Memo to Members

Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Streamline and Improve Homelessness Assistance and Voucher Programs

Jul 21, 2025

By Alayna Calabro, NLIHC Senior Policy Analyst and San Kwon, NLIHC Policy Intern 

Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD), Tina Smith (D-MN), Jack Reed (D-RI), and Mike Crapo (R-ID) introduced the “Reducing Homelessness Through Program Reform Act” (S.2234) in the U.S. Senate on July 10. The NLIHC-endorsed bipartisan bill would help streamline and improve HUD’s homelessness assistance and prevention programs and would cut red tape and reduce administrative burdens within the Continuum of Care (CoC), Emergency Solution Grants, and Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Programs, and foster better coordination between government agencies and the private sector. 

The following are key provisions outlined in the bill:  

  • Ease administrative burden for CoCs by moving the time-intensive annual application process for funding to every other year.
  • Increase local flexibility and capacity by cutting red tape for homeless service providers.
  • Reduce barriers to accessing housing and homelessness resources.
  • Streamline the HCV program by making common-sense reforms to housing unit inspections, income verification, and allowable uses of funds. 
  • Study the hiring, retention, and compensation of staff at homeless service organizations. 
  • Authorize specific and targeted funding to upgrade the outdated software used for applications and grant management of the CoC program. 
  • Improve coordination and collaboration between healthcare systems, supportive services, criminal justice systems, Department of Veterans Affairs, job service agencies, and homeless service providers to better coordinate services and reduce recidivism back to homelessness or the criminal justice system.
  • Enhance data collection and coordination and make data available to academic researchers to explore the use of artificial intelligence models to best target resources. 
  • Establish more feedback mechanisms for service providers and people with lived experience of homelessness to advise HUD on the effectiveness of federal homelessness policies and programs.
  • Continue the work of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness and increase congressional oversight of the council. 

“At a time when more Americans are facing homelessness and there are fewer federal resources available, we must do everything we can to make programs more effective and assist people by connecting them to housing, local health systems, and behavioral health programs that can offer the ongoing, community-based support they need,” said Senator Reed. 

NLIHC has endorsed the bill along with the Bipartisan Policy Center, the Council of State Community Development Agencies, the National Alliance to End Homelessness, Enterprise Community Partners, Catholic Charities USA, and the Mayors and CEOs for U.S. Housing Investment. 

“Streamlining systems isn’t just good governance—it’s what’s needed to meet the urgent housing needs of people across the country,” said NLIHC President and CEO Renee Willis. “The bipartisan Reducing Homelessness Through Program Reform Act enacts common-sense reforms to improve coordination between government agencies and the private sector, ensuring programs more effectively serve people with the most urgent housing needs.” 

Read a press release about the introduction of the bill here. 

Read a one-pager on the bill here. 

Read the full text of the bill here.

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