McKinney-Vento 20th Anniversary Consensus Statement
Capitol Hill
Memo to Members: Vol 12, No. 16, April 20, 2007
The 20th anniversary of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act is June 22, 2007. To mark the occasion, several national advocacy organizations are calling for McKinney-Vento programs to be reauthorized in 2007 and have prepared a statement titled "The Twentieth Anniversary of the McKinney Homeless Assistance Act: A Consensus Statement on Five Fundamentals."
The statement notes that the anniversary "calls for reflection on the persistence of mass homelessness in the United States, for consideration of what is needed to overcome homelessness, and for a new spirit of commitment and determination to eradicate this social evil."
Four additional fundamental principles for public policy in a nation without mass homelessness are noted in the statement:
- the supply of affordable housing must be dramatically increased if homelessness is to be abated;
- health care, education and social services must be provided to all who need them;
- personal incomes must be sufficient to pay for the necessities of life; and
- discrimination against homeless persons must be prevented.
The full statement can be found at www.nhchc.org/McKinneyConsensusStatE5F93.pdf.
A current list of the statement's endorsers is available at http://www.nhchc.org/. The 20th anniversary statement remains open for additional endorsements from national organizations. If your organization would like to be listed as an endorser, please email John Lozier at the National Health Care for the Homeless Council: jlozier@nhchc.org.
