A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has introduced legislation aimed at giving states and local communities more flexibility in addressing homelessness. The Reducing Homelessness Through Program Reform Act, announced by Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota), Tina Smith (D-Minnesota), and Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island), seeks to reduce federal bureaucracy and streamline programs for those experiencing homelessness.
“With rising rates of homelessness sweeping across America, nonprofit organizations on the front lines deserve maximum support as they stretch limited donations and funding to provide shelter, food, skills training, addiction recovery and hope to our friends and neighbors who need it most,” said Crapo. “This bipartisan legislation is urgently needed to strengthen the Housing Choice Voucher Program, remove burdensome regulations and better coordinate between diverse agencies serving unhoused individuals.”
The Department of Housing and Urban Development reported that about 771,480 people were experiencing homelessness during its annual point-in-time count in January 2024. This number marked an all-time high with an 18 percent increase from the previous year.
The proposed act would move the application process for Continuum of Care organizations from an annual requirement to every other year, cut federal red tape for homeless service providers, remove barriers that delay access to housing and services, reform the Housing Choice Voucher Program by streamlining procedures such as unit inspections and income verification, study workforce issues within homeless service organizations, fund software upgrades for grant management systems, improve coordination among healthcare systems and law enforcement agencies, encourage better use of data tools including artificial intelligence, create more feedback channels for those with lived experience of homelessness, continue the work of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, and increase congressional oversight.
“Despite record levels of federal funding, homelessness continues to rise. It’s clear that a one-size-fits-all approach isn’t working,” said Rounds. “The challenges we face in South Dakota are not the same as those in California or New York. This legislation takes a conservative approach by shifting power back to the states and communities closest to the problem. This commonsense bill cuts red tape and enables local leaders to deliver faster, more effective and more appropriate solutions for the people they serve.”
Smith emphasized the importance of safe housing: “Without a safe, affordable place to live nothing else in your life works–not your job, health, family or education,” she said. “This bipartisan bill makes commonsense reforms to federal homelessness programs: cutting red tape for homeless service providers, streamlining and improving federal housing vouchers, reducing administrative burden and modernizing out-of-date software systems. It will reduce homelessness while using taxpayer dollars more efficiently. We know that the best ideas come from those closest to the issues, and that’s why our legislation gives local leaders in Minnesota and across the country the tools and flexibility they need to address homelessness no matter the ZIP code.”
“At a time when more Americans are facing homelessness and there are fewer federal resources available, we must do everything we can to make programs more effective and assist people by connecting them to housing, local health systems and behavioral health programs that can offer the ongoing community-based support they need,” Reed added.
Organizations supporting this bill include Bipartisan Policy Center; National Low Income Housing Coalition; Council of State Community Development Agencies—whose members include Idaho Department of Commerce and Idaho Housing & Finance Association; National Alliance to End Homelessness; Catholic Charities USA; Mayors & CEOs for U.S. Housing Investment.
“Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) Action is proud to endorse the Reducing Homelessness Through Program Reform Act and applauds Senators Mike Rounds,Tina Smith,Mike Crapo,and Jack Reed for their bipartisan leadership.The bill’s focus on cutting red tape ,streamlining the Housing Choice Voucher program,and improving data coordination aligns closely with proposals put forth by BPC in its American Housing Act,” says Michele Stockwell,president of Bipartisan Policy Center Action.”These practical reforms will help communities more effectively address homelessnessand connect people with housingand services.”
“Streamlining systems isn’t just good governance–it’s what’s needed to meet the urgent housing needs of people across the country,” said National Low Income Housing Coalition President & CEO Renee Willis.“The bipartisan Reducing Homelessness Through Program Reform Act enacts common-sense reforms to improve coordination between government agenciesandthe private sector ,ensuring programs more effectively serve people withthe most urgent housing needs.”
