More money to fight homelessness could come California's way under this bipartisan plan
WASHINGTON -- Congress is considering giving a $750 million bump in help to comprehensive programs to help the homeless, with agreement from both Democrats and Republicans that it’s an innovative approach to a persistent issue.
The bill, introduced last week by California Democrats Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Ted Lieu, would give the grant money to localities, such as local governments and nonprofits, who could then dole the money out to programs that provided housing, mental health services, substance abuse services, case managers and more to the homeless. Its goal: To comprehensively address the issues that contribute to chronic homelessness.
“The bill emphasizes the services as well as the housing, which makes it stand out from other bills we’ve seen,” said Robert Friant, spokesman for the Corporation for Supportive Housing, a vocal supporter of the bill.
By doing that, Friant said they hope it will cut down on the amount of homeless in the long run, which in turn reduces strains on hospitals, shelters, social services and the criminal justice system.
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