christmas night. that night george washington won a battle that turned out to be a defining moment in the history of our still young nation. this night let us not forget those who still stand in harm's way far from home so we can enjoy this season in peace and freedom. even as one conflict rose to a close and joyful homecomings abound, let's also remember the empty chair at every holiday table for those who won't be with family this year by virtue of their service and sacrifice for our freedom. >> coming up, a house hearing on homeless youth and housing assistance and a discussion on economic challenges facing young adults and later, i look at the impact of religion and politics in the 2012 presidential campaign. sunday, house budget committee ranking member chris van hollen on the debate to extend the payroll tax cut and unemployment insurance and how democrats plan

to approach the legislation. that is at 10:00 a.m. at 6:00 p.m. eastern on c-span. >> i am here arguing in favor of higher taxes on the wealthy. i am one of the wealthiest 1%. >> would you guys be willing to donate to the department of treasury? >> individually- no. >> would you? >> i am very film probably active. >> i have a donation page. you just need to put in your credit card number and you can donate to the government. >> that is not going to help anybody bet you don't want to donate to the government to? >> i want our class to be -- you have heard made. you are being silly. >> i am a video journalist. what we are doing is almost like citizen journalism which is basically when an individual does not have that much training and -- in journalism has the tools of modern technology to capture a live event but does not have a

background in journalism. >> video journalist michelle feels shares her experiences on"q &a, sunday night. >> middle and high school students, for this years studentcam video competition, we want you to tell us what part of the constitution as me to you and why. let us know and a five-eight minute documentary and get it to cspan by january, 2012 for your chance to win the grand prize of $5,000. there is $50,000 in total prize is. s. the contest is open for students in grades 6-12. go to studentcam.org. >> a house financial services subcommittee held a hearing on housing assistance for homeless youths and witnesses include homeless children and program officials. they looked at the homeless children and youth act of 2011,

legislation aimed at increasing the number of children who could receive assistance and the bill would allow the department of housing and urban development to more accurately estimate the number of homeless people in the u.s. this is just over 2.5 hours. >> i would like to welcome you all here today. i like to thank you did cherie committee for holding this meeting here in this room today. they are doing some work to fix the wall because of the earthquake that occurred about a month ago and never thought washington would have to repair

walls from an earthquake but that's the way it is. we will now turn to opening statements. without objection, all members opening statements will be made part of the record. i will yield myself such time as i need. good morning and i would like to welcome our special guests. = and pamela = one. -- guests on panel one. welcome to you and thank you for being here and we hope your first experience, i assume this is your first experience with the u.s. congress as a witness or in the audience, is a good one, one that will help many children in this country. i would also like to recognize the now formerly homeless families that was featured on 60 minutes recently, the metzger family.

raise your hand so we can see where you are, thank you. thank you for being here. children should not be without a home. they should not have to fight to prove they are homeless. i hope we all agree on this. the hearing today will examine hr32, the homeless children and youth act of 2011 which will expand the definition of homeless person so that homeless children and youth verified as homeless by other federal programs can access hud housing and services. we have a unique opportunity to hear from witnesses about the bureaucratic barriers that are preventing homeless children and youth from security hud homeless assistance. our ultimate goal is to insure that homeless children and youth are eligible for hud hall was housing and supportive services. secure a more stable housing and

support of services will help kids stay in school and avoid becoming tomorrow's homeless adults. these goals must be a top party for federal agencies that have homeless programs. if federal programs are not working for these people, it is our job to find the flaws and reform those programs. during the past decade, two recent reforms have been intended to help children and youth to more easily secure homeless assistance. our work is not complete. the national center on family homelessness released a report this week revealing that one out of every 45 children in the united states is homeless. the department of education reported that student homelessness is on the rise. there are nearly 1 million homeless children in the united states. these statistics are absolutely unacceptable.

our subcommittee will work to identify the federal dictates standing in the way of local providers who are helping homeless children and youth. to increase what they can do. we will pursue reform measures that break down those barriers. one such reform measure, hr32, our subcommittee will likely consider when we come back in 2012. with that, i would recognize the gentleman from missouri for opening statements. >> i would like to extend a greeting to the young men and women who are testifying before these committees -- before this committee. you're having an experience that hardly every -- any other individual your age would have.

that means you are now famous. you can start your own reality tv show. thank you for being here. to share your own personal experiences. you cannot turn on the television or get out any place during this time of year without seeing the attempt to create a festive environment. this is a holiday season that generally captures the attention of just about everybody in this country. it is difficult, however, for me having read your testimony to feel a kind of festival atmosphere that i would normally

enter in this time of year. i have four children. while i look like i and my 30's, actually have three grandchildren. [laughter] it is a bit painful to read your testimonies. there is nothing back in touch my soul as much as finding pain with young people. in my real life, i am a united methodist pastor. from time to time, i do become involved in issues adversely affecting young people. this testimony that i was able to read actually touched my

soul and caused me to do a great deal of thinking last night as i was trying to sleep. in my struggles after having read this, i thought to myself -- what about all these other kids around the country who have no place to sleep? i am in my bed. i live in a methodist building and i am not able to sleep because i think this is terrible. i thought about people without a place to sleep. that really created to more pain -- created more pain. sometimes the discussions on the issue of homelessness can become extremely technical and we become more involved in

programs, descriptions, and specifics but we cannot lose sight -- we must not lose sight of the fact that this discussion today is about real people, real stories and your testimony will help us remember that. one thing we all know is that despite the efforts we have made over the past several years and the improvements that we have made, there is still much that our federal agencies could do to improve coordination across programs and increase access to the services that are being provided. today we will hear some valuable perspectives on how we in congress can help and i understand that our committee chair intends to reduce the barriers to services for

children and youth in highly unstable housing situations that don't currently meet the hud definition of homeless. i would like to thank ms. biggert for her work. there are very few conversations we can have here in washington that will not include a discussion of dollars. for good or bad, that's the way it goes and this discussion is no different. we have to acknowledge that fact as we move forward. i want to thank you, madam chair, for what you have done and i look forward to the testimony. >> thank you, mr. cleaver. the gentleman from ohio is recognized for three minutes. >> i would like to thank you for holding this hearing today to ensure that homeless children and youth have access to homeless assistance and services. i am pleased to welcome private first class amber coon who grew

up in my district and she recently joined the united states military and completed her initial service in the army and is stationed at fort hood, texas. i'm looking forward to hearing her testimony today i want to thank her and all the witnesses for sharing their stories. one of the things that private first class coons' testimony reminds me is that she said she likes the idea of taking her leadership skills to the next level 2 server country and she decided to go on active duty because she would have training in a stable place to live. we have a lot of folks in this country who have a lot to offer and many of them are fighting homelessness. i am pleased to join that fight with private first class coons to fight homelessness and i'm looking forward to hearing the testimony of all the witnesses today.

i appreciate the chairwoman for holding this hearing and looking forward to continuing the fight to make things better for young folks who are suffering from homeless mess. thank you so much and welcome, private first class. >> thank you, mr. cleaver, you are recognized. >> mr. george miller is here with us. he is not a member of the subcommittee but i would ask unanimous consent to allow him to speak on this issue that he feels strongly about them without objection? the gentleman from massachusetts? it is recognized for one minute. >> thank you for having this hearing and i congratulate the young people who are here today. i don't think this is the usual situation because congress is not a usual place. i want to be real clear, this proposal today is a good proposal. it is something that is long overdue and i congratulate the chairlady for submitting it. this is not going to be the final answer to ending

homelessness with children or others. the only way this country will do that is to put money on the table to build more affordable housing. simple. otherwise, there will be no place to go. getting a family into a shelter is better than not that is not real advanced or opportunity. we need to build affordable housing in this country right up the ladder for the people at the bottom and up the rungs. we have to make sure these people can afford to buy a home. we want to keep mortgage rates at a reasonable level. otherwise, most of the world will be forced into subsidized housing. if that happens, we will never be able to build our way out of this. this is a good proposal that is long overdue that i strongly support and look forward to passing. if we really want to get serious

about addressing homelessness in this country -- this is a national embarrassment. we have children on the streets and it is a national embarrassment that we have veterans on the street. we don't take care some some of our people with mental challenges were also on the street. it does not speak well for us as a society. this is a great bang but i want to be very clear -- this will not end homelessness for the only way for us to do that as a society is to be honest about it and try to put money on the table to build more affordable housing so that people will be able to move up the ladder on their own. i yield back the remainder of my time. >> thank you. mr. green from texas, you're recognized for two minutes. >> please permit me to thank you for hosting this hearing. it is without question one of the most important hearings we

will have a one of the most important hearings i think i have been a party to. i am grateful that you have the vision and the foresight to cause us to visit these issues. i would like to concur with my colleagues who have stressed the importance of the issue. i would also want to stress the importance of the fact that we can solve the problem. it is not something that is beyond our ability to resolve. the question really is not whether there is a way to resolve this issue of homelessness with our young people. the question is really whether we have the will, do we have the will to do it? if we but only have the will, this country which prides itself on its future will take charge and make sure that the future continues to be bright for all

of our children. i thank you and i yield back the balance of my time. >> thank you, mr. greene. ranking member miller of the education and work force committee. thank you for joining us and you are recognized for four minutes. >> thank you for holding this hearing on such a critical issue facing our nation. i want to thank you for your leadership on this issue. you have been a consistent champion of homeless children and families and it is a pleasure to partner with you. i want to thank all the young people who are here to tell their story today to the committee and the congress. i cannot tell you how important it is that we hear the stories. i have served on the education committee for my entire time and public colleges and i know the dramatic impact that house in

mobility have on the student's education. public schools have a unique perspective on homelessness. unlike other service organizations, schools see the full range of children without housing, not just children and you to make it into a shelter. they see people moving from place to place. none of these places should be considered a home. we know that homeless this puts kids at risk of educational failure. children without stable having -- housing have more attendance problems. it is a contributor to the nation's drop of crises. without an education, the students will have more difficult times obtaining jobs that pay decent wages and are likely to experience homelessness as an adult. federal laws require schools to support homeless children in a variety of ways.

education is only part of the answer. in order for homeless students to succeed in schools, they must receive housing and other services that will stabilize their situation and enable them to concentrate on their education. schools face barriers when they try to refer cases to the department of urban and housing development because of the difference in the definition of a homeless. this prevents kids from getting the services they need. this mismatch of definition also keeps the true scale of you thomas was hidden from view. hr 32 is similar to legislation in child nutrition. both of these laws help homeless kids get services by taking a bandage of appointing people in the public schools. hr 32 gets rid of interagency barriers person.

these are absolutely critical that this coordination and collaboration be made acceptable within blocks of this country so these children will not have these artificial barriers put up. they must continue to seek and successfully complete their educational opportunities in this country. i want to thank you again for holding this hearing and thank- you to the students who we will hear from. >> thank you very much. now we will introduce all the panel members and we'll come back and you will each have five minutes to read your statement. first of all, over here we have brandon dunlap from chicago, and illinois.

the next is rheumy kahn carlisle, pennsylvania. brittany ashburn coon, pfc fort hood, texas. miss brook pastor seventh grade, surely, new york thank you for being here. destiny rainor sanford, florida. i don't know if i will say this right to reject starnica? rainer, ninth grade, winter springs high school in sanford, florida. i'm sorry. miss starnica rogers from illinois.

without objection, your written statements will be made part of the record and you will each be recognized for five minutes. we'll start with you come brandon dunlap. >> good morning, thank you for having me here to testify as part of hr 32. i'm from chicago, illinois. i currently work in the food and beverage department of the human league club. i'm proud of what i've accomplished so far. i have it -- a safe and secure place to live would have been very helpful to me in many ways. for most of my childhood, i did not have a stable place to live. my parents got separate when i was young. my mom's sister and i ended up living with different relatives and friends. since then, my mom got and lost a number of apartments and when we were not together, i had to move from place to place. this summer before my junior year, i received a phone call

before work from my sister stating that the sheriff was there to put our things on the street. my mother was nowhere to be found. i went to work with tears in my eyes not knowing where i was going to go for the night. the tears would not stop so my manager offered me to go home. the tears it became even stronger because i had no home to go to. that night i stayed with my cousin however he did not allow me to have a key for me to come and go as i please and there was not enough room for me or a bed. i slept on the floor under the pool table. some nights i would travel a long distance on public transportation from school to work off and in bad weather only to find that my cousin was not home and i needed to find somewhere else to stay for the night. i called different friends and family members and then went back to the bus to travel a long distance for another place to stay. i developed a rotation theory in which i would try to avoid state

in the same place two nights in a row. i had to have a plan and then a backup plan and then more plans in case the backup plan did not work. the time and energy it took for me to figure out where to sleep each night and travel to get their plus my job at a subway left little time for work. i faced many barriers to housing in my life. my mom had issues she needed help with but if she had stable housing, she may have been able to address those issues and my homelessness could have been prevented. i thought i was on my own in high school even though i could not afford my own house and even if i could, no one would rent to a teenager people at my school help move the other things that nobody was able to help me with my living situation. i would have loved some place to live that was safe, warm, and consistent. it would be a place to do homework, work, go to school, eat and live my life. it would have been very

difficult to verify my living situation growing up, to prove that an adult allowed me to live with them for only 14 days which would cause some adults to feel guilty. i did not want anyone helping me to get tired of my presence. asking them for verification would be another burden for them. i would not appear comfortable saying that i moved more than twice within 60 days. most people believe what i tell them about my living situation and did not keep track of my moves. family members would have been reluctant to verify something that showed by parents for not caring for may. i did not want to risk doing anything that might involve an authorities. i did not want them going after my parents. in order to access housing services, to show i would be homeless, that would be difficult for me because i hoped

i would be all -- i would not the homeless for too long. i like to repeat something i said in the beginning of my statement -- i am proud of what i have accomplished. when i was homeless, it was like steering a ship in a storm on the open ocean. this situation has forced me to look to myself for success. however, i hope that other young people do not have to go through what i went through. i hope the situation of young people who stay temporarily with friends and family is considered homeless by all government agencies and given assistance with a stable place to live. thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my experience with you today. >> thank you so much. rheumy khan, you are recognized for five minutes. >> thank you and good morning to the committee. thank you for holding this hearing so you can learn of homelessness from how we see it as kids. i am 11 years old i am in sixth

grade at leonardtown middle school. me and my mom are homeless. we got that way because my dad was abusing me and my mom. he had made and call me stupid and retarded and tried to choke my mom. we left our home in june last year and went to stay in a hotel for a couple of nights. she tried to find a shelter for us to stay in but they did not have any room. one of her friends from work offered to let us stay there. her friend changed and would get really mean with me. sometimes she was nice but you never knew when she would smack her son and pull his hair. once she pushed me up the stairs and she was really mad at me. my mom said something to her about pushing up the stairs and she told my mom to leave. another from my mom grew up with her about our situation and invited us to stay with them. it turned out that he had mental problems and was a big liar.

my mom tried to get into shelters for families that have been abused but we could not because me. they don't allow older boys like me to stay there. we were in one shelter for a little while but at a time limit. they moved into a hotel. it was really scary because drug dealers stood around outside sometimes men would knock on our door and when my mom would open the door, they would just look at us and my mom would try to not say anything to make them mad and tell them they had the wrong door. i did not want anyone to know where i was state. when the school bus dropped us off, i waited until no one would see me and then i went to the hotel. another friend said she had a spare room that we could stay in but then his wife got mad and

we got kicked out. then we went and stayed at a motel for one night. it was better not being around all the fighting but we could not afford to stay there longer than one night. we had to change states to find a place to stay. my mom's friend invited us to stay with her until we could find a place. it was really hard having to start all over again. we had to leave there, too, and state and other hotel for one night and then we got into safe harbor. staying with other people was tough. it was really hard adjusting to families, a different life styles. if we crossed the line for some reason ,boom, we're out. the hardest part was having to move so much and stay in so many different places. we lost everything. it affected my attitude because i lost all my friends over and over again. i was afraid to get close to people because i knew we had to

move again. i struggled in school and came to school very exhausted because of having to sleep in different places constantly moving, not being able to rest. i know my mom was thinking that we should maybe go back to my dad. i missed him a lot but i knew he had not gotten any help and i was too afraid that he would hurt us again. we are at least in one place now and i don't think we will get kicked out at least not just for nothing. moving around and stay with so many different people was really hard. i hope that now that we are at safe harbor, we will be able to stay for awhile and find a place to live. thank you for listening to what homelessness is like for me and my mom. >> thank you so much. we have a co to meon, you are

recognized for -- we have brittanycoon, you are recognized for five minutes. >> thank you for allowing me to share my story. i was born in a little house in arlington, ohio in a family house that was owned by the family for many years until it was foreclosed on that was the beginning of a journey of instability and transition. >> could you pull the michael the closer to you? thank you. >> that was the beginning of a long, scary turn of instability and a lonely transition that would lead me to foster care and homelessness. after a dig at a foster care in my senior high-school, i became homeless again. i was on the couch of some relatives for quite awhile. i made it for my first year of college but as the year ended, i was without housing.

a crest on the couch of a girl i met at a party. -- i crashed on the couch of a girl i met at a party. i was expected to driver and her kids wherever they needed to go. i could not find other housing. this happened when you are doubled up. you feel indebted to the people let you stay but your taken advantage of by them. the took my money and told me i had to leave. i started hanging out of bars and nightclubs so i would have somewhere to go at night. the suns centers but i was making friends there because they would let me come back and crashed on their couches. i thought stay with these people is better than staying in my car but it was not. i was in control in my car. i wondered why there was no help. i asked to be taken to a shelter but there was a waiting list. i decided to move in with my boyfriend. my relationship went bad and he

kicked me out. i had to quit school for the second time. i talked about going into the military. i decided to go active duty so i would have a stable place to live. i'm out based in fort hood, texas and i feel more stable and supportive that i have in years but i don't have a place to call home. couch-surfing creates problems for these people. none of the people i stayed with would have been willing to document that i stayed there. many of them i did not know well enough to ask them. i believe allowing homeless education would be best because it would be easier for our youth to trust adults we know. most people doubled up are

getting used. this is true of too many youths. daniel jenks and shanna mcdaniel are here to support me. if we were not counted, we could not be served effectively recognizing that their limited resources. i would recommend increasing resources to these programs so every youth could be housed. ignoring us as only enforce the knowledge that the community has abandoned us and nobody cares about us. you have chosen to serve your country and you here in washington and me in the field. i will be out there protecting you, it is my hope you'll use your power to protect you like me. thank you again for this opportunity. >> thank you so much. next we have brooklyn pastor you are recognized for five minutes. >> i am 12 years old.

i am in seventh grade in surely, new york. i'm here today with my mom and mrs. benjamin. i have lived at over 16 places in my life. we had our own house six times. we had to go to emergency motel rooms many times in between shelters and houses. it is hard because you get to know people and then you have to move. it made my life hard. when we live with other people, there were not nice to us. we cannot ask them for anything. they're mostly mad that we were there. that did not want anyone else to know, especially their landlord. they would never let us say where we were.

my mom could not tell anyone where we live or for how long. it was like being invisible. the hardest thing about living with other people was watching my mom cried. the people would yell at my mom because we did not have any money and they would yell at us to get out it hurt me to see my mom hurting and i could not do much to help her. i'm always trying to help my younger sister and brother. mom has enough to do so i try to play with my younger siblings and keep them happy i do that at home and maybe not so much homework. i do not have time to socialize because i am looking to see a m and helpom. i follow her around to [inaudible] think. ask for any

it is especially hard for my two-year-old brother because he does not understand why mama's always crying. he cries, too. he asks her not to cry. she has to go out all lot to work and appointments. he has to stay with different people. he has no day care or preschool because there is no money. there are no services for his need to exit the parent-child home program. we are in a house now but things are not perfect. we had a hurricane and the roof caved in. the landlady all that my mom. i do not want to be ever be homeless again. the only way we will never be homeless again is if my mom got a different job, a real job. she works at a restaurant and i hope that will happen son.

this year my mom got her high school diploma and a driver's license. she is going to school in a few weeks to be a certified nurse assistant. the thing that helped my mom go through all this is being close -- the things that help us go through this is being close to my mom and close to god for i.0 my mom does good things for people even though she has no money. i want people to know that it is different going through this than just hearing about it. there are a lot of kids going through it, thank you. >> thank you so much. decimaterain -- we've r to

meqainor, you're recognized for five minutes. we have destiny rainor. >> i'm a freshman in florida. i am here with my father and my sister kimberly i would like to introduce a m to theetzger family who were homeless in central florida, too. my parents to have a thrift shop and beauty store. we had to move when the economy got better and we have to close their stores. my parents did not have a job and were looking for several months. the power and water got shut off that summer and we did not have electricity or water for six months. we had to eat at the gas station at the corner because they have a microwave. the toilet smelled bad because we could not flush the water was shut off. we had to get a lot -- bacchus from a local church my parents did not want to go to a shelter

because they split families up everyone to go -- be together. after lost our home, we wound up moving in with their grandmother. it is a three-better mobile home but only two rooms were usable. my mother, sister, and i slept in one bed and my dad's left by small-cap to my brother slept on a chair. we stayed there for two-three weeks until we could not take it anymore. my grandmother was dying of cancer so it was hard with our last bit of money, we moved into a motel in perry school district's homeless coordinator met us after one week and started to help us. my parents paid the bill when my dad would is able to work. we don't have the money, it is paid from donations from the program. the hardest thing about living in a motel is being on the bus and watching all the other kids getting off. , knowing they are going to their own, and i'm going back to a one-room motel. it makes me feel upset.

i only told one friend about the situation. i was afraid that people would talk badly about the situation. i don't want to be called poor and homeless. my teacher announced in class that which all donation help homeless kids because they are poor. she was talking about me. i know how bad it feels. any minute, you can be kicked out of a motel if you do something wrong or if your parents don't have the money. you can't just go to your own room and have your own privacy. i was doing really well in school ,a's and b's but since that happened, three of my great said c still's and d's. family transition started helping. i now feel i can focus more on my school rather than the home situation. it is still hard for me and my family. everyone is too loud one arm and my brother gets a headache. he gets more aggravated then he

is to get. my parents have no personal bonding time with each other. they are always busy making sure that we're taking care of and we have enough money to pay for the room. i have seen my dad cry the last month more than i have in my entire life. when i see my father cry, it hurts me because i know he is trying his best and still is not good enough. it makes me feel like we will never get out. last week, he went all without getting a job and it was horrible. the family transitions program was the biggest relief because they helped us so much. they set up a school bus for us so the parents wouldn't have to stress about getting us to school. they also set us up for a backpack program so our backpacks are filled with the. our footsteps did not cover the whole month and we would always run out. there are some programs that provide housing help but we do not qualify because my dad does not have a regular job and does not make enough money.

we are considered homeless. when my dad pays for the hotel room, we're not considered homeless. that does not make any sense. it is the same hotel room and it is hard to live in when you're young matter who pays. we need a home of our own. two nights ago, that has now happened because the "of the60 minutes" segment will been provided with a home. my family's basic needs will be met and i think, straight on what is important, my education. my prayer for today is not only has our community stepped up for us but now for our government to stand up for us as well and help all the other homeless children so that they, too, can get a home as well. thank you for the opportunity to be here today >> thank you so much for your testimony. we have been joined by another member from illinois, denny davis.

i ask that be allowed it -- that he be allowed to participate, without objection is so ordered. st havearnica rogers, you are recognized for five minutes. >> i am 18 years old. i have lived in chicago my whole life. thank you for the opportunity to testify here today. it is a true honor. currently, i am a student at truman college. i finished my first semester and o receivedne a and two b's. i am pregnant and expecting my baby boy next month for it my doctor said it was safe to fly [laughter] i am staying at a smelter for pregnant teens. when i first got here, i was very nervous. i was worried about being in a

new environment. i realize that everyone is here for the same reason. we are all homeless and alone. since i have been here, i have found support from other girls and staff who helped me with my homework and found close for me to wear to school. they are helping me find a more permanent place to live. i have been homeless on and off my whole life. my mom was a single mother with four kids and has worked minimum-wage jobs her whole life. i remember watching my mother struggle to pay the rent and us having to go to a shelter when i was 5. i want my life to be better. as i grew up, my mom and i started getting into fights. she was verbally abusive to me and sometimes physically abusive. by the time i was 16, had to leave for my own safety. there i was 16 and homeless.

i went from house to house staying for two or three days of other family members house is not knowing where i would end up. throughout the struggles, was dedicated to graduating high- school no matter what. i worked with the mckinny counselors so i could get free transportation to get to school. i graduated this year and i am very proud of that accomplishment. i am now in college. i'm on the drum a team and i was elected to student senate. -- ilem the drama team -- i am on the trauma team. with a college degree, i will be able to get a good paying job with a guaranteed salary. my dream is to be a social worker to help people that are going for the same struggles i have faced. right now, i am working into a transitional program run by the

night ministry. the program received hu federald funding but there is not enough housing in chicago for people like me. before i got into the program, i have to try 25 different programs but they all had a waiting list. i have had to struggle my whole life to find a place to call home. i hope you understand how important stable housing is too young person. without these programs, i know i would not be able to attend college. i would be too busy worrying about where i was going to stay every night. thank you for listening to my story and thank you for supporting the programs that are helping me. i hope you would think about the use in chicago who are homeless or who are in your town and don't know where they will sleep tonight. our country should give more money to programs to help homeless youth so we can break

the cycle of homelessness and become successful adults, thank you. >> thank you so much and thank you all for your compelling testimony. this must be your first time testifying but i think you've got a career. it was very good. we will now have questions from the members of congress. we will each take five minutes to ask questions. i will yield myself ivins to start. brandon, you said you're concerned about a hud's documentation requirements and i think you said that in order for you to be successful and access housing services, you had to show that you were almost four long time.

is that correct? >> 60 days if i'm not mistaken for 14 days in one place. that would be inconvenient to put on the person i was staying with. i did not want to overstate my welcome. i was already asking a huge favor. i did not want to jeopardize my situation. >> it seems that you did not want to be homeless for a long time either. it defeats the purpose. and then you also said that the schools will recognize the homeless and provided the services. >> yes. >> i think that has been mentioned a couple of times. we have already worked with the schools and their definition. we are really trying to move this into the health and human services and hud to provide such

help. why do the schools seem to have the ability to help homeless? >> at schools, the teachers are able to recognize certain types of students. no represented the fromhud knew my situation and i would not tell them if they ask because i did not know them. at school, i am familiar with the teachers. they show genuine concern and i would share information. >> thank you. rumi khan, you testified and found safe harbor. can you tell us more about safe harbor and how you got into that? what does it mean to you? >>wel, me and my mom can ask for a place to stay and they gave us

>> -- who is dead? >> safe harbor. they give us a place to stay which is on the emergency side. we stayed there for a little while and i got to move us up to the transitional side. it is like a little apartment. we have our own room. it feels very said. safe. sometimes i don't feel homeless because i have a roof over my head and my mom and i are together in that room. we have neighbors and friends and their. >> how did you find safe harbor? > was recommended to you? >> yes. >> that was fortunate. thank you.

brooklyn, you said your mother now was going to school and got a diploma and a driver's license and is training to be a nurse's assistant. who helps her mother during the hardest times and how did she figure out how to do that as well as take care of you? >> [inaudible] >> can you pull a closer? >> ms. benjamin help us with everything. >> what kind of help you with your mother had when you're moving between places? >> i don't know. she was always there for everyone else even when we did not have anything. they once -- they said they would do the same for her. you hadittany coon,

some bad experience but you are wearing the uniform and things have straightened out for you? >> yes, ma'am. >> you said ignoring youth has reinforced our knowledge that our community has abandoned us and does not care about us. as you have moved on, do you still feel that way? >> hartzler, yes, i'd >> do. thank you. mr. cleaver, you are recognized for five minutes. >> i have reservations about asking you a lot of questions or any for that matter. in my state of missouri, we have approximately 24,000 homeless

children which means that there is a certain level of invisibility and some of you mentioned that. you try to stay under the radar. you don't want to be noticed. as you have struggled, have you met other young people who were in your same situation? if so, was there any attempt to measure each other's situation to see if there was a place for a way to get help? any of you all make others in the same situation? this promotes the whole issue that is probably more severe, this invisibility. >> yes, i'm actually in a

program where there are several other girls in my situation. we are connected by asking how you got here and did you call other resources. we are all in the same situation. we are either pregnant or have a child. the programs that were entered, we asked if we could get into those programs. the answers allno. this is -- the answer was always no. >> one final question -- my wife and i took in a young man and kept him and sent them to school with our kids, our twin boys. years later, he was a the nextvaluejet crash and the everglades. we discovered that he had never

been to a dentist. he had never been to a doctor. i don't want to get into details but i'm wondering how much health care you have had, going to a dentist or getting checkups,. anybody? >> as a child, was well taken care but as the years got on, i don't recall ever really going to the doctor in high school. it was a question of getting past the physicals. there is no doctor visits, now a dentist, nothing. >> i go to the doctor or the dentist all the time. >> i did not have a lot of health care but i had to go through a lot of work at the

dentist to get into the army. >> thank you very much. i yield back the balance of my time. >> the gentleman from ohio, st mr.ivers. >> thank you. many of you mentioned in your testimony, brandon and brittany and i think destiny all talked a little about grades and how your housing situation really impacted your schooling and your ability to continue your education. can you help me understand how those things are linked? how could change the course of your life and a negative way because you do not get the education? do any of you want to expound upon the impact and a

connection -- and the connection and your experience when you were homeless of having to jump between different homes and what it meant to your school work and ability to read yourself for your future? >> it was very difficult to study given the fact that the long distance traveling and may be traveling again after traveling initially, there was no time for homework. there was a lot of planning and it is late and you have to go to sleep because class starts at 8:00. >> it is part for me because i lack sleep, too. when we were moving, it was very stressful and tiring. staying up late was affecting my schoolwork because i could not focus in school.

migrates have gone down a little bit but i am trying to go to sleep earlier and bring my grades up. so i can geta's. >> it affects you when you are sitting in class and you are thinking about where you're going after an where you will eat and how you'll get your home or done. you might break a pencil and you might not have a pencil sharpener. you are worried about if you're going to be safe at night and what will happen to you. should i sleep in the school parking lot to tax >> and high-school, it was harder than college. it was hard to let them know i was homeless or i needed help, but in college, i got more help at the shelter i'm living in.

i got more help with my essays. i had honors english and had to do a lot of papers and i did not have equipment to do the papers with. the after-school programs i was involved and did not help either. but going into college, i had got a lot more support at the shelter lived in. but when i was homeless, i was barely passing. this >> many of you talked about the hud requirement on documentation. that came up in multiple testimonies from you and that is something we need to take a serious look at because brandon did a good job of explaining how to create a hassle on the people trying to help you.

i know that is something else and we need to take a serious look at. are there any other specific issues we should take a serious look at? i think the chairwoman bill addresses the issues that will help homeless youths. does anyone else have things like that through the system experienced? >> if you can afford to live in a hotel for 14 days, you are not categorized as homeless. when someone pays for you, you are homeless. if you can pay for it for 14 days, you are not. it's not your home. you don't have your own privacy. your all crammed into one little room. that makes no sense because its

the same place and i think that should be changed. >> thank you. i appreciate your time and appreciate you sharing your stories and experience with us. we are going to work hard to do the best we can to help. thank you very much. i yield back. >> i would like to first thank our young panelists who are here today for coming to share your stories so we can be better informed and know how best to use our public policy influence to do much better than we're doing about homelessness. i would like to share with you that recently, i decided to walk through the system in los angeles end what i saw it

disturbs me greatly. i do not think the systems are working the way we think there are from appear. -- from up here. for the last three or four weeks, i've been trying to get a family, a mother with three children, placed in a transitional to permanent housing and i have not been able to do it. i have gone to the big agency, the oversight agency, and i have confronted them on how the systems are not working. the members of this committee, we should all not just visit shelters and sit down and talk with people who are supposed the employment what we think is public policy, we have to walk through the system with people who require shelter or

transitional housing or permanent housing. i discovered this mother with three children was being asked for all kinds of documentation before she could get into the shelter. they wanted the birth certificates of all the kids, which is unreasonable. and the other documentation are asking for. let me just say to you that priority on my list of how i spend my time will be trying to correct some of these problems. in one shelter, they had to be in by 4:00 or they lose their bed. this person stayed out until 5:00, had to put them in my car and take him back because i wanted him to be sheltered despite the fact he missed by one hour. it goes on and on, so i know you are going through.

one question now to follow up on is i am very concerned about while you are trying to get into permanent housing, what is happening with your education in school? long distances, many of our homeless young people are long distances from the school. what if somehow we could put something in the system that would require to bring -- require tutoring at every shelter where there are children? what kind of assistance could help lawyer families are working on getting permanent housing? do you have any suggestions on how we could give support so you don't fall behind and get bad grades simply because you can't sleep at night because you are in a situation where you don't feel safe for there is noise? would tutoring help?

someone on the site or places where you have numbers of young people -- would that tried to help to get some assistance from the school district, would any of that help? >> i definitely feel tutoring help allot and i also feel someone trained to deal with children in high stress situations would help. >> transportation to school would help lot. i ride my bike to school and it's very tiring. i get to school exhausted and my legs hurt. >> how many schools have you gone to or stories about young people who may have gone to 3, 4, five schools in a year -- have you heard that? >> yes. i tried to stay at the same school, which should not have done because i missed some money days going from house to house.

i was on the south side of my school is on the west side. i should have transferred school, but i knew i wasn't going to be on the south side for long. it was hard. >> if you had a teacher or a tutor in that area of the shelter who could he you -- who could keep you on track until you get in a permanent place so you would not lose time, would that help? >> yes. it would help a lot. mandatory, better those of the class's i need help with the most. >> if there was a teacher that was helping year and could help you transfer your work to your permanent school once you got permanent placement and be an advocate and support person, that would be helpful?

>> yes. >> thank you very much. >> the first thing we did work on in this whole issue was education and to make sure and this was put into new child left behind. it was to make sure no homeless child was turned away from school. he didn't have to have the records or the grades, but you could be enrolled immediately in school where you were homeless, living at the time or where you had been in school. it took several years and this was under mr. miller's committee at the time. >> with the gentle yet let -- with the gentle lady yield for a second? >> that is absolutely very helpful, but the number of -- i am running into the number of

schools the number -- the children and up going to while they're homeless and they lose credits -- >> having to switch so often. you are right. we did add transportation and it took us a long time to get that in. but you are right and we should look at the tutor or teacher actually at the shelters. that would be a big help. that is something we should look at for this bill. >> thank you very much. mr. green, you are recognized for five minutes. >> thank you very much, madame chair. i would like to thank the ranking member for his efforts in these areas as well. i am very concerned about your indications that you were

homeless but did not want anyone to know that you're homeless. i understand why. you of all spoken well amount, and you. -- you have all spoken well and it takes courage. but you did not want people to know. was there on any of the school campuses a counselor or someone who's -- someone who had some degree of responsibility to work with you and help the from the school campus? did anyone have a counselor your able to work with? >> there were counselors, but i

did not speak to them until i had a connection from someone who did not work at school. >> did you say connection? >> yes. she helped me get scholarships and introduced me to the coalition for the homeless. from then on, that is why talked to the counselor, but he did not help any. >> was there any outreach? did you feel you were in an environment where you could go to someone at the school and say we need help? we have this situation and i just want to talk to someone? did any of view feel there was any avenue or means available for you to do this? >> i personally did not reach out because i did not want any authorities going after my

parents. >> i did not have on school help, but we have a coordinator who is actually here today. she was helping with a few hundred families, helping them with food and places to stay, making sure they keep up with their education. if it wasn't for her, i would still be staying at a hotel and my grades would be horrible. we don't have anyone on campus that helps, but there are a lot of kids there. we had a program where everyone got to come and have a free lunch. we have hundreds and hundreds of kids who came because there were homeless. there's no one at the school to help. most of the kids don't want anyone to know and there's no point in telling people of nothing is going to happen. >> thank you.

>> i did not feel comfortable telling everybody i was homeless because i knew there were going to look at me different. i was afraid it would get out in the whole school and i would have to transfer because people was looking down on me. but i did talk to one lady who came up to the school who got me into the program that gave me a car so i could get to school. they'd notice i was homeless because of my attendance. i was doing all the work and getting good grades, but my attendance was affecting my grades. but i did not tell one person miles story. >> its not always about you don't want to share. it's that society puts a label on you. they asked me what i was going to d.c. for and they laughed at me. they said you can't get into the

army if you're that way or wire you going to this expensive college and living in your it -- living in your car? people label what you are doing with what you have. >> i have not gone to my friends because i am embarrassed and i'm afraid they're going to make fun of me because they have everything and i'm homeless. it's kind of embarrassing for me. i don't go to the counselor at my school, but when me and my mom went to the counselor and she was opposed to come to this school every other week and she has never come and i can't share with anybody up, mom. >> thank you very much.

we all have a duty to do all the weekend. convincedrch, i'm we're not doing enough. there is more that we can do that we are not doing. while we have addressed the young people have spoken, i want to thank the adults who came today who are with them, whether you are a mother, father, brother, significant other, i just want to thank you for the role your plane to help you give these young people a brighter future. with this, i will yield back the balance of my time. >> thank you. we are very happy that you have told us and have not been afraid to come into that u.s. congress because things are going to change and euro given us a lot more to put into it.

mr. miller, you are recognized for five minutes. >> thank you very much. let me begin by thanking you so much for coming and sharing your stories with us as members of congress, the legislation under consideration this morning is designed to address many of the things you have mentioned. some parts of the federal law already do that and some parts are inconsistent. we're trying to remove those barriers so that it's easier to access the services you need while you and your family members are homeless. that is our goal, to address what you have told us here. all of you remarkable strength

and maturity beyond your years and i recognize adverse situations like being homeless can make you grow up very fast. that is unfortunate, but you have obviously responded to help and other members of your family in the same situation, it is an exhibition of strength and character that sometimes we do not always see, but also, i want to commend you for your own achievement in school, as difficult as it has been and there have been ups and downs, but you have persevered and you should feel good about yourselves and certainly, we feel good about your being willing to come here and publicly demonstrate to us the need for this legislation so

that it would be easier for you and your families and other homeless children. on the other side, we have put many provisions and to the law to reduce the barriers and obstacles of you getting services in school, transportation and counselors being required, but again, to go to some of the housing agencies, they found barriers and we are trying to reduce those. hopefully our test money will turn out to be valuable and helpful to us if you will look back on this when you made this kind of contribution on behalf of others that will be homeless in the future. i hope you take that away from this hearing. thank you very much and our very best wishes for you and your family and that circumstances will change for the better for all of you. >> the gentleman from illinois,

mr. davis, you are recognized for five minutes. >> thank you very much. let me thank you not only for calling this hearing, but for giving me the opportunity to participate, though i am not a member of this particular committee. i also want to commend you -- we get an opportunity to ride back and forth together on the airplane and sometimes we even get seated in the same row. i want to commend you for your passion and sensitivity to this issue. i know of it firsthand because we do get a chance to talk and i am aware of how high you hold this as a priority and the work you have done on it over the years. so which is thank you for that. i also want to commend

representative miller for the leadership has provided as chairman and now ranking member of the education committee, trying to make sure we merge together the housing and social service needs with the education needs of students who are homeless. i want to commend all of the witnesses. i have been totally intrigued by your testimony and i appreciate your love all of understanding in recognition of where our country not only is, but where we need to go. particularly do i want to welcome brandon, since they are from chicago, where i come from and the night ministry, which i am very familiar with is one of the most innovative and creative

programs i have heard about, read about or participated with or observed what it does, not only with homeless youths, but with other homeless individuals and we are fortunate the coalition for the homeless has been one of the most effective advocacy groups for homeless persons in this country for the last 20 years. i would commend them. brandon i did not get a chance to hear your testimony, unfortunately. are you associated with a program? what program are you connected with? >> i am here with the coalition for the homeless. >> so you are connected with the coalition for the homeless and i'm sure you can verify what i

said about them because not only do they pinpoint the need for services, but they are so inspirational in terms of their approaches to doing that. where the you get your health care? >> everything connected with the night ministry, they recommended me over to everything. >> is a clinic? >> it is a clinic. >> is a school-based clinic? >> no. >> is a community health center? >> it is for teenagers. >> i think they do fantastic work. i'm delighted you all came to share with us. chicago is somewhat fortunate. truman college does in fact have

a level of sensitivity to all kinds of students and it's also a college that is a united nations of students. they pay particular attention to the needs of young people, the needs of their students, and they are located in an area where individuals from every race, creed, nationality, color, everybody lives up town in the area where it is located, and that helps. the chicago board of education has tried. i happen to be very much aware of what they do because the woman who directed the homeless program for several years happen to have been my sisters classmate in college, so i became very familiar with them.

the one question, do any of you know other homeless young people who have not been able to connect with any program? >> yes. >> you know young people not connected to a program or service? >> yes >> do you no young people? >> a few. >> that indicates we not only need the legislation, but we also need to make sure there is adequate funding for the programs that are authorized. thank you for coming for your part dissipation, and thank you, madam chairman, for your diligence and the opportunity to be here. i yield back. >> thank you.

we have a second panel, but if we have questions, if you could keep it to 2 minutes, i want to come back -- he talked about the fact you and your mother were turned away from shelter because you were an older boy and destiny, you talked about the fact going to a shelter, you were afraid you were going to split up the family. i know this has been true and i have heard this before, that they don't want to take in older boys, but what happened and did it happen in other places? >> it has happened, at a safe harbor, they don't except older

males or single males. they don'ts because want to start relationships in the shelter. that has happened to me and i'm not sure why >> that is something we will have to look into. >> most of the shelters in florida, they separate the males and females, not depending on the age. we all wanted to stay the other because it would separate my younger brother and my dad. they would go to a separate shelter now be me, my little sister and my mom. we did not want that to happen. >> what about a family with a father and two daughters? >> they would be separated. the children would go to different shelter.

the leaders of the shelter would take care of them. >> we will look into this. >> i will be brief. i just wanted to say to everyone how proud we are and what a great job you did on your testimony. we are proud of your accomplishments and joining the military. we're also proud of your perseverance on this subject. i want to share a quick story so that you understand awhile homeless this affect a lot of people, it does not have to get in your way. we have a colleague, a good friend of mine from detroit michigan, who was homeless after his homelessness he went on to college and became a state representative and now is a

member of congress. so i want all of you to know that you have bright futures that you have a lot to offer our society and we as a society and as an institution and congress need to do a better job of trying to help get folks the resources they need and i think that's what this bill is about and public key and ford to supporting it. i appreciate your testimony today and we're going to take and try to redress the situation to brought up but i want to make sure you know how proud of you we all are. >> just a brief comment. i think these young people have given us an opportunity today to understand this is not a problem for democrats or republicans or conservatives or liberals. this is an american problem. it deserves an american

solution. i look for to working with you to reaching that solution. thank you. >> the only thing i would say is i remember my mother telling me what i was a young person problems are like babies. the more you nurse them, the more they grow. it's not always with your problem does to you, but it's what you do with what could have been your problem. i think you are all well underway to not having problems but having solutions. thank you very much. >> thank you. with that, we will conclude this panel and there are seats available to listen to the other panel. let me say the chair recognizes

some members may have additional questions which they may wish to submit in writing. the hearing record will remain open for 30 days to submit questions to witnesses. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011]

>> i know it's going to be tough to top that panel. but i'm going to introduce the second panel. first, we have the director of financial markets and community investment, u.s. government accountability office. we have the commissioner of the new york city department of homeless services. we have the homeless liaison for the san antonio independent school district. the deputy assistant secretary for special needs, office of

community planning and development, u.s. department of urban development. commonly known as had. the director of interagency council on homelessness and dr. grace whitney, the director of head start collaboration office from the connecticut state department. you will be recognized for five minutes. >> thank you. good morning. the afternoon. i'm pleased to be here to participate on this media and homeless children. 23% of all children in the u.s. lived in poverty in 2010 and the department of education identified nearly 940,000 homeless students during the 2009-2010 school year. and 18% increase.

multiple federal agencies administer programs designed to address the needs of children experiencing, this. but some programs use different definitions to determine eligibility, ranging from people living in the emergency or transitional shelters, to those living on the street, to those living in others -- living with others or living in hotels or campgrounds. my statement is based on the 2010 report on differences in federal definitions of homelessness and other factors that impact the effectiveness of programs affecting the experience of homelessness. definitional definitions -- definitional differences have made it difficult. children living in precarious situations like doubling up with others are living in motels historically were excluded from receiving government services and we heard about that this

morning. we found data collected on the homeless have never -- have a number of shortcomings and not fully capture the true extent and nature of homelessness. further, tons of used buried by agencies because there are different definitions. congress enacted the homeless rapid transition to housing act in 2009 which brought the general definition of homeless -- broadened the general definition of homeless. last month, hud issued a new rule on the definition of homelessness, adding a new category -- unaccompanied use and those defined as homeless under other federal statutes. the act may alleviate some challenges previously faced by children and use in accessing services. some children and youths who were not previously considered homeless will now qualify.

however, not of time has passed to assess the impact of these changes and a broadening of the definition doesn't mean everyone who meets the new definition will be entitled to benefits in all programs. constrains will likely restrict access to housing services for many children and youth. another finding was different definitions of homelessness make collaboration across federal programs more difficult. based on our work, we recommend federal agencies develop a common vocabulary for homelessness. the agencies agreed with our recommendations and have taking steps toward implementing them. in january of this year, there is a meeting of experts to discuss the development of a common vocabulary and issued a report to congress that summarize the feedback received during that meeting. the report that the common vocabulary would allow federal agencies to better measure the

scope of homelessness and may ease implantation and coordination. recently, interagency staff says they hold three meetings to discuss the m&a and of common vocabulary with key federal agencies. the council also noted individual agencies have taken positive steps to create this, and standard and improve coordination across agencies. for example, h h s and p a have been working with had to planned transition to the homeless management. we believe a common vocabulary and data standard is an important step toward the goal of providing efficient and effective programs to end homelessness. it would allow for the collection of consistent data to better understand the nature of home with this and allow for more effective communication and collaboration across federal,

state and local programs that serve the homeless. i would be happy to respond to questions. >> good morning, members of the committee. i am pleased to be with you today to discuss the ongoing efforts to prevent homelessness and new york city and work with those who are homeless to return to the community as quickly as possible. the new york city's approach mirrors president obama's program to end homelessness it includes improving access to mainstream programs and including health and stability of hon. populations. as we heard so powerfully this morning, shelter can be difficult for children, many of them have to leave their school and the community they know when coming into the system. there are 16,500 children in the

new york city shelter system and we work closely with families to make sure we can bring as much stability as possible into the lives of children living in shelters. the most important service we can provide is to make sure they are enrolled in school and attending each day. we recognize department officials are critical in those efforts and we tried to place families and shelter as close as possible to the school or their youngest child is enrolled and the staff is located at our family and take center to enroll students to a new school that turns out to be necessary. education staff collaborates with shelter staff to make sure children have transportation to reach school. we have begun to provide attendants data so they can track how children are attending school and work with families where attendance is an issue. we have also established

homework rooms where students can receive tutoring from not per -- not-for-profit organizations a partner with us. it is a far better for families not to be in shelter at all. we have worked to increase employment efforts and this year alone, 7500 shelter households have moved into jobs providing not only incumbent greater stability. for those at risk of homelessness, new york city prevent homelessness primarily through a network of 13 prevention offices located throughout the city. these offices use a range of services in their efforts to fight homelessness. among the services is a close coordination with other schools. home base gives regular presentations to teacher groups and school officials said they become aware if a family is dealing with housing issues and can be referred for services. the service makes offered is different in each case, but our

offices are operated under two important principles. first, as to ask for assistance must take concrete and verifiable steps to improve their situation and insistence -- assistance is contingent on and taking those steps. a plan must be designed to address the circumstances that put them at risk and but the plan into action. the plan might include an aggressive job approach, looking for a new product -- looking for a new apartment or attending a financial counseling. second, home base is an evidence-based effort where we continuously and rigorously review our work to make sure it is efficient and cost-effective, especially at a time of limited resources. it is critical to our services be based on reliable data. home base meets that test and the is continually evaluated to make sure we're targeting those most in need of services and we are providing services that are

not alike beneficial to the family but will prevent those household from meeting shelter. to further ensure it is effective, we have undertaken a series of evaluations conducted by leading researchers from a universities across the country's debt -- across the country as well as a study undertaken by one of the nation's leading social sciences research firms looks at a series of the most critical questions and all the prevention efforts. we look forward to sharing the results of the research as the findings become available. prevention efforts have become a greater part of the national discussion and we are gratified the new gramm supports prevention work. this will be critical and encouraging communities to direct more resources toward prevention and believe those will be effective and believe it

would be a good investment of taxpayer dollars to expand funding to allow additional prevention resources to be put in place. hud resources primarily dedicated to shelter should be focused on those with the greatest need. with financing already stretched thin, to further dilute those allegations would hurt the substantial efforts being made in new york and across the country to assist those in shelter. dedicated resources are essential to provide those in shelter with housing and relocation services. those living with others may be in need of services, but those can be addressed through other funding streams. existing calibrations provide an opportunity to assist those their risk. thank you for the opportunity to testify about four to answering your questions. >> thank you.

>> good morning, representative and members of the committee. for the past 17 years, i have been a homeless liaison at the san antonio school district in san antonio, texas. last year, we enrolled 3171 students, a 56% increase and we are on track for another increase this year. 80% of the homeless students we serve live in double dutch situations, often with other people because they have no other place to go. we can debate the definition, but there'll kids. families and you cannot find spaces and the shelters or the shelters don't have the space to serve families or unaccompanied minors. what is left is for them to be doubled up. they balance from one situation to another. in san antonio, there's a double

the population, a mattel population -- there is not a double the population hotel population. they are not defined. there are homeless and they are here. if they are not counted, it will be extremely skewed and when we talk about ending homelessness in five or 10 years, we must realize we can do that without addressing the needs of doubled up children and youth. if they continue to experience the instability of bubbling up, they will become the chronic homeless adults of tomorrow. as we heard from the youth who testified earlier, doubled up use of levin extremely stressful conditions. we work hard to serve our families and use despite their mobility. since they have no way to access stable housing, school districts are losing children. i assisted a mother this october

had been doubled up in five different homes in two months. she did not know where to enroll her son. i cannot help to access hud services. she was not homeless according to hud. another is a mother, a veteran with a high school son living in a hotel in a hat -- in a terrible neighborhood was not even a microwave or refrigerator. his son -- her son said this life is for the birds, not humans. they are not homeless according to hud. i hope a change in definition would allow the centennial to provide services to children and youth i served. however, after reading the regulations and the documentation requirements, i realized the new definition will not make any difference for the vast majority of my family's and youth. for example, it will be impossible for a double but family to provide verification from the host family about how

long they can stay, how many times they have moved or confirming they are staying there at all. host families do not want to admit to any agency of that they have two families in their apartment when their lease and occupancy indicates one family. i have seen families evicted from hud-subsidy housing for going over the occupancy limits and now have to homeless families and not one. it is understandable even a case manager calling a host family would be threatening and likely to result in the host family asking be doubled up family to leave immediately. if the goal is to create a high degree of anxiety and animosity, this documentation requirement is an excellent way of doing it. it will destroy a family support networks, create more mobility for my kids, more stress and greater challenges. it seems like hud is trying to keep their old definition and

let the old of families by requiring too much documentation. i realized i had it categorizes them as at risk, but the services they need most are housing and supportive services which are not available for at risk families. plus, the population will not be counted which creates a false picture of homelessness in my community. the homeless children and use act would be more proficient than had's paper chase and it would help identify common needs and pursue common goals with one mindset. i am used to certify and homelessness for other programs like the u.s. the a free meals at school. head start and the college financial aid for unaccompanied homeless youth. i will be glad to accept responsibility of certifying children and youths who are in almost situations so that we can

serve them and prevent them from becoming tomorrow's homeless adults. thank you very much aforetime. >> thank you for the opportunity to testify on this very important issue. thank you for having these young, courageous witnesses on the first panel. it is evidence that we need to do more to help so many in this nation who have no place to call home. families with children make up to large a share of the homeless population, making up nearly 40% of people living on our streets and in our shelters. one in five homeless families are living in cars and other un sheltered places. this week, had released its account for homeless persons. hud partners to contact the people living in shelters or are

living in shelters. they did not contact people who are at risk of having the house and light people living with family or friends, of which there are many. the number of persons living and sheltered or in shelter has declined by just 2% in 2010 and 2011. importantly, this overall decline reflects reductions in all subgroups. individuals, chronically homelessness, -- chronically homeless. while we as a nation have a long way to go, given high record poverty rates, it's heartening that we are seeing at least some progress in reducing homelessness. these reductions are a testament to recent prevention efforts as well as continued funding of

proving -- proven programs that provide support of housing tuna, as individuals trade the act provides communities a full range of tools to prevent and and homelessness. in particular, bailout for hud programs to serve persons defined as at risk of homelessness, and it expands the definition of who is considered homeless. cut it began to trade -- to do -- hud began to train on the definition of homelessness. as they began to use the expanded definition of homelessness and at risk homelessness, we continue to receive flat funding year after year. we are obviously in a time of great fiscal constraint and it will be challenging to serve more people without additional resources. i would like to a knowledge the good work that gao for

assessing the need a common vocabulary light comes to the issue of homelessness. i enthusiastically support the finding there should be a common vocabulary. the hearth act is a result of many years of hard work. from those on this committee and congress in general, the advocacy community and hud -- i was personally involved in these efforts from the beginning and was heartened to see congress pass this bipartisan bill. an edition in -- in addition to broadening the definition of homelessness, three programs are consolidated into one. for the first time, hud's homeless assistance programs will have the full range of tools communities need to confront homelessness for families and children, from prevention to those eras freezing -- losing their housing to transitional housing, rapid

rehousing and primary housing. to implement the hearth pact, hud is issuing six sets of regulations, the details of which are in my written testimony. finally, we realize solving homeless as will require more resources than are available. we are involved in several initiatives to reduce and and homelessness for children and use that attempts to bring more resources to the table and find the best strategies to deal with this problem. thank you for the opportunity to testify today and i look forward to answering a question to you may have. >> thank you. >> thank you for the opportunity to testify on the impact of homelessness on children and youth. i would like to thank the chairman for leadership. we're here to discuss 3 requirements in the act.

a change in the homelessness definition, and the development of a federal plan. i am pleased to report we of made progress on all three. the new definition reflects the agreement reached in the hearth act, and we followed up on the gao study to advance work on a common vocabulary and we have the first ever strategic plan to prevent and and homelessness. it is horrifying and asia as wealthy as ours the nearly 1 million children and youth experienced homelessness. the testimony we have just heard underscores this tragedy. the latest data shows to under 40,000 family members were homeless on a single night in january of 2011. all point in time count is less, the other trends are not so positive. there is significant mismatch. more families are experiencing for closure.

the gap has been widened between the number of low-income renters and units. the needs of family and youth very and there is also attention to health care and other needs which operate at a different silos, often managed by different jurisdictions. instead of a tailored and holistic response, there is a fragmented set of services usually left to navigate on their own. not only is this tragic for homeless families, but there is a growing body of evidence that competing -- instability is the not good for that, but there are solutions. it can save money and the long term. the obama administration acted in june of 2010. for the first time, the federal

government set a goal to end family, use and child homelessness by 2020. based on a growing body of evidence that shows how targeting solutions are more cost-effective than temporary fixes. affordable housing is a cornerstone of any effort to reduce and and homelessness. the preservation and expansion of affordable housing is critical to ending family home with us. unfortunately, the trend lines are going in all the wrong directions. to many americans cannot afford a safe place to call home despite the growing need. housing assistance programs are threatened at all levels of government in the current budget environment. prevention is also critical. targeted intervention that keeps families from losing the home in the first place spares family the trauma of homelessness. the key drivers are access to affordable housing, financial

assistance, and support during a crisis. another proven solution is rapidly housing. assistance helps move into permanent housing. there was an enormous impact made around the country and helped many moved to rapid housing. housing stability requires the right types of support in a highly coordinated way. this includes good health care, transportation, child care and a job that pays enough to meet household needs. these systems are being connected to prevent homelessness one possible and what it doesn't happen, to return and resolved as quickly as possible. that is work we are doing across the federal agencies. it needs to occur at state and local levels. this agency -- and agencies are

coordinating with hud on these efforts. our nation has faced economic uncertainties during the first 18 months of implementation, but one thing remains clear. homelessness is an urgent problem. not only is it devastating to families and individuals, but it is costly to society as a whole. republicans have collaborated for decades to fight homelessness. family and child homelessness is an outrage that should note no partisan boundaries and is an area where we can make a real difference together. we need to invest in what works and we need to invest in our children and our future. let us work together to ensure by 2020, not a single american child or use experiences homelessness. thank you for the opportunity to testify, and i look forward to your questions. >> good morning.

thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony today. for the past 15 years, i've served as a director of the headstart office for the state of connecticut. the head start act requires offices in each state partner with states in specific areas. one of which is children experiencing homelessness. for babies, toddlers and preschoolers living doubled up and motels and other homeless situations creates toxic stress, causing developmental challenges and failure to thrive and illness, mental- health problems, irrigable behavior, trouble eating and sleeping. young children girl networks and actual genetic expression than the architecture of their young brains are being created based on repetition of experiences. um healthy conditions accumulate and jeopardize is the opportunity for health and the future. children living in motels live

in extremely crowded rooms with numerous family members and often have limited food preparation options. these environments are full of transient adults and outdoor areas are unsafe. it is certainly not ideal for young children and infants and toddlers who must move. many families would be excluded using the hud definition. families living in unstable conditions often remove -- often moved repeatedly. this is extremely stressful for young children. relocating often requires families to requalify for essential services and provide documentation and they can lose their place in line. it often leads to depression depression. in connecticut, we find that even young children on not getting adequate services and

there are delays and services surely due to the lack of awareness of needs of babies and toddlers and preschoolers. headstart focuses on services for families most in need. it recognizes the first -- the full range of families. it has started a mainstream program without sufficient capacity to serve all eligible children. with current funding, head start nationally serves about 50% of eligible -- eligible preschoolers and less than 5% of eligible toddlers and infants. homeless families are allowed to enroll immediately while documentation is obtained. head start staff begins services runway to offer or obtain the services quickly and to work in whatever ways they right away to offer or

obtain the services quickly into work in whatever ways they can. it has health, mental health, education, and health care schurz's to children. half the children in the services are age 5 years old and under. even those who might qualify under the definition may face barriers to to documentation requirements. such requirements can create delays in achieving stability for babies and young children, can consume precious staff time and create circumstances that create -- that the vulnerable

children last. most beneficial for young children are policies and practices that recognize and align with their unique needs and promote rather than hinder their health and future success. we all share the goal of ending family homelessness. but with the dedicated attention, we will fall far short of the sabol to break the cycle of homelessness. we must evaluate all homelessness policies. from a child development perspective, take into account the threat to the lives of these young children, the dire clients -- dire consequences. thank you for the opportunity to share my experiences. >> thank you so much. now we turn to the questions by members. there are a couple of us here.

it really is important and it is a shame that there is so much going on. that this happens when we talk about homelessness, that we keep pushing and pushing for this. i will yield myself five minutes. the definition of hud -- as you know, i worked on the definition before education. i think that is when we realized the discovery of getting to know the numbers of how many homeless children there were. and then finding out that hud did not match that. the first generic definition of hud was an individual who lacks a regular and adequate nighttime residents.

it was really addressed for what we would call the people that were living on the street or under a bridge. it is very important that they were protected by this. but moving then towards young people, children, and expanding that was very slow. i remember that hearing and there were a few people there. but it was one of the most important hearings. one of our members had spoken and it was the first time he talked about the fact that he had been homeless and had been abused. it had such an impact. we really work on changing the definition there. but it was not enough. if you look at the high definition, the things you have

to go through still, sharing with others, living in hotels or motels, not the belief paid, a family having a primary night residence that is a room in a hotel or motel where they lack the resources to move their fur than 40 days or credible evidence -- to move their for more than 14 days or kriegel evidenccredible evidence. and experienced a long term time without living independent lee in permanent housing, having experienced instability by frequent moves can be expected to extend for an amount of time.

we cannot make these kids jump through all those who. most of the children recognized by the department of education would not meet the hud standards. i think that is true of the children who were here today. they do not qualify. did not meet the requirements. they do not qualify for the homeless, health, and supportive services. i am happy to see that you're really bringing this up and talking about it and doing it. but i really have to have a definition that is the same as the other agency, that is the same as the department of education if we're going to get all of this together. that is why we have a chart 32 as will the some other things. -- have hr 32 as well us some

other things. these kids are homeless. that is their problem. and the challenge. hud needs to recognize this fact. and congress and every federal agency needs to work together to help these homeless kids. i would hope that we can work together and continue to do that. and you do rulemaking, it is important that you do not put up more and more barriers to do that. throughout your testimony, you mentioned that you could not help certain families to secure housing through the head programs. the reasons why families and children cannot secure it is important. can you address that quickly? >> as i indicated, 80% of the damage we have identified are in doubled up situations.

many of these families are chronically homeless. we worked the stamp -- we work with these families year after year a two-year period because of their situations, they do not qualify for had services. and these families, being that they have been chronically homeless, there are a lot of mental health issues. so supportive services are especially -- would be very beneficial for the families that i sir. i think we heard today in the testament -- families that i serve. >> i think we heard today in the testimony that they could be doubled up and be asked to leave for various reasons. the idea that they have been kicked at a someplace and they have nowhere ago and it keeps

happening -- >> because they are doubled up and doubled up, they're already exhausted. a lot of their family connections, their family support system, they have gone from family member to family member to a family member to family member. in every location, they have overstayed their welcome. because of that, their limitations or their resources become very limited as to where they can go. it can be a very challenging situation when they actually just moved in because they have to be somewhere in a relative's house and then they have to ask them for documentation to support that they really are homeless for hud. that would be really challenging. >> we are hearing so much about this. having this panel is great. we have a couple of people here today that are really active in that. one has trouble the country visiting the homeless and then

they documentary called "hear us." and then alexander policy did one called "the motel kids" about the kids in florida. and then "60 minutes" had one as well. we have all the tools. we have the help. we just have to get this stuff out. recognize the gentleman from texas for five minutes. >> thank you. i think witnesses for appearing today. it has been said and i will say again -- it is better to build a strong child than to repair a broken adult. for those who deal in the social sciences, the psychologists,

psychiatrists, vt. -- criminologists, paleontologists -- i do not like the language of a broken adult, but i need to communicate. so just allow me to communicate. i would be interested in knowing if you have seen any empirical evidence on the number of people who are incarcerated or were incarcerated who were homeless for some time in their lives. anyone with anything that you can put me to, i am sure google will help, but you may give me a head start if you have some empirical intelligence. >> 12 observations i have is that, years ago, we did a study that -- some of the observations

i have is that, years ago, we did a study. having visited rikers island before and seeing their homeless prevention program up there, there are tremendous challenges we have in our city and communities everywhere where people go into the jail system because there were homeless and often leave the jail system because they're homeless. so prevention is a key factor. >> someone indicated that people move from one state to another because they find that in one state, they do not receive the resources that they can receive in another state. to what extent do you find this to be the case, where we have people who literally say that, if you go over to one state, you can get help. >> certainly, the implementation of federal programs from one

state to another various the rally because discretion is given to local and the with the state implements federal programs. but the resources that states and local governments contribute to the solutions also vary. some states contribute and support have lay helpless programs to provide assistance. other states provide very little if no assistance of all. the resources for the families vary greatly. you can see that most in the unsheltered numbers. the numbers primarily we see in the southern states and california. the variation is quite different from what services are available in the state of new york compared to what would be available in the state of california. >> do you think people will

migrate based upon the knowledge that they receive about these benefits from one state to another? >> most of the cities i have seen indicate that people are moving for reasons of greater economic opportunity. so they're moving to find the jobs. sometimes, those jobs did not pan out. in that case, they will experience homelessness. it is not that they move for homeless services per se, but they were seeking a better employment opportunity. violence victims often try to leave communities just for safety reasons. >> would you care to add something to this? >> i remember being in st. petersburg years ago when there was a statewide conference on homelessness that i would speak at the next morning. i was walking around the city and talked with people who work out on the streets at night. one particular demint observe

that he was from ohio, but he comes debt -- one particular gentleman observed that he comes from a high, but he comes down and stays there again and again and again. the vast majority of people do tend to stay where their families are from. although there are examples that, if they need a greater economic opportunity, there will be searching for ever that might be. i see a huge disparity all level of assistance provided. "60 minutes" contacted us before they did the story. we provided them the data that we had. two-thirds of all homeless families in florida live outside. there are very few places like that in the country. but every state is somewhat like that. it is a huge concern for families with children who would

be living outside. >> i really would like to explore this more, but my time is limited. i will move onto something else. we heard a good indication that one can be housed yet homeless. doubled up, as you have put it. living with a friend. and the intelligence you recorded with how that impacts the formative years of the very young children is very disturbing. that gets us to this notion of a need for common definition, but a common vocabulary. a common vocabulary could be a great benefit across agencies. i also understand -- i want you to help me with this -- there is a genuine appeal for assistance. these definitions were promulgated because there is a

need that they were trying to meet. so they arrive at a definition that would work for a given need. that developed the silos and definitions and stovepipes that do not function well across lines. how do we address the different needs and need to be met with a common definition? i am hopeful and believe that we are moving in the right direction. i just want to hear from the expert on the record as to how we get it done. so which of the experts would like to be first? mr. johnson. >> two years ago, hud and the department of health and human services and education launched an effort and submitted a proposal to congress to try a demonstration. in particular, for all the families and the kern homeless persons. we tried to link up mainstream resources that hud has with hhs

and education. it was interesting. this one on for a year in terms of really fine-tuning. when we spoke the word "kaulitz" it was used in different ways -- when we spoke the word "homeless," it was used in different ways. i think the need for a common vocabulary is incredibly valuable. when we interviewed with the jail, it was certainly supportive of that. the challenge in this country is that there are so many different needs, huge housing needs, that we have to be able to emerge very well across agencies at federal and local levels to solve this problem. >> yes, sir, mr. diamond. >> i certainly think that we should do more to invest both in people in shelters and in people

who are living in precarious situations of all kinds. new york city has made a great effort. the funding that we have we have used in a targeted way for at risk families in particular. our concern with broadening the definition is resources. move in the definition away from shelter could potentially mean moving the money away from shelters and other situations. there are needs clearly and there are funding streams available, but we need to make sure that we continue our investments in shelter because those are high-need families that have a variety of case management and other kinds of services that need to be provided if they are to leave the shelter system. >> would you care to respond? >> water wanted to have is that, as we heard all of the testimony this morning from the young

people, they in fact all eligible for hud programs related to providing mainstream housing assistance. but the reality is that the mainstream housing programs are over-subscribed. hud program can only need one fourth of the need for those who are eligible. the larger issue goes back to the need for the resources to meet those needs. that is why the council has worked across the definitions toward this end of creating a common vocabulary so that, even in these places, we can talk about the different eligibility criteria and how we can try to effectively use the scarce resources that are available to get families who are living precariously and double the in difficult circumstances and the best access to affordable housing. we heard young people testify that what they're looking for a a safe stable home. -- looking for was a safe stable

home. that is the work that's before us. that is the larger at caused in homelessness. >> thank you. >> let's do another round. let's go to mr. sherman first for five minutes. >> we have a shortage of housing for the homeless. we have an incredible shortage of money here in the federal government. and we have an enormous surplus of boarded up houses, at least in some communities. is there anyway that we can use the housing stock that has already been constructed to meet these needs? knowing that some of these houses that are boarded up our two thousand to 3000 square feet, is there anyway that they can accommodate more than one

for homeless family? i will ask mr. johnson. >> we do have an initiative that we have had for years and is much more active during years when we have used foreclosures like in the recent past where discounts can be made to allow these houses to be used for a variety of different reasons, including housing homeless person. >> it is one thing to find somebody who is homeless. but some have the finances to reduce mortgage payments. is that the kind of program you're talking about? or are you talking about a program where community organizations acquire use of -- use or ownership of the structures? >> it was really the ladder of foreclosed properties. >> how many of these foreclosed properties have been turned over to those housing the homeless in the last year? >> i will get that answer for

you because i do not know. >> everywhere i look, -- well, not everywhere -- but many places where you look around the country, the homes are boarded up. they are being torn down. the ones that are being torn down are in bad shape when measured against good housing. they are palace's compared to sleeping in a car. an even better compared to sleeping in a car that you do not have. so we are in this bizarre circumstance where we have boarded up houses and people sleeping on the streets. >> it just occurred to me -- i did not refer to these neighborhoods stabilization program funded by congress that has been tremendously helpful. it looks at distressed areas with high foreclosure rates and be able to rehabilitate and get the tosses back into service. >> that is back into service for

people who will on the homes, which really get people out of apartments and into homes that they can live-in, which is an outstanding idea. i do not know if that affects the problems that we're talking about today. >> when we did the training and launching of this program, we encourage the use of these properties for nonprofit organizations to house homeless persons. >> what problems are you having with the hearth act? >> the definition of homelessness comes in on january 4.

i will mention that we have identified a few technical challenges, a technical errors that we found in law that will be limiting communities. for instance -- >> when did you discover the these jurors and when did you bring them to the attention of members of this committee. -- of this committee? >> welle, committee staff recently received a document on. >> when did you discover these problems? >> 2 and 1/2 years ago. >> ok. >> and let me say that the senate was hopeful to be enacting changes to this. >> so you found the problems a year-and-a-half ago. you waited a year to tell the house. but someone in the senate did know about the problems and was trying to do something about it.

i yield back. >> you sent it to the house of lords, which takes a while to get to these things. could we see a copy of it, please? i have not received anything. i appreciate it. dr. whitney's, you highlight some very compelling evidence for many of the barriers that have prevented the children from getting housing services from hud. i will read them over again. i just want to say thank-you for all of what you -- for all of what you're doing. job thataiting for my was when to start in september. so i spent -- i was waiting for my job that was going to start in september. so i spent the summer with of

this program. i will let tell you how long ago that was. that was really the start of helping preschool kids, to be ready to go to school and we just need more and more of that right now. and we need the kids that are in homeless -- i guess i'm not asking questions really, but i really would hope that we could all work together to solve this and really take a look at removing these barriers. the more regulations that we get in, the harder it is. i know you do not really liked hr 32. >> i am certainly supportive of the concept of investing in people who are in difficult housing situations. we have offices throughout the city that provide services. our concern is that shelters are

very expensive. in new york city, i costs $3,000 per month to put money -- to keep at a family in a shelter. it is not that there's not a need. it is not that, if there were increasing resources available, though we would not want to invest in everyone who has needs. but we worry about taking resources away from those who are in shelters. >> there really is a different issue. but at the this is something that -- even when we're trying to do the hearth act, it was difficult to get everybody on board. but i think everybody realizes the importance. and europe is doing a lot. i would -- and new york is doing a lot.

but i would really like to see more and make sure that we do not have these barriers. would you like to make another comment? >> i do have one comment. i wanted to make the point in talking about the benefits of the common vocabulary. another thing it does is allows you to do much better job of measuring homelessness which allows you to know what it is you're dealing with in a much more complete way. prioritizing does have to take place, but it is difficult to do when you do not understand the scope of the problem. >> with that, i yield back. add something briefly? >> yes, ma'am. i would like to thank the staff who provide us an inordinate

amount of intelligence. that means we have a lot of people to assist us. following a police said, do others i agree that a common definition would yield greater intelligence of the links, breath, with of the problem? is there anyone who differs? >> i think there's a distinction between common vocabulary and common definition in the sense that, if we all understand the terms rear using, a common dictionary that we can all use , then we can understand each other and implement programs. i also have a concern. if you were to expand the had homeless definition, which it's a law, to an education definition, it has some big challenges with it. what i mean by that is that we have enough funding from congress for three years and wrote to house two hundred thousand people in transitional

permanent housing. expanding the definition really does not allow us to serve a single additional person. that is the concern that we have. when the resources that we provide are very expensive. >> with the gentleman yield? >> of course. >> i may have put bridget said it the wrong way. what we're looking for, if a child -- i may have put that -- said it the wrong way. but we're looking for, if a child is lacking education, then that child should be recognized as homeless. it does not expand to adults. >> thank you, madam chair. let me move to another area rather quickly. this is an area of veterans who are homeless.

and they have children, too, of course. no child should be elevated to some status higher than another. but i am curious. do we have any intelligence on the children of veterans? >> thank you for this question. this is a near that has been a strong focus of the president, to focus on the need of homeless veterans that we may one day and that by 2015. just this week, we reported a 12% reduction in the percentage of veterans experiencing homelessness. there are a couple of new programs that have been really pushed out by this administration. one is the head-program. it provides rent subsidies with health care services and others through the va. it is a holistic response to

veterans homelessness. the va has also put together, with support of congress, services to veterans families. it provides flexible assistance to conserve families with children. historically, va services have been limited to the veterans themselves. with these two initiatives, they can no sir family members who are a part of that. we are seeing veterans' families unfortunately experiencing homelessness and we are able to respond. we believe that these responses are what are contributing to the reduction in homelessness among the veterans. >> madam chair, i want to thank you again and the witnesses. the chair recently marked up a piece of legislation called " homes for heroes."

i want to thank you for allowing the legislation to receive a markup and hopefully it will articulate through congress and get to the president's desk. thank you very much. >> the gentleman is a very humble. it is his legislation. one further thing for clarification. you noted in your testimony that the department of education identified nearly 1 million homeless students during 2009. there was an 18% increase since the 2007-2008 school year. some evidence suggests that homelessness among children is increasing now. how do explain the discrepancy between the hud report numbers just reported by the administration on tuesday and

the education numbers? >> i have not looked at them in great detail. i would assume the part of the discrepancy is the definitional differences still. >> thank you. with that, i have a request of unanimous consent to conserve in the hearing record the following materials. december 7, 2011 letter from women against abuse. december 8 letter from national center on family homelessness. a letter from the chicago coalition for the homeless. and letter from the national human services assembly. a letter from the social work association of america. a letter from the school counsel association. a letter from first focused campaign for children. a letter from the homeless

prenatal association. a letter from the western regional assisted project. a letter from the national health care for the homeless council. a letter from alliance excellent education letter from the international law center. a letter from family promise. a letter from the national network to end domestic violence. a letter from a horizons for homeless children. a letter from family promised. been there from interfaith hospital a network of burlington county. a letter from morris county. a letter from the hospitality network in essex county. letter from the road home family promise of albuquerque.

a letter from the for ben family -- from the fort bend family promise. letter from the national pta. and the collection data summary report from the department of education. without objection. >> madam chair, i have unanimous consent as well from the national low-income housing coalition. >> without objection. >> thank you. >> we left one out? [laughter] and thank you all. thank you for being here and think for your testimony. the chair notes that some members may have additional questions for the panel which they may wish to submit.

the record will remain open for 30 days. and there is one more request. the national association of home builders without objection. with that, thank you so much. you have been great witnesses and a great panel. thank you. this hearing is adjourned. [gavel] >> thank you. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2011]