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Health Care for the Homeless Action Bulletin
November 17, 2015 | Volume XX, No. 5

Congress Reaches a

Budget Deal--Call Them Today

and Tell Them to Fund Programs Important to the HCH Community!
Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015
While not a 100% victory, the phone calls, emails, meetings, and constant pressure to raise the budget caps have had their impact! On November 2nd, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 was signed into law. The two-year budget deal raises budget caps by $112 billion over the next two fiscal years, split evenly between defense and non-defense spending, providing $33 billion for non-defense discretionary programs (90% of the reduction caused by sequestration) in FY2016 and $23 billion (60% of the reduction caused by sequestration) in FY2017.
With $33 billion more to spend in FY2016, attention returns to the appropriations commitees who will decide which programs receive funding. Congress has until December 11 to pass an FY2016 budget, which will come in the form of an omnibus bill that will be voted upon all at once. Now that the spending caps have been lifted we must continue to put pressure on ensuring that programs that are important to the HCH community receive the funding they need.
Contact your members of Congress and ask them to:
Tell Congress: No Riders, Pass a Clean Budget Deal!
Tell your member of Congress to reject any ideological riders and to pass a clean budget deal.
Riders are additional policy provisions added to a bill that often have little connection with the subject of the bill. It is a tactic to pass provisions that generally would not pass on their own due to their controversial nature. Current policy riders include the defunding of Planned Parenthood, restricting the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency, and other harmful policy changes.
Join the conversation on Twitter at #NoRiders #CleanBudget.
December 21: National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day
No More Homeless Deaths!
While Congress cuts funding to programs that serve individuals experiencing homelessness, we are quickly approaching December 21st, Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day. Each year on the first day of winter and longest night of the year, hundreds of local organizations, advocates, and people experiencing homelessness gather in our communities to take pause from their work and everyday lives to honor those whose lives have been lost in homelessness. We state clearly, together with others in scores of communities across our nation, that no person should die for lack of housing.
Each Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day event is unique to its community, but the events often include readings of names, candles, prayers, personal remembrances, marches, and moments of silence. They are often held outdoors, sometimes – fittingly – in the bitter cold. And they often include calls to address the systemic causes of tragically avoidable deaths.
To learn more and to get involved see our resource page.
Take Action!
Contact your members of Congress (Capitol Switch-board: 1-877-210-5351) and ask them to:
  • Restore HOME funding to at least $1.06 billion.
  • Oppose any raid on the National Housing Trust Fund.
  • Fully fund the renewal of Housing Choice Vouchers at $18.05 billion.
  • Provide $2.480 billion for the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants program.
  • Fully fund 12-month Project-Based Rental Assistance renewals at $10.826 billion.
  • Reject ideological riders and support a clean budget deal.
Join us in Portland, OR, for our 2016 National Health Care for the Homeless Conference & Policy Symposium!
This publication and all HCH advocacy are funded by dues from Organizational Members of the Council. Consider joining the Council to support this work.
Donate Now!
Matt Warfield, MSW, MUP
Health Policy Organizer
National Health Care for the Homeless Council
Baltimore, MD
mwarfield@nhchc.org
(443) 703-1337 | www.nhchc.org
PO Box 60427 | Nashville, TN 37206 US
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