For immediate release:
The National Health Care for the Homeless Council applauds the proposals in the President’s FY15 Budget Request to replace 40,000 of the vouchers lost by sequestration and to invest in the effort to end chronic and veterans’ homelessness. The increases in support for health professionals and continued support for most safety net program are also laudable. At the same time, the Budget underinvests in Health Care for the Homeless projects and other community health centers by reducing their allocation this coming year, limiting their growth, and setting up another potentially drastic reduction in funding in future years.
Housing is critical to improving the health of those experiencing homelessness, as well as the services needed to remain stable in housing. “When living on the streets, injuries fail to heal, wounds become infected, and medication regimens are difficult to follow,” says John Lozier, Executive Director of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council. “The investments in affordable housing and safety net programs included in the President’s Budget are a welcome, if modest, step towards reducing homelessness.”
While many aspects of the Budget are positive, there are troubling reductions in Health Care for the Homeless and community health center growth. Annual appropriations are reduced by $500 million and it will be difficult to reauthorize funds for health centers outside of the regular appropriations process. “Federal support for community health centers is a continuing and critical need, even in Massachusetts, where everyone is required to have health insurance,” says Heidi Nelson, Executive Director at Duffy Health Center in Hyannis, MA. “Twenty-five percent of our patients enter the health center with no insurance, and the rest usually are in a circumstance of disarray. Funding uncompensated care, as well as case management, outreach, and other services not covered under insurance are ongoing fiscal needs.”
In states that have yet to expand Medicaid, the need is even more drastic. Kristy Chambers, CEO at the Fourth Street Clinic in Salt Lake City, UT states, “We leverage every federal dollar into two or three more dollars in community support, but we need the federal grant to show we are a worthwhile place to invest. Without the foundation of the federal grant, we would not have the infrastructure to leverage these dollars.”
The President’s Budget includes many provisions that will aid in the effort to serve and house individuals and families experiencing homelessness, but the reductions in support for Health Care for the Homeless projects and other community health centers will be problematic now and in the future. We call on Congress to reject the reductions in health center funding for this fiscal year and to reauthorize the health center funding allocated under the Affordable Care Act.
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