Unhoused Persons Rights

Summary#

This House resolution says the United States is obligated to end the unhoused crisis by 2029 and to protect the civil and human rights of unhoused people. It lists many rights the House says should be protected, such as the right to decent, affordable, and accessible housing; access to health care; livable wages; access to public facilities and restrooms; internet access; the right to vote; protection from harassment or unjustified law enforcement actions; and privacy for personal property and records. The resolution calls for regulations, enforcement tools, and legal protections for people who give services or food to unhoused people. It asks federal agencies to change how they count unhoused people, to develop housing-first policies, and to coordinate on public health and voting access for unhoused people.

What it means for you#

The resolution asks Congress and federal agencies to support: more affordable housing, universal housing vouchers, emergency rental assistance, 24-hour shelters and medical respite, and better access to IDs, voting, and health services for unhoused people. It calls for protections against penalties for sleeping or resting in public in a nonobstructive way, and against discrimination by businesses, property owners, or housed residents. It asks for legal protections for people and groups that distribute food or provide services to unhoused communities. The resolution also urges federal agencies to work with community groups and to change counting and reporting methods for unhoused populations.

Expenses#

The resolution specifies or urges the following funding levels and resources as described in the text:

  • $168,000,000,000 proposed to be reallocated from the defense budget to end and prevent the unhoused crisis.
  • $148,400,000,000 every 5 years for the Public Housing Capital Fund.
  • Full funding for the Public Housing Operating Fund (no dollar figure given in the text).
  • $42,400,000,000 annually for the HUD National Housing Trust Fund.
  • $3,180,000,000 annually for a permanent Emergency Rental Assistance Program administered by HUD.
  • Funding for city, county, State, and Tribal governments to build and maintain public restrooms, showers, laundry, and handwashing stations in proportion to their unhoused population.
  • Funding for trash, recycling, sharps disposal, and garbage removal services for unhoused camps and common areas.
  • The resolution also urges the highest possible funding levels for existing federal programs that serve unhoused people, including HUD Continuum of Care, HUD Emergency Solutions Grants, HUD-VASH, CDBG, VAWA transitional housing grants, several SAMHSA programs (GBHI, TIEH, PATH), HRSA health center programs (including Health Care for the Homeless), McKinney-Vento education programs, and the HUD Indian Housing Block Grant.
  • It calls to expand SNAP, TANF, and WIC eligibility and remove certain purchase restrictions, and to provide universal school meals for K-12 students. The resolution does not estimate a single total cost for all requested actions beyond the figures listed above.

Proponents' View#

Supporters presented in the resolution describe housing instability and homelessness as a public health and human rights crisis. They argue the root causes include poverty, lack of affordable housing, systemic racism, low wages, underfunded housing programs, and other structural problems. The resolution frames a long-term solution as a housing-first approach, increased affordable housing supply, universal rental assistance, stronger renter protections, better funding for supportive services, improved counting of unhoused people, and decriminalization of homelessness.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.