Notes
from Around the Country
From
COHHIO’s NOTES The
U.S. conference of Mayors 1996 survey of 29 major cities found that during the
past year requests for shelter by homeless families alone increased by 7 %, with
63% of the cities reporting an increase.
At the same time, the number of emergency shelter beds decreased overall
by an average of 2.5%.
It was
estimated that 20% of the requests for emergency services by homeless people and
24% of the requests by homeless families go unmet.
Requests for assisted housing by low-income households and individuals
increased in 81% of the cities. City
officials estimate that low-income households spend an average of 49% of their
income on housing.
The average
wait nationwide is 31-32 months for Section 8 vouchers/certificates.
City officials believe that the elimination of Section 8 incremental
certificates will lengthen both the waiting lists and the wait for assisted
housing. This will make it more
difficult for low-income families to obtain affordable, permanent housing and
increasing homelessness.
From the
National Coalition for the Homeless: Representative John Lewis has
introduced legislation to establish National rights for homeless people to vote.
The Homeless Voting Rights bill is H.R. 74 and co-sponsored by 15
Democratic representatives. Rep.
Lewis said of the Voting Rights Bill, “The purpose of this legislation is to
enable the homeless, who are citizens of this country, to vote.
The bill would remove the legal and administrative barriers that inhibit
them from exercising this right. No
one should be excluded from registering to vote simply because they do not have
a home. But in many States, the
homeless are left out and left behind. That
is not a right, it is not fair. It
is not the way of the country. “