PRINTER'S NO. 2070
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
230
Session of
2023
INTRODUCED BY WEBSTER, PROBST, HANBIDGE, SCHLOSSBERG, KHAN,
MADDEN, MALAGARI, HILL-EVANS, SANCHEZ, GALLAGHER, HOWARD,
BOROWSKI AND KRAJEWSKI, OCTOBER 2, 2023
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT,
OCTOBER 2, 2023
A RESOLUTION
Directing the Joint State Government Commission to conduct a
study on the cost and effectiveness of current and ongoing
Housing First programs across the United States and the
potential effectiveness of Housing First programs in this
Commonwealth.
WHEREAS, Housing First is a program focusing on providing
housing to the unhoused, regardless of background, including
typical barriers like substance use disorder status; and
WHEREAS, Housing First programs operate under the belief that
housing is an essential first step in recovering from being
unhoused; and
WHEREAS, Utilizing Housing First programs may be most useful
for individuals who are chronically unhoused; and
WHEREAS, The risk of being unhoused increases for an
individual with a low socioeconomic status, a mental health
disorder or a substance use disorder; and
WHEREAS, On any given day, more than 15,000 residents of this
Commonwealth can be unhoused; and
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WHEREAS, On average, this Commonwealth has 11 unhoused
individuals for every 100,000 of the general population; and
WHEREAS, Veterans are more likely than the general population
to be unhoused due to a higher risk for traumatic brain injury
or post-traumatic stress disorder; and
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Education for Children and Youth
Experiencing Homelessness Program, which reduces barriers for
unhoused children to access local public schools, served 40,003
children; and
WHEREAS, This Commonwealth has 16 Continuum of Care districts
that receive Federal grants to serve the unhoused and other
populations; and
WHEREAS, Across the United States, there are six cities and
states that have implemented Housing First programs; and
WHEREAS, Since the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, several cities
across the country have struggled with providing services to
unhoused population and have declared states of emergency to
cope with this crisis; and
WHEREAS, The Biden Administration seeks to reduce the
unhoused population by 25% by 2025 using Housing First
principles; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives direct the Joint
State Government Commission to conduct a study on the cost and
effectiveness of current and ongoing Housing First programs
across the United States and the potential effectiveness of
Housing First programs in this Commonwealth; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Joint State Government Commission compile
a report on the study that, at a minimum, includes the
following:
(1) An assessment of the state of the unhoused
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population in this Commonwealth, including the state of the
most at-risk individuals and the individuals who are
currently experiencing chronic homelessness.
(2) Whether Housing First programs in other locations
across the United States, including California, Salt Lake
City, Utah and New Orleans, Louisiana, have reduced the
chronically unhoused population and the broader unhoused
population.
(3) Whether the United States Department of Veterans
Affairs' Housing First approach, which supports unhoused
veterans and their families in finding permanent housing, has
reduced the population of unhoused veterans in this
Commonwealth.
(4) The cost difference between Housing First programs
and traditional shelter-based programs.
(5) The effect of recent events, including the 2020
COVID-19 pandemic, increases in the cost of living and the
reduction of funding for the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program, on the unhoused population.
(6) The effect of children being unhoused on academic
performance in schools.
(7) Any other matter regarding the unhoused and Housing
First programs that the Joint State Government Commission
deems appropriate;
and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Joint State Government Commission be
authorized to request information that is not protected from
disclosure from State agencies and departments for the study;
and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Joint State Government Commission submit
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the report with its findings and recommendations no later than
18 months after the adoption of this resolution to all of the
following:
(1) The President pro tempore of the Senate.
(2) The Speaker of the House of Representatives.
(3) The Majority Leader of the Senate.
(4) The Minority Leader of the Senate.
(5) The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives.
(6) The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.
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