#BehindTheSEEN with HEARTH

In this edition of #BehindTheSEEN, homeless for HUD. To me, get to that’s absolutely crazy. So know HEARTH’s executive we wanted to change it. director Judy Eakin This is what this House and the work the organization Resolution 1511 was about. is doing to impact legislation HR1511 provides one definition that is shaping the of homelessness conversation around that goes across all federal homelessness. programs. If a child is determined

HEARTH provides services homeless to families experiencing through the educational homelessness and system, others in their survivors of intimate partner family should qualify, as violence. The organization well. HUD states that to be utilizes transitional homeless means that you housing to help its clients don’t have a place to sleep reach stable, long-term that night. A safe place to housing. On June 6, the sleep can mean sleeping House Financial Services on someone’s floor. This Committee met in Washington, does not seem reasonable. D.C., to hear testimony How did HEARTH get from the subcommittee the opportunity to on housing and insurance speak on this topic that about a legislative is impacting homeless proposal to help break families nationwide? down barriers that prevent Congressmen Rothfus has homeless children been a real proponent of and youth from obtaining HEARTH and transitional housing assistance and housing. He has spoken on services through the our behalf before. I Department of Housing reached out to him to ask and Urban Development. to submit written testimony.

As a member of the National The testimony has Coalition for Homelessness to be submitted on your Solutions, behalf. He read it in for the HEARTH submitted its record. testimony to U.S. Rep. What testimony did Keith Rothfus, R-Sewickley, you submit to Congressmen and had those remarks Rothfus? I wanted to entered into the talk about how confusing it record. I spoke with Judy is that we have all of these Eakin about why different definitions for HEARTH’s involvement what it means to be homeless, is imperative to changing and how it impacts legislation. children and families. Did you know that every time a child moves, they fall six Formonths behind in school? HEARTH and for most Mothers are willing to do nonprofits, it starts at a whatever it takes to keep a grassroots level. You roof over their children’s reach out to your representatives, heads, even if it means whether state staying in abusive situations. or federal and explain to These women wrote them about whatever is letters. They are very passionate impacting your clients. about this. There We reached out to our representatives are so many intersections when HUD to this as to why women was saying that it wanted and families become homeless to get rid of transitional but the solution is the housing. Transitional same. We need to transition housing is set up to transition families into safe, permanent, clients into permanent, sustainable housing. affordable housing. Congressman Keith Rothfus How does HEARTH agreed with us that decide what to focus on? ending transitional housing Our priorities are child was a bad idea to helping care, affordable housing, families become independent. transportation, domestic We were looking violence and education. at the root cause of homelessness, It’s identifying what are which is poverty. the big pieces to this puzzle Our program focuses on and putting those up those underlying causes. front. Even if the minimum Many of the women we wage is raised to $15 serve don’t have education an hour, many of those or a job. They’ve often jobs are at night or on the suffered trauma. A lot of weekends. Who would counties decided to keep take care of the children? transitional housing and It’s more than one factor have connected us together. that contributes to homelessness So now we have when raising the formed a national coalition minimum wage puts them for homeless solutions. in jobs on evenings and weekends.

What do you hope will come from this legislation?