News and Updates
House Appropriations Committee Passes FY22 Spending Bills on Education and Housing
On July 15th, the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations committee passed its fiscal year 2022 (FY2022) spending bill, which includes proposed increases to the Department of Education, the Department of Labor, Health, and Human Services, and other federal agencies.
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Action Needed: Two Homeless Funding Letters, Deadline Approaching
Congress is currently considering yearly funding for federal programs through the annual appropriations process. Take two minutes to support funding for homeless children and youth.
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Urgent Action Needed: Support FY22 Funding for Homeless Children and Youth
U.S. Representatives John Yarmuth (D-KY), Danny Davis (D-IL), and Don Bacon (R-NE) are circulating a bipartisan “Dear Colleague letter” in support of FY2022 funding increases for the McKinney-Vento Act’s Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program and the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA program). Take action to support FY22 funding for homeless children and youth.
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House Passes COVID-19 Relief Bill: Action Needed to Help Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness
On February 27, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its latest COVID-19 relief package, the American Rescue Plan Act, H.R. 1319. The bill now moves on to the Senate, where it is expected to be amended, then sent back to the House for approval. SchoolHouse Connection is pleased to see broad support for low-income families and young adults, and especially the extension of the Earned Income Tax Credit to unaccompanied homeless youth and foster youth at age 18. However, we remain deeply concerned by the lack of dedicated funding for children and youth experiencing homelessness.
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Emergency Help for Homeless Children, Youth, and Families during COVID-19
On Thursday, February 4th, a bipartisan group of U.S. Senators, including Senators Murkowski (R-AK), Manchin (D-WV), Sullivan (R-AK), Collins (R-ME), Sinema (D-AZ), Shaheen (D-NH), Schatz (D-HI), Hassan (D-NH), Casey (D-PA), Hirono (D-HI), and Kelly (D-AZ) re-introduced the Emergency Family Stabilization Act (EFSA).
read moreEmergency Legislation for Homeless Children, Youth, and Families Introduced
On Friday, August 7, U.S. Representatives John Yarmuth (D-KY), Don Bacon (R-NE), Danny K. Davis (D-IL), and Don Young (R-AK) introduced the bipartisan Emergency Family Stabilization Act, H.R. 7950 (EFSA). This legislation is the companion bill to S. 3923, which was introduced in the U.S. Senate on June 10 by U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), and Susan Collins (R-ME). This legislation provides flexible funding directly to community-based organizations to meet the needs of children, families, and unaccompanied youth who are experiencing homelessness during the COVID-19 pandemic.
read moreSupport Homeless Children and Youth in the Next COVID-19 Legislation
Now more than ever, children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness need our attention. Yet they have been largely left out of previous coronavirus legislation, including the CARES Act and the HEROES Act.
read moreURGENT ACTION: Support Homeless and Trafficked Children, Youth, and Families in the Next COVID Relief Bill
U.S. Representatives John Yarmuth (D-KY), Don Bacon (R-NE), and Danny K. Davis (D-IL) are circulating a bipartisan “Dear Colleague Letter” to House leadership requesting support for children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness and for survivors of human trafficking in the next coronavirus relief package. Please take one minute to protect, support, and stabilize vulnerable youth and families during and after the coronavirus outbreak.
read moreAction Needed by April 1: Get Youth Homelessness Question Added in the 2021 YRBS
Background: Since 2015, the Centers for Disease Control has included two questions about homelessness on their optional questionnaire for the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). As optional...
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