After years of having virtually no allies in the U.S. government, the homeless may now have a real reason to hope. Included in the economic stimulus bill that President Obama recently signed into law is $1.5 billion devoted to homelessness prevention and rehousing funding. The funds will be used for, among other things, short- or medium-term rental assistance, housing search assistance, and mediation or outreach to property owners.
Grantees, who must be registered through a Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) database, are required to use 60% of the monies granted to them within a two-year period and 100% of the funds within three years. In the event that grantees fail to utilize the funds within the two-year period, the funds can then be reassigned to other persons in need.
All this is very exciting news for the homeless who are seeking to end their homeless status – provided that the system that administers the funds works in an efficient manner, which remains to be seen. It is going to take quite a bit of positive thinking to maintain hope as authorities develop the programs needed to render assistance to the people in need.
But there is certainly a lot to look forward to if all this comes true. It would be the first significant ray of hope that the homeless have had in years. Programs have been cut back time and time again, and I, for one, remain somewhat skeptical. It’s a conditioned reflex: years of repeated disappointment have that effect. I’ve heard one broken promise after the next with regards to housing, so I no longer take any good news very seriously. This bit of news, however, does appear to be more substantial. If it can bring hope to any of my readers, it is definitely worth mentioning.
The ultimate goal, of course, is to end homelessness in the United States. That is indeed a lofty goal, and it would be nice if that were possible to achieve. The program listed above may not be comprehensive enough to suit everybody’s needs, but it is at least a good start. We can only hope that the project’s implementation will be successful, because that will be the key. Understandably, many eyes are watching for this project considering how much money is being invested in it.
Of course, there are people who are dead set against this endeavor, those who have an interest in maintaining a poverty class in the United States because it serves their needs. They would like to see this program and many other new social programs fail, no matter how many people would be hurt in the process. I need not mention any names — these individuals make themselves known easily enough.
It’s about time that the underprivileged had something to feel optimistic about. I would like to believe that the time has arrived. We can only wait and see, but this time, I will be waiting much more anxiously than I have before. Maurice has been writing for Street Sense since 2004 and has been working on his own book since then.
Maurice has been writing for Street Sense since 2004 and has been working on his own book since then.
