The House Committee on Financial Services approved three bills on July 27 addressing housing: the “Studying Barriers to Homelessness Act” (H.R.7123), the “Naomi Schwartz Safe Parking Act of 2022” (H.R.2965), and the “Housing Inspections Accountability Act” (H.R.8476). NLIHC has endorsed each bill.
The “Studying Barriers to Homelessness Act” was introduced on March 17 by Representative Sylvia Garcia (D-TX). If enacted, the bill would direct the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study to identify challenges in homelessness reduction and prevention. The bill passed the committee by a vote of 27-23.
The “Naomi Schwartz Safe Parking Act of 2022” was introduced on May 4, 2021, by Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA). The bipartisan bill would authorize the provision of safe parking as an eligible activity under HUD’s Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program. The bill would establish five-year grants for cities and local governments to apply for up to $5 million dollars to establish or expand safe parking programs for people experiencing homelessness. The bill passed the committee by a vote of 28-22.
The “Housing Inspections Accountability Act” was introduced by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) on July 21. If enacted, the bill would require HUD and USDA to submit annual reports to Congress regarding failed property inspections of federally assisted housing projects and to make such reports publicly available through a searchable online database. The reporting would include the following information: the number of properties that received failing or unsatisfactory scores; the federal program that the housing project is covered under; the defects and violations identified and the status of their remediation; the number of households that are on a waitlist to be moved to a different unit; and the number of failed properties that have requested an appeal. The bill passed the committee by a vote of 28-23.
Learn more about the “Studying Barriers to Homelessness Act” at: https://bit.ly/3zdYgK8
Learn more about the “Naomi Schwartz Safe Parking Act of 2022” at: https://bit.ly/3bfm3S6
Learn more about the “Housing Inspections Accountability Act” at: https://bit.ly/3bfm74i