Every American has the right to safe, decent, and affordable housing.
The Problem
We are in a national housing and homelessness crisis. Not surprisingly, low-income seniors, people with disabilities and families with children and low wage workers are the most significantly affected. Los Angeles has one of the least affordable housing markets in the United States. In LA County, a renter earning the minimum wage of $13.25 per hour would need to work 79 hours a week in order to afford a two-bedroom apartment. As a result, approximately 721,000 households in the County are severely rent-burdened—meaning that they pay more than 50 percent of their income on rent.
We need a bold and comprehensive response at the federal, state, and local level to address the homelessness crisis.
Solutions
Increasing Affordable Housing Opportunities
Congressman Gomez is one of the lead sponsors of H.R. 2169, the Rent Relief Act. This bill would create a refundable tax credit for individuals who live in rental housing and pay more than 30% of their gross income for the taxable year on their rent including utilities.
Since 1986, housing credits have financed over three million affordable rental-housing units for roughly 7.4 million hardworking families, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities. Congressman Gomez is a co-sponsor of the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2019. This will would produce roughly 1.9 million new affordable housing units over the next decade, an increase of more than 550,000 units more than would be built without the legislation.
Congressman Gomez supports a robust increase for public housing programs including but not limited to the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) and Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) programs, and the Section 202 and Section 811 programs.
Promoting Equitable Access to Affordable Housing
Congressman Gomez supports expanding the Fair Housing Act to bar discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, and source of income (e.g., housing vouchers).
Since becoming Secretary, Ben Carson has taken numerous steps to eliminate fair housing protections for the most vulnerable families in this country. Congressman Gomez supports H.R. 6220, the Restoring Fair Housing Protections Eliminated by HUD Act to restore the protections that Carson has trampled on since taking the helm at HUD.
Creating Solutions for Unsheltered Homeless Families and Individuals
In Los Angeles County, there are over 50,000 people experiencing homelessness, nearly 5,000 of whom are children, and over 3,800 of whom are veterans. Congressman Gomez is an original co-sponsor of the Ending Homelessness Act of 2019. This will would appropriate $13.27 billion in mandatory emergency relief funding over five years to several critical federal housing programs and initiatives, providing the resources that these programs need to effectively address the homelessness crisis in America.
Championing Anti-Poverty Solutions
Beyond ensuring affordable housing, Congressman Gomez is a strong supporter of legislation that increases and protects resources that alleviate poverty. He supports efforts to protect vital safety net programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), unemployment insurance, Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the Affordable Care Act, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability Income (SSDI), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
Federal Funding
Ending the housing and homelessness crisis requires major investments from the federal government. These grants are instrumental in expanding critical housing, health and socials services that provide our neighbors with the dignity and support they deserve.
Agency: |
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) |
Grant: |
Emergency Solutions Grant Program
|
Recipient: |
City of Los Angeles
|
Amount: |
$4,552,484
|
Description: |
This grant program provides funding to: (1) engage homeless individuals and families living on the street; (2) improve the number and quality of emergency shelters for homeless individuals and families; (3) help operate these shelters; (4) provide essential services to shelter residents, (5) rapidly re-house homeless individuals and families, and (6) prevent families and individuals from becoming homeless. |
Agency: |
Department of Labor (DOL) |
Grant: |
Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program |
Recipient: |
Volunteers of America of Los Angeles, Inc.
|
Amount: |
$500,000
|
Description: |
To provide services to assist in reintegrating homeless veterans into meaningful employment within the labor force; and to stimulate the development of effective service delivery systems that will address the complex problems facing homeless veterans. |
Agency: |
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) |
Grant: |
Transitional Living for Homeless Youth |
Recipient: |
Volunteers of America of Los Angeles
|
Amount: |
$450,000
|
Description: |
The primary goal of the Transitional Living Program (TLP) and Maternity Group Home (MGH) Program is to help runaway and homeless youth and/or pregnant or parenting runaway and homeless youth between the ages of 16 to under 22 establish sustainable living and well-being for themselves and if applicable, their dependent child(ren). Through the provision of residential stay up to 540 days and comprehensive services, TLP youth between the ages of 16 to under 22 will realize improvements in four core outcome areas: stable housing, education/employment, permanent connections, and well-being. |
Agency: |
Department of Labor (DOL) |
Grant: |
Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program |
Recipient: |
People Assisting the Homeless (PATH)
|
Amount: |
$300,000
|
Description: |
To provide services to assist in reintegrating homeless veterans into meaningful employment within the labor force; and to stimulate the development of effective service delivery systems that will address the complex problems facing homeless veterans. |
Agency: |
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) |
Grant: |
Continuum of Care Program |
Recipient: |
Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles
|
Amount: |
$517,078
|
Description: |
This grant program is designed to promote community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness; provide funding for efforts by nonprofit providers, States, and local governments to quickly house homeless individuals and families while minimizing the trauma and dislocation caused to homeless individuals, families, and communities by homelessness; promote access to and effective utilization of mainstream programs by homeless individuals and families; and optimize self-sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness. |
Agency: |
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) |
Grant: |
Continuum of Care Program |
Recipient: |
Alliance for Housing and Healing
|
Amount: |
$349,763
|
Description: |
This grant program is designed to promote community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness; provide funding for efforts by nonprofit providers, States, and local governments to quickly house homeless individuals and families while minimizing the trauma and dislocation caused to homeless individuals, families, and communities by homelessness; promote access to and effective utilization of mainstream programs by homeless individuals and families; and optimize self-sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness. |
Agency: |
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) |
Grant: |
Continuum of Care Program |
Recipient: |
People Assisting Homeless
|
Amount: |
$807,441
|
Description: |
This grant program is designed to promote community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness; provide funding for efforts by nonprofit providers, States, and local governments to quickly house homeless individuals and families while minimizing the trauma and dislocation caused to homeless individuals, families, and communities by homelessness; promote access to and effective utilization of mainstream programs by homeless individuals and families; and optimize self-sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness. |
Agency: |
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) |
Grant: |
Continuum of Care Program |
Recipient: |
1736 Family Crisis Center
|
Amount: |
$531,763
|
Description: |
This grant program is designed to promote community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness; provide funding for efforts by nonprofit providers, States, and local governments to quickly house homeless individuals and families while minimizing the trauma and dislocation caused to homeless individuals, families, and communities by homelessness; promote access to and effective utilization of mainstream programs by homeless individuals and families; and optimize self-sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness. |
Agency: |
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) |
Grant: |
Public and Indian Housing |
Recipient: |
Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles
|
Amount: |
$1,266,391
|
Description: |
To provide and operate cost-effective, decent, safe and affordable dwellings for lower income families through an authorized local Public Housing Agency (PHA). |
Agency: |
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) |
Grant: |
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and
National Significance |
Recipient: |
Volunteers of America of Los Angeles
|
Amount: |
$810,000
|
Description: |
This funding was reauthorized to address priority substance abuse treatment, prevention and mental health needs of regional and national significance through assistance (grants and cooperative agreements) to States, political subdivisions of States, Indian tribes and tribal organizations, and other public or nonprofit private entities. Under these sections, CSAT, CMHS and CSAP seek to expand the availability of effective substance abuse treatment and recovery services available to Americans to improve the lives of those affected by alcohol and drug additions, and to reduce the impact of alcohol and drug abuse on homeless individuals, families, communities and societies and to address priority mental health needs of regional and national significance and assist children in dealing with violence and traumatic events through by funding grant and cooperative agreement projects. |
Agency: |
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) |
Grant: |
Education and Prevention Grants to Reduce Sexual Abuse of Runaway,
Homeless, and Street Youth |
Recipient: |
1736 Family Crisis Center
|
Amount: |
$300,000
|
Description: |
The Service Connection for Youth on the Streets, also referred to as the Street Outreach Program (SOP) makes grants available to nonprofit agencies for the purpose of providing street-based services to runaway, homeless and street youth who have been subjected to, or are at risk of being subjected to sexual abuse, prostitution, human trafficking, sexual exploitation, or other forms of victimization. |
Agency: |
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) |
Grant: |
Private Enforcement Initiatives |
Recipient: |
Southern California Housing Rights Center
|
Amount: |
$900,000
|
Description: |
To assist private non-profit fair housing enforcement organizations in the investigation and enforcement of violations of the rights granted under title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 2801). To develop, implement, and carry out, related activities and enforcement under the or State or local laws that provide substantially equivalent rights and remedies for alleged discriminatory housing practices. Objectives include carrying out testing and other investigative activities |
Multifamily Housing Service Coordinators
Agency: |
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) |
Grant: |
|
Recipient: |
Southeast Senior Housing Preservation
|
Amount: |
$136,307
|
Description: |
To link elderly, especially frail and disabled, or disabled non-elderly assisted housing and neighborhood residents to supportive services in the general community; to prevent premature and unnecessary institutionalization; and, to assess individual service needs, determine eligibility for public services and make resource allocation decisions which enable residents to stay in the community longer. |