Beatty, Stivers Secure Support for Central Ohio Youth in Foster Care
WASHINGTON, DC – (RealEstateRama) — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently awarded $30 million to public housing authorities, including more than $458,311 for the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority, to assist young people at risk of homelessness and their families obtain affordable housing. The $30 million in federal funding was made available through HUD’s Family Unification Program (FUP), a national initiative to prevent family separation due to homelessness, as well as homelessness among foster care aging-out youth.
U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03) and Congressman Steve Stivers (OH-15) are longtime champions of FUP and have led the coordinated, comprehensive effort to tackle youth homelessness in Congress. In fact, Beatty and Stivers spearheaded a congressional letter urging their fellow lawmakers to provide $20 million federal funds for FUP, a request that was ultimately included in the government funding bill, H.R. 1625, which became law on March 28, 2018.
“Throughout my time in Congress, I have worked with Democrats and Republicans alike to shine a light on the countless young people and their families who do not know where they will sleep at night,” Beatty said. “That is why I am working with Congressman Stivers to do something about it.” She continued, “This new funding will help the City of Columbus better address and meet the needs of countless Central Ohio families who simply need a helping hand to get off the streets. Going forward, I pledge to do everything in my power to ensure Congress continues to play a leading role in assisting our most vulnerable Americans.”
“This is not a partisan issue: no child should ever be without a home, and we need to do everything we can to help young people at risk of homelessness and their families,” Stivers said. “This critical funding for the Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority will help families right here in our community receive the help they need to stay together and work their way out of homelessness. I am proud to continue partnering with Congresswoman Beatty, and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, to continue in combatting youth homelessness in our country.”
In addition to their FUP appropriations request, Beatty and Stivers joined forces to introduce the Homeless Children and Youth Act, H.R. 1511, a bill to expand federal assistance eligibility to young people bouncing from house to house—commonly referred to as “couch surfing.” Further, the bipartisan pair sent another letter in May 2017 to HUD urging them to allocate federal funds for the creation of a demonstration project in Ohio to fight youth homelessness. This strong advocacy proved crucial to securing a $6.07 million two-year funding agreement earlier this year for the City of Columbus’ Community Shelter Board to tackle area youth homelessness.
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Source: U.S. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty
