42 U.S.C. § 11313 (THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE)
§ 11313. Functions
(a) Duties
The Council shall—
(1) not later than 12 months after May 20, 2009, develop, make available for public comment, and submit to the President and to Congress a National Strategic Plan to End Homelessness, and shall update such plan annually;
(2) review all Federal activities and programs to assist homeless individuals;
(3) take such actions as may be necessary to reduce duplication among programs and activities by Federal agencies to assist homeless individuals;
(4) monitor, evaluate, and recommend improvements in programs and activities to assist homeless individuals conducted by Federal agencies, State and local governments, and private voluntary organizations;
(5) provide professional and technical assistance (by not less than 5, but in no case more than 10, regional coordinators employed by the Council, each having responsibility for interaction and coordination of the activities of the Council within the 10 standard Federal regions) to States, local governments, and other public and private nonprofit organizations, in order to enable such governments and organizations to—
(A) interpret regulations and assist in the application process for Federal assistance, including grants;
(B) provide assistance on the ways in which Federal programs, other than those authorized under this chapter, may best be coordinated to complement the objectives of this chapter;
(C) develop recommendations and program ideas based on regional specific issues in serving the homeless population; and
(D) establish a schedule for biennial regional workshops to be held by the Council in each of the 10 standard Federal regions to further carry out and provide the assistance described in subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) and other appropriate assistance as necessary, of which—
(i) not less than 5 such workshops shall be held by September 30, 1989; and
(ii) at least 1 such workshop shall be held in each of the 10 Federal regions every 2 years, beginning on September 30, 1988;
(6) encourage the creation of State Interagency Councils on Homelessness and the formulation of jurisdictional 10-year plans to end homelessness at State, city, and county levels;
(7) annually obtain from Federal agencies their identification of consumer-oriented entitlement and other resources for which persons experiencing homelessness may be eligible and the agencies’ identification of improvements to ensure access; develop mechanisms to ensure access by persons experiencing homelessness to all Federal, State, and local programs for which the persons are eligible, and to verify collaboration among entities within a community that receive Federal funding under programs targeted for persons experiencing homelessness, and other programs for which persons experiencing homelessness are eligible, including mainstream programs identified by the Government Accountability Office in the reports entitled “Homelessness: Coordination and Evaluation of Programs Are Essential”, issued February 26, 1999, and “Homelessness: Barriers to Using Mainstream Programs”, issued July 6, 2000;
(8) conduct research and evaluation related to its functions as defined in this section;
(9) 1 develop joint Federal agency and other initiatives to fulfill the goals of the agency;
(9) 1 collect and disseminate information relating to homeless individuals;
(10) prepare the annual reports required in subsection (c)(2) of this section;
(11) prepare and distribute to States (including State contact persons), local governments, and other public and private nonprofit organizations, a bimonthly bulletin that describes the Federal resources available to them to assist the homeless, including current information regarding application deadlines and appropriate persons to contact in each Federal agency providing the resources;
(12) develop constructive alternatives to criminalizing homelessness and laws and policies that prohibit sleeping, feeding, sitting, resting, or lying in public spaces when there are no suitable alternatives, result in the destruction of a homeless person’s property without due process, or are selectively enforced against homeless persons; and
(13) not later than the expiration of the 6-month period beginning upon completion of the study requested in a letter to the Acting Comptroller General from the Chair and Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee and several other members regarding various definitions of homelessness in Federal statutes, convene a meeting of representatives of all Federal agencies and committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate having jurisdiction over any Federal program to assist homeless individuals or families, local and State governments, academic researchers who specialize in homelessness, nonprofit housing and service providers that receive funding under any Federal program to assist homeless individuals or families, organizations advocating on behalf of such nonprofit providers and homeless persons receiving housing or services under any such Federal program, and homeless persons receiving housing or services under any such Federal program, at which meeting such representatives shall discuss all issues relevant to whether the definitions of “homeless” under paragraphs (1) through (4) of section 11302(a) of this title, as amended by section 1003 of the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act of 2009, should be modified by the Congress, including whether there is a compelling need for a uniform definition of homelessness under Federal law, the extent to which the differences in such definitions create barriers for individuals to accessing services and to collaboration between agencies, and the relative availability, and barriers to access by persons defined as homeless, of mainstream programs identified by the Government Accountability Office in the two reports identified in paragraph (7) of this subsection; and shall submit transcripts of such meeting, and any majority and dissenting recommendations from such meetings, to each committee of the House of Representatives and the Senate having jurisdiction over any Federal program to assist homeless individuals or families not later than the expiration of the 60-day period beginning upon conclusion of such meeting.
(b) Authority
In carrying out subsection (a) of this section, the Council may—
(1) arrange national, regional, State, and local conferences for the purpose of developing and coordinating effective programs and activities to assist homeless individuals and pay for expenses of attendance at meetings which are concerned with the functions or activities for which the appropriation is made; 2
(2) publish a newsletter concerning Federal, State, and local programs that are effectively meeting the needs of homeless individuals.
(c) Reports
(1) Within 90 days after July 22, 1987, and annually thereafter, the head of each Federal agency that is a member of the Council shall prepare and transmit to the Congress and the Council a report that describes—
(A) each program to assist homeless individuals administered by such agency and the number of homeless individuals served by such program;
(B) impediments, including any statutory and regulatory restrictions, to the use by homeless individuals of each such program and to obtaining services or benefits under each such program; and
(C) efforts made by such agency to increase the opportunities for homeless individuals to obtain shelter, food, and supportive services.
(2) The Council shall prepare and transmit to the President and the Congress an annual report that—
(A) assesses the nature and extent of the problems relating to homelessness and the needs of homeless individuals;
(B) provides a comprehensive and detailed description of the activities and accomplishments of the Federal Government in resolving the problems and meeting the needs assessed pursuant to subparagraph (A);
(C) describes the accomplishments and activities of the Council, in working with Federal, State, and local agencies and public and private organizations in order to provide assistance to homeless individuals;
(D) assesses the level of Federal assistance necessary to adequately resolve the problems and meet the needs assessed pursuant to subparagraph (A); and
(E) specifies any recommendations of the Council for appropriate and necessary legislative and administrative actions to resolve such problems and meet such needs.
(d) Notification of other Federal agencies
If, in monitoring and evaluating programs and activities to assist homeless individuals conducted by other Federal agencies, the Council determines that any significant problem, abuse, or deficiency exists in the administration of the program or activity of any Federal agency, the Council shall submit a notice of the determination of the Council to the Inspector General of the Federal agency (or the head of the Federal agency, in the case of a Federal agency that has no Inspector General).
(e) Program timetables
Not later than 90 days after November 7, 1988, the head of each Federal agency that is a member of the Council and responsible for administering a program under this chapter shall provide to the Council a timetable regarding program funding availability and application deadlines. The Council shall furnish such information to each State (including the State contact person).
(Pub. L. 100–77, title II, § 203, July 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 487; Pub. L. 100–628, title II, §§ 201–203, Nov. 7, 1988, 102 Stat. 3227, 3228; Pub. L. 111–22, div. B, § 1004(a)(3), (4), May 20, 2009, 123 Stat. 1666, 1668.)
heading: References in Text
text: This chapter, referred to in subsecs. (a)(5)(B) and (e), was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 100–77, July 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 482, known as the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 11301 of this title and Tables.
Section 1003 of the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act of 2009, referred to in subsec. (a)(13), is section 1003 of Pub. L. 111–22.
heading: Amendments
text: 2009—Subsec. (a)(1) to (4). Pub. L. 111–22, § 1004(a)(3)(A), (B), added par. (1) and redesignated former pars. (1) to (3) as (2) to (4), respectively. Former par. (4) redesignated (5).
Subsec. (a)(5). Pub. L. 111–22, § 1004(a)(3)(A), (C), redesignated par. (4) as (5) and substituted “not less than 5, but in no case more than 10” for “at least 2, but in no case more than 5”. Former par. (5) redesignated (9).
Subsec. (a)(6) to (13). Pub. L. 111–22, § 1004(a)(3)(A), (D)–(G), added pars. (6) to (8), par. (9) relating to joint Federal agency and other initiatives to fulfill the goals of the agency, and pars. (12) and (13), redesignated former par. (5) as par. (9) relating to collection and dissemination of information, and redesignated former pars. (6) and (7) as (10) and (11), respectively.
Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 111–22, § 1004(a)(4), substituted “national” for “Federal” and “and pay for expenses of attendance at meetings which are concerned with the functions or activities for which the appropriation is made;” for “; and”.
1988—Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 100–628, § 202(1), substituted “(by at least 2, but in no case more than 5, regional coordinators employed by the Council, each having responsibility for interaction and coordination of the activities of the Council within the 10 standard Federal regions)” for “, through personnel employed by the Council in each of the 10 standard Federal regions,” in introductory provisions.
Subsec. (a)(4)(A) to (D). Pub. L. 100–628, § 202(2), added subpars. (A) to (D) and struck out former subpars. (A) and (B) which read as follows:
“(A) effectively coordinate and maximize resources of existing programs and activities to assist homeless individuals; and
“(B) develop new and innovative programs and activities to assist homeless individuals;”.
Subsec. (a)(7). Pub. L. 100–628, § 201, added par. (7).
Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 100–628, § 203, added subsec. (e).
heading: Effective Date of 2009 Amendment
text: Amendment by Pub. L. 111–22 effective on, and applicable beginning on, May 20, 2009, see section 1004(b) of Pub. L. 111–22, set out as a note under section 11311 of this title.
heading: Termination of Reporting Requirements
text: For termination, effective May 15, 2000, of provisions in subsec. (c)(2) of this section relating to transmittal to Congress of annual report, see section 3003 of Pub. L. 104–66, set out as a note under section 1113 of Title 31, Money and Finance, and the 5th item on page 175 of House Document No. 103–7.
heading: Annual Supplemental Report on Veterans Homelessness
text: Pub. L. 114–201, title IV, § 404, July 29, 2016, 130 Stat. 809, provided that:
“(a) In General.—
The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, in coordination with the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, shall submit annually to the Committees of the Congress specified in subsection (b), together with the annual reports required by such Secretaries under section 203(c)(1) of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11313(c)(1)), a supplemental report that includes the following information with respect to the preceding year:
“(1) The same information, for such preceding year, that was included with respect to 2010 in the report by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs entitled ‘Veterans Homelessness: A Supplemental Report to the 2010 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress’.
“(2) Information regarding the activities of the Department of Housing and Urban Development relating to veterans during such preceding year, as follows:
“(A) The number of veterans provided assistance under the housing choice voucher program for Veterans Affairs supported housing under section 8(o)(19) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(19)), the socioeconomic characteristics of such homeless veterans, and the number, types, and locations of entities contracted under such section to administer the vouchers.
“(B) A summary description of the special considerations made for veterans under public housing agency plans submitted pursuant to section 5A of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437c–1) and under comprehensive housing affordability strategies submitted pursuant to section 105 of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 12705).
“(C) A description of the activities of the Special Assistant for Veterans Affairs of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“(D) A description of the efforts of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the other members of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness to coordinate the delivery of housing and services to veterans.
“(E) The cost to the Department of Housing and Urban Development of administering the programs and activities relating to veterans.
“(F) Any other information that the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs consider relevant in assessing the programs and activities of the Department of Housing and Urban Development relating to veterans.
“(b) Committees.—
The Committees of the Congress specified in this subsection are as follows:
“(1) The Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate.
“(2) The Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate.
“(3) The Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.
“(4) The Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives.
“(5) The Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representatives.
“(6) The Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.”
heading: Personnel From Federal Departments and Agencies
text: Pub. L. 102–389, title III, Oct. 6, 1992, 106 Stat. 1608, provided in part: “That the Council shall carry out its duties in the 10 standard Federal regions under section 203(a)(4) of such Act [now 42 U.S.C. 11313(a)(5)] only through detail, on a non-reimbursable basis, of employees of the departments and agencies represented on the Council pursuant to section 202(a) of such Act [42 U.S.C. 11312(a)].”
Similar provisions were contained in the following prior appropriations acts:
Pub. L. 102–139, title III, Oct. 28, 1991, 105 Stat. 769.
Pub. L. 101–507, title III, Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1377.
Pub. L. 101–144, title III, Nov. 9, 1989, 103 Stat. 861.
Pub. L. 100–404, title I, Aug. 19, 1988, 102 Stat. 1017.
heading: Nonimplementation of Subsection (a)(5)
text: Pub. L. 100–202, § 101(f) [title I], Dec. 22, 1987, 101 Stat. 1329–187, 1329–191, provided: “That the provision in section 203(a)(4) [now 203(a)(5)] of such Act [Pub. L. 100–77, 42 U.S.C. 11313(a)(5)] that relates to employment of personnel in the regions shall not be implemented.”
heading: Executive Order No. 12848
text: Ex. Ord. No. 12848, May 19, 1993, 58 F.R. 29517, required Federal member agencies acting through the Interagency Council on the Homeless to develop a single coordinated Federal plan for breaking the cycle of existing homelessness and for preventing future homelessness and to submit the plan to the President no later than 9 months after May 19, 1993.