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June 24, 2021 | Volume 25, No. 6 | Archives
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In this issue:
- Cash Resources Available for Consumers
- CDC Eviction Moratorium Expires Next Week
- Infrastructure Negotiations Stall on the Hill
- The War on Drugs
- Create Safe Spaces for LGBTQ Patients and Staff
- Coming Soon… Your Input Needed on Medication-Assisted Treatment, Syringe Service Programs, Single-Payer, and More!
- COVID-19 Updates
- Biden Releases Federal Budget Proposal
- New Housing and Health Care Leadership
- ACA Case Dismissed by Supreme Court
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| Cash Resources Available for Consumers
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Case managers and front-line staff should know about opportunities for financial relief available to their clients and how to access them. See the latest information (updated June 23) on how to benefit from Stimulus/Survival Checks, the Federal Eviction Moratorium (set to expire June 30), Rental Assistance, Emergency Broadband Benefit, FEMA Funeral Relief, and historic increases to the Child Tax Credit. Questions about benefits for consumers can be sent to kcavanaugh@nhchc.org.
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| TAKE ACTION: Forward this information to caseworkers and other colleagues to ensure clients are able to access the cash benefits available to them!
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CDC Eviction Moratorium Expires Next Week
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Infrastructure Negotiations Stall on the Hill
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The Biden administration continues to push Congress to pass an infrastructure bill modeled after Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure proposal, the American Jobs Plan. Last month, HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge released details on a $318 billion housing plan the administration wants to be included in an infrastructure deal, but current negotiations don’t include housing and there is yet to be full bipartisan consensus on legislation. Our national partners in housing continue to push for robust housing provisions from Congress.
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| TAKE ACTION: Organizations should join the Council in signing on to a letter urging Congress to enact bold, long-term solutions that will ensure universal, stable, and affordable housing. Individuals should call your senators and representatives today and ask them to sign onto the Dear Colleague letter to show their support for including the HoUSed campaign’s top priorities in the infrastructure package!
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Last week was the 50th anniversary of when President Nixon declared the “war on drugs,” pushing new policies on mandatory sentencing and dramatically increasing the size of federal drug control agencies. See a Brief History of the Drug War from our partners at the Drug Policy Alliance. To repair the broken drug policy system, Rep. Watson-Coleman (D-NJ) and Rep. Bush (D-MO) filed the Drug Policy Reform Act (DPRA) of 2021 in Congress which removes criminal penalties for drug possession at the federal level and invests in alternative health-centered approaches, among other changes.
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| TAKE ACTION: Join the Council in signing a letter open to national, state, and local organizations to support DRPA 2021 and asking Members of Congress to co-sponsor the bill and call for a prompt hearing. If you don’t have the authority to sign on a letter for your organization, forward this to someone who does!
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Create Safe Spaces for LGBTQ Patients and Staff
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June is Pride Month, a time to celebrate the LGBTQ community and acknowledge the difficult history of minority groups who struggled--and still struggle--to defeat discrimination and find acceptance. This includes LGBTQ young people, who are 120% more likely to experience homelessness than non-LGBTQ youth. Remember: Creating a safe space is advocacy.
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| TAKE ACTION: Download the pictured image to hang in your office or to use as a Zoom background—a small step that creates a more welcoming environment!
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Coming Soon... Your Input Needed on Medication-Assisted Treatment, Syringe Service Programs, Single-Payer, and More!
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The Council’s policy team is continuing to pursue initiatives as outlined in our 2021 Policy Priorities. This includes pushing forward legislation to increase access to buprenorphine treatment (specifically, the MAT Act), identifying policy barriers to implementing syringe services, and growing sponsors and support for single-payer on Capitol Hill. Stay tuned for opportunities to provide input in the coming weeks. To make sure you don’t miss the calls-to-action, email rreed@nhchc.org and we’ll follow up with you directly. (Let us know what topic(s) you’re interested in.)
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Biden Released Federal Budget Proposal
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This month, President Biden released his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2022. Congress writes the annual budget, so Presidential budget proposals serve only as a guidepost for negotiations. (Congress must finalize a budget by September 2021 to prevent a government shutdown.) The $6 trillion budget proposes $9 billion in additional discretionary funding for Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a 15% increase over FY21, and $25 billion in additional discretionary funding for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), a 23% increase over FY21. See our updated budget chart and detailed analysis from NACO and follow along in future Mobilizers for more details on funding levels for programs important to the Health Care for the Homeless community.
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New Housing and Health Care Leadership
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Last month, the Senate confirmed Chiquita Brooks-LaSure as the first Black woman to lead Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS). Brooks-LaSure is dedicated to expanding coverage and reducing disparities. The Senate is expected to soon confirm Miriam Delphin-Rittmon as the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use. While a new Director for the USICH has yet to be named (Anthony Love is the interim director), HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge was appointed as Chair of the USICH alongside other key leaders.
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ACA Case Dismissed by Supreme Court
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This month the U.S. Supreme Court dismissed, for a third time, a case that may have invalidated the Affordable Care Act (ACA) including the Medicaid expansion provisions that allow for insurance coverage for many in the HCH community. We continue our work with the Biden administration on their health care priorities and on advancing a universal single-payer solution.
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Did you receive Mobilizer as a forwarded email or hear about it via social media? Register now to receive our action alerts each month!
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This publication and all HCH advocacy are funded by dues from Organizational Members of the Council and by private donations. Consider joining the Council to support this work.
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