H. Res. 561 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

July 23, 2007. 

Whereas July 22, 2007, is the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance 

Act, which was renamed the McKinney-Vento Homeless 

Assistance Act in October 2000; 

Whereas Representatives Stewart B. McKinney and Bruce 

Vento worked tirelessly in the Congress to develop a Federal response to homelessness; 

Whereas Representative Stewart B. McKinney was committed 

to exposing the depth of the growing problem of homelessness in the 1980s; 

Whereas Representative Stewart B. McKinney was a recognized expert on Federal housing law and urban affairs 

who successfully amended the National Housing Act and 

the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 

to better target Federal aid to smaller cities, but became 

terminally ill with pneumonia after sleeping on a grate 

outside a Federal building with the homeless of Washington, DC; 

Whereas in 1985, after personally viewing the circumstances 

of the homeless and the need for crisis intervention in his 

congressional district in St. Paul, Minnesota, Representative Bruce Vento introduced a resolution to express the 
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sense of the Congress that homelessness is a national 

problem requiring a national solution; 

Whereas throughout his career, Representative Vento remained dedicated to securing a commitment of Federal 

resources to address homelessness; 

Whereas the programs established by the McKinney-Vento 

Act have provided housing, education, health care, and 

job training assistance, and critical outreach, to thousands of homeless men, women, and children in the 

United States; 

Whereas the Education for Homeless Children and Youth 

Program of the McKinney-Vento Act has resulted in a 

significant increase in the number of homeless children 

and youth attending school on a regular basis; 

Whereas the McKinney-Vento Act was intended to be only an 

emergency response and not the sole Federal response to 

homelessness; 

Whereas over the course of a year, as many as 3,500,000 

persons are estimated to experience homelessness in the 

United States; 

Whereas approximately 400,000 veterans of the Armed 

Forces of the United States experience homelessness at 

some point over the course of a year; 

Whereas the homeless population includes vulnerable groups 

such as children, unaccompanied youth, and persons with 

disabilities; and 

Whereas there were at least 142 unprovoked assaults against 

homeless persons in 2006, including 20 that resulted in 

death: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
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(1) recognizes the 20th anniversary of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and the impact it 

has made on homelessness in the United States; 

(2) recognizes the positive impact the McKinneyVento Act has had on hundreds of thousands of homeless men, women, children, and youth in the United 

States; 

(3) recognizes the substantial contributions of Representatives Stewart B. McKinney and Bruce Vento in 

addressing homelessness; 

(4) recognizes that homelessness continues to be an 

urgent problem in the United States; 

(5) commends the dedication and commitment of 

service providers, including faith-based and nonprofit organizations, who are working to end homelessness in 

their communities and provide emergency food, shelter, 

and services to homeless Americans; 

(6) recognizes that the lack of affordable housing 

exacerbates homelessness in the United States; 

(7) supports the continued efforts of Federal, State, 

and local governments and private non-profit organizations in their efforts to prevent and end homelessness 

through the development of affordable housing; 

(8) recognizes that the life expectancy of a homeless 

person in the United States is 30 years shorter than 
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that of the average American and supports efforts to improve the health of homeless Americans; 

(9) supports efforts to prevent and end homelessness among veterans of the Armed Forces of the United 

States; 

(10) supports efforts to ensure accurate and timely 

processing of applications for disability benefits as a 

means of decreasing homelessness among disabled persons; 

(11) recognizes that the safety and well-being of 

homeless persons is an urgent problem; 

(12) recognizes the critical role of education and 

public schools in preventing and ending homelessness, 

and supports efforts to improve stability, services, and 

access to school for homeless children and youth; and 

(13) endeavors to work with the same courage, dignity, and determination exemplified by Representatives 

McKinney and Vento to eliminate homelessness in the 

United States. 

Attest: 

Clerk.