the dramatic increase in poverty and decrease in the availability of affordable housing over the last several years2 ,whereas there are tens of thousands of homeless ,americans who are severely mentally and physically challenged and are forced to live in cars1 in the streets1 temporarily in other people's homes1 in expensive hotels1 on downtown benches or grates1 or in homeless shelters because of long-term unemployment1 insufficient ,social ,security ,disability ,insurance 7,,ssdi7 benefits needed to cover the costs of increasing private sector rents1 or frequent denials of ,,ssdi claims due to stringent eligibility requirements2 ,whereas due to the current affordable housing crisis1 mental health centers across the ,nation are forced to release patients with limited or no access to affordable housing1 creating a costly and needless revolving door cycle of repeated hospitalizations1 arrests1 incarceration1 and the flooding of already overcrowded emergency rooms2 ,whereas thousands of caring families across the ,nation often lack the requisite training1 or the resources needed1 to provide loving care for homeless mentally ill family members1 and providing housing for an untreated and unsupervised homeless mentally ill family member or friend can result in undue financial pressures1 debt1 and extremely dangerous life-threatening situations2 ,whereas although the ,united ,states has been highly successful in dramatically reducing the numbers of homeless veterans and people experiencing chronic homelessness1 there are still tens of thousands of veterans who remain homeless1 or who suffer severe emotional disorders and injuries1 who are in urgent need of affordable housing2 ,whereas the ,united ,states is one of the wealthiest industrialized nations in the world1 with a gross domestic product of #ah4df trillion in #bjaf and more than enough resources to provide quality1 decent1 and affordable housing for all ,americans who are currently in need of housing2 ,whereas the success of communities using a strong housing first approach to sharply reduce homelessness among veterans and others demonstrates that homelessness is in fact a solvable problem2 ,whereas the ,united ,states needs to institute a housing first policy that includes linking housing with supportive services for those with special needs1 providing community living opportunities1 and making affordable rental apartments and homes available for all families1 women1 and children2 ,whereas there are cities and towns across our ,nation where local housing authorities1 community development corporations1 nonprofit housing organizations1 such as ,habitat for ,humanity1 the ,local ,initiatives ,support ,corporation1 the ,enterprise ,community ,partners1 and private real estate developers have created affordable and high-quality apartments for low-income families and individuals2 ,whereas according to the ,department of ,housing and ,urban ,development1 the ,low-,income ,housing ,tax ,credit program 7,,lihtc7 is the most important resource for creating affordable housing in the ,united ,states today2 ,whereas the ,,lihtc program helped spur the development of #ibf1jjj multifamily housing units1 and almost #b4gh million housing units placed in service between #aihg and #bjad2 ,whereas the recent collapse of the residential housing market has resulted in an unemployment rate in the construction industry of approximately #ag percent over the last several years2 and according to the ,national ,low ,income ,housing ,coalition1 every #aj1jjj1jjj1jjj dollars spent through the ,national ,housing ,trust ,fund will create #abb1jjj new jobs in the construction trades and #cj1jjj new ongoing jobs in the operation of the rental housing2 and ,whereas one of the most effective ways to end the revolving door cycle of homelessness is by creating jobs1 so ,americans can avoid becoming homeless or expedite getting out of homelessness3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that it is the sense of the ,congress that-- 7#a7 given the severe emotional1 health1 safety1 and financial harm that results from being homeless1 the ,congress should1 without further delay1 establish a goal to eliminate homelessness1 by #bjbj or as soon as possible1 for families1 women1 children1 veterans1 and those with severe mental and physical challenges2 7#b7 the ,federal ,government should1 to the maximum extent possible1 dramatically expand funding for the rental housing voucher program under section #h of the ,united ,states ,housing ,act of #aicg1 the ,community ,development ,block ,grant program1 the ,,home ,investment ,partnerships ,program1 the ,mc,kinney-,vento homeless assistance program1 and the ,low-,income ,housing ,tax ,credit program1 to allow municipalities and public housing agencies to partner with nonprofit and for-profit housing developers to renovate1 construct1 and provide affordable housing for all homeless families1 women1 children1 seniors1 and the mentally and physically challenged1 while creating good-paying jobs for unemployed homeless people and residents who have the skills needed to construct or renovate housing2 7#c7 legislation should be enacted that provides substantial additional funding to the ,national ,housing ,trust ,fund1 for example1 as provided in the ,housing ,finance ,reform and ,taxpayer ,protection ,act of #bjac 7,s4 #abag1 as reported in the #aacth ,congress72 7#d7 the ,federal ,government should immediately increase funding for effective job training1 child care1 apprenticeship opportunities1 and local direct hiring job programs1 especially for unemployed homeless young adults2 and 7#e7 the ,federal ,government should promote a housing first policy that includes linking housing with supportive services for persons with special needs1 and providing permanent housing connected to employment1 transportation1 and job training programs for ,american families and individuals who are capable and ready to become tax-paying members of the economic mainstream4