[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4457 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4457
To address root causes of homelessness, meet the needs of community
members experiencing harms from homelessness, transition communities
towards providing housing for all, end penalization of homelessness,
and ensure full democratic participation and inclusion of persons
experiencing homelessness, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 16, 2025
Ms. Jayapal (for herself, Ms. Meng, Ms. Ansari, Mr. Carson, Mr. Casar,
Ms. Chu, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Evans of Pennsylvania, Mr. Garcia
of Illinois, Mr. Gomez, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Lee of
Pennsylvania, Mr. Lieu, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Norton, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez,
Ms. Omar, Ms. Pressley, Mrs. Ramirez, Ms. Simon, Ms. Stansbury, Mr.
Thanedar, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Torres of New York, and Mrs. Watson Coleman)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Financial Services, and in addition to the Committees on House
Administration, the Judiciary, Education and Workforce, and Ways and
Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the
jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To address root causes of homelessness, meet the needs of community
members experiencing harms from homelessness, transition communities
towards providing housing for all, end penalization of homelessness,
and ensure full democratic participation and inclusion of persons
experiencing homelessness, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Housing Is a Human
Right Act of 2025''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
TITLE I--SUPPORTED ALTERNATIVES TO PENALIZATION OF PERSONS EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS
Sec. 101. Grant authorization.
Sec. 102. Application.
Sec. 103. Use of funds.
Sec. 104. Authorization of appropriations.
TITLE II--INVESTING IN INFRASTRUCTURE TO ADDRESS BASIC HUMAN NEEDS
Sec. 201. CDBG Plus program.
Sec. 202. Library pilot grants.
Sec. 203. Use of unutilized and underutilized public buildings and real
property to assist the homeless.
TITLE III--INVESTING IN COMMUNITY STABILITY AND WELL-BEING
Sec. 301. Treatment of revenue generated.
Sec. 302. Emergency solutions grant program.
Sec. 303. Continuum of care grant program.
Sec. 304. Federal Emergency Management Agency emergency food and
shelter grant program.
Sec. 305. Requirements.
Sec. 306. GAO study of requirements regarding participation and
involvement of homeless individuals.
TITLE IV--ACCESS TO VOTING
Sec. 401. Study of factors adversely affecting ability of homeless and
housing-unstable individuals to vote.
Sec. 402. Grants to facilitate voting by homeless and housing-unstable
individuals.
TITLE V--UNITED STATES INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON HOMELESSNESS
Sec. 501. Permanent authorization.
Sec. 502. Functions.
Sec. 503. Advisory board.
Sec. 504. Director.
Sec. 505. Conforming amendment.
TITLE VI--REVENUE RELATED TO HOUSING SPECULATION AND DISPLACEMENT
Sec. 601. Amendments to the tax code.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this Act, the following definitions shall apply:
(1) At risk of homelessness.--The term ``at risk of
homelessness'' means, with respect to an individual or family,
that the individual or family--
(A) has an annual income that is less than 30
percent of median family income for the area, as
determined by the Secretary;
(B) does not have sufficient resources or support
networks, including family, friends, faith-based
organizations, and other social networks, immediately
available to prevent the individual or family from
moving to an emergency shelter or other place described
in paragraph (3)(A) of this subsection; and
(C)(i) has moved because of economic hardship two
or more times during the 60 days immediately preceding
the application for homelessness prevention assistance
under this Act;
(ii) is living in the home of another because of
economic hardship;
(iii) has been notified in writing that their right
to occupy their current housing or living situation
will be terminated within 21 days of the date of
application for assistance under this Act;
(iv) lives in a hotel or motel and the cost of the
hotel or motel stay is not paid by charitable
organizations or by Federal, State, or local government
programs for low-income individuals;
(v) lives in a single-room occupancy or efficiency
apartment unit in which there reside more than two
persons, or lives in a larger housing unit in which
there reside more than 1.5 people per room, as defined
by the United States Census Bureau;
(vi) is exiting a publicly funded institution, or
system of care, including health-care facilities,
mental health facilities, foster care and other youth
facilities, and correction programs and institutions;
or
(vii) otherwise lives in housing that has
characteristics associated with instability and an
increased risk of homelessness, including those
characteristics identified in the approved consolidated
plan for the applicable jurisdiction.
(2) Cost-burdened.--The term ``cost-burdened'' means, with
respect to an individual or family, that the individual or
family--
(A) spends more than 22 percent of their income on
rent, or other housing-related costs, including
property taxes, utility bills, and mortgage payments,
or both; or
(B) otherwise compromises other basic needs in
order to pay for housing.
(3) Governmental unit; municipality.--The terms
``governmental unit'' and ``municipality'' have the meanings
given such terms in section 101 of title 31, United States
Code.
(4) Homeless.--The term ``homeless'' means, with respect to
an individual or family--
(A) an individual or family who lacks a fixed,
regular, and adequate nighttime residence;
(B) an individual or family with a primary
nighttime residence that is a public or private place
not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular
sleeping accommodation for human beings, including a
car, park, abandoned building, bus or train station,
airport, or camping ground;
(C) an individual or family living in a supervised
publicly or privately operated shelter designated to
provide temporary living arrangements (including hotels
and motels paid for by Federal, State, or local
government programs for low-income individuals or by
charitable organizations, congregate shelters, and
transitional housing);
(D) an individual who resided in a shelter or place
not meant for human habitation and who is exiting an
institution where he or she temporarily resided; and
(E) an individual or family who will imminently
lose their housing, including housing they own, rent,
or live in without paying rent, are sharing with
others, and rooms in hotels or motels not paid for by
Federal, State, or local government programs for low-
income individuals or by charitable organizations.
(5) Housing first.--The term ``Housing First'' means, with
respect to addressing homelessness, an approach to quickly and
successfully connect individuals and families experiencing
homelessness to permanent and affordable housing opportunities
and appropriate services without preconditions and low or no
barriers to entry, including barriers relating to sobriety,
treatment, work requirements, and service participation
requirements.
(6) Housing-unstable.--
(A) In general.--The term ``housing-unstable''
means, with respect to an individual or family that the
individual or family--
(i) lacks a fixed, regular, and adequate
nighttime residence;
(ii) shares housing with other persons due
to loss of housing or economic hardship;
(iii) lives in hotels or motels, trailer
parks, or campgrounds due to lack of
alternative arrangements;
(iv) is awaiting foster care placement;
(v) lives in substandard housing;
(vi) is a child of migrant worker;
(vii) has moved more than three times in
the past year due to economic instability;
(viii) would be unable to pay for housing
if their income decreased by $100 or more or if
they experienced a financial hardship;
(ix) is paying for housing or shelter with
labor or sex;
(x) has housing that is dependent on their
employer;
(xi) is exiting from incarceration
(including pre-trial and pre-conviction
detention; immigration detention; and juvenile
detention) or who will be exiting from
incarceration (including conditional release on
bail or parole) in the next six months, or,
with respect to youth, who is or has been held
in the custody of the Office of Refugee
Resettlement of the Department of Health and
Human Services;
(xii) has an income that does not exceed 50
percent of median income for the area in which
they reside;
(xiii) has a primary income that is fixed
and derived solely from Federal or State
benefits; or
(xiv) is a survivor of domestic violence or
trafficking residing with a perpetrator of
domestic violence or trafficking.
(B) Included populations.--Such term includes an
individual or family who is--
(i) at risk of homelessness, as such term
in defined in this subsection;
(ii) not consistently or safely housed,
including individuals and families at imminent
risk of eviction, who are couch-hopping, have
had to move into the dwelling unit of another
individual or family; or
(iii) homeless in a rural area.
(7) Justice system-involved.--The term ``justice system-
involved'' includes persons who are or have been incarcerated
or held in municipal, State, or Federal jails, prisons,
juvenile facilities, or other types of detention facilities,
who have been held in pre-trial or post-conviction detention,
who have an arrest or conviction regardless of whether they
were detained or incarcerated, who have been held in
immigration detention, or, with respect to youth, who are or
have been held in the custody of the Office of Refugee
Resettlement of the Department of Health and Human Services.
(8) Penalize homelessness.--The term ``penalize
homelessness'' means to impose, by a governmental unit,
criminal or civil penalties on persons who are homeless or
housing unstable in a manner that is related to those persons'
engagement in necessary human activities, including sleeping,
resting, and eating.
(9) Permanent supportive housing.--The term ``permanent
supportive housing'' means housing that provides--
(A) indefinite leasing or rental assistance; and
(B) non-mandatory, culturally competent supportive
services to assist persons to achieve housing stability
and maintain their health and well-being.
(10) Population at higher risk of homelessness.--
(A) In general.--The term ``population at higher
risk of homelessness'' means a group of persons that is
defined by a common characteristic and that has been
found to experience homelessness, housing instability,
or to be cost-burdened at a rate higher than that of
the general public.
(B) Higher rate.--Information that may be used in
demonstrating such a higher rate includes data
generated by the Federal Government, by State or
municipal governments, by peer-reviewed research, and
by organizations having expertise in working with or
advocating on behalf of homeless, housing unstable, or
cost-burdened groups.
(C) Included populations.--Such term shall include
populations for which such higher rate has already been
demonstrated, including Asian, Black, Latino, Native
American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and other
communities of color; persons with disabilities,
including mental health disabilities, elderly persons,
foster and former foster youth; LGBTQ persons, gender
non-binary and gender non-conforming persons, justice
system-involved persons, and veterans.
TITLE I--SUPPORTED ALTERNATIVES TO PENALIZATION OF PERSONS EXPERIENCING
HOMELESSNESS
SEC. 101. GRANT AUTHORIZATION.
The Attorney General is authorized to make grants to States, units
of local government, public and community defender systems, and
nonprofit organizations to create or expand alternatives to penalizing
homelessness.
SEC. 102. APPLICATION.
(a) In General.--An entity seeking a grant under this title shall
submit to the Attorney General an application at such time, in such
manner, and containing such information as the Attorney General may
reasonably require, including an assurance described in subsection (b).
(b) Assurance Described.--An assurance described in this subsection
is an assurance that the entity has in place a policy protecting
employees, persons, and communities served by the entity from
discrimination under applicable civil rights laws, and that such policy
includes protection from discrimination on the basis of gender-related
identity, appearance, mannerisms, or other gender-related
characteristics of an individual, regardless of the individual's
designated sex at birth.
(c) Nonprofit Expertise.--In addition to the assurance described in
subsection (b), a nonprofit organization seeking a grant under this
title shall demonstrate in its application that it has a proven history
of--
(1) successful engagement with populations experiencing
homelessness and housing instability, including members of a
population at higher risk of homelessness; or
(2) assisting communities to engage in alternatives to
penalizing homelessness.
SEC. 103. USE OF FUNDS.
An entity that receives a grant under this title may use funds
received under this title for any of the following:
(1) Creating or expanding a diversion program, including a
law enforcement assisted diversion program, which program
includes--
(A) a focus on reducing racial disparity in law
enforcement and prosecution;
(B) reliance on harm-reduction principles;
(C) collaboration with community-based, trauma-
informed organizations;
(D) development of pre-arrest diversion programs
that are designed in consultation persons experiencing
homelessness and housing instability, populations at
higher risk of homelessness, and community based health
and service providers; and
(E) a primary focus on providing diversion services
to persons and communities that are homeless or at risk
of homelessness.
(2) Providing technical support to jurisdictions that are
working to reduce the extent to which the laws or policies in
that jurisdiction penalize homelessness, including--
(A) assisting the jurisdiction in creating
procedures, programs, and infrastructure to safeguard
the personal property of persons experiencing
homelessness or housing instability, in consultation
with persons and organizations representing such
persons;
(B) developing protocols for pre-booking diversion
for offenses in cases where the incident is related to
homelessness or housing instability, a mental health
condition, or addiction; and
(C) identifying statutes, regulations, and policies
that penalize homeless and housing unstable persons,
and identifying, pursuing, and implementing
alternatives that promote Housing First, permanent
supportive housing, and the health, safety and self-
determination of such persons.
(3) Creating, supporting, expanding, or studying mobile
crisis intervention teams that are trained to provide
stabilizati