Today, the U.S. Senate passed a final FY2023 omnibus appropriations bill with increases in funding for education, early care, homeless, and housing programs. The House is expected to approve the legislation by the end of the week, and send it to the President for his signature.
The bill includes:
- $129 million for the McKinney-Vento Act’s Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program. This is a 13% increase from the FY2022 level.
- $146.3 million for the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) programs. This is a 4% increase from the FY2022 level.
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Increase for the McKinney-Vento Act's Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program
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Increase for the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act Programs
In addition to these funding levels, the bill also instructs the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to provide technical assistance to state and local Title I directors on the requirements and uses of Title I funds to effectively support students experiencing homelessness. ED will be required to describe actions to address these issues in the fiscal year 2024 and future Congressional Justifications, and to work with state educational agencies to increase transparency on the amounts of Title I funds that LEAs reserve for students experiencing homelessness.
The final FY23 appropriations legislation also reauthorizes the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program, doubling federal investments over five years and making significant program improvements. SHC applauds the MIECHV reauthorization. Home visiting is uniquely poised to address the two-generational impacts of homelessness; by meeting families where they are, despite their mobility, parents and children continually benefit from the program’s services.
Unfortunately, the final FY23 appropriations bill did not include important changes to the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit, or the Low Income Housing Tax Credit. This means that the Housing for Homeless Students Act will need to be reintroduced in the next session of Congress, along with other SHC federal legislative priorities that did not advance this year.
Selected Highlights of the Final FY2023 Appropriations Bill
A comprehensive table summarizing funding levels for select early care, education, homelessness, and housing programs is provided below.
