H.R. 9303: Building Local Access for Needs in Key Emergency Temperatures Act

This bill would create a new federal grant program to help communities expand emergency shelter for people experiencing homelessness during severe weather events. It would amend the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to add a program called supplemental severe weather emergency solutions grants.

What the program would do

Within one year after enactment, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development would be required to set up a competitive grant program for eligible entities to improve emergency shelter capacity during severe weather. The goal is to help communities respond to events such as heat waves, winter storms, flooding, wildfires, cold snaps, and severe storms.

Who could apply

Eligible applicants would include:

• States
• Local governments
• Nonprofit organizations
• Public housing agencies
• Combinations of those entities

Applicants would need to describe:

• the population they would serve and the severe weather risks in the area;
• data showing the need for more emergency shelter, including unsheltered homelessness and weather-related risks;
• a plan to expand shelter capacity during severe weather;
• how they would coordinate with emergency management, public health, and local service providers.

How grants would be awarded

The Secretary would consider factors such as:

• how much need there is for emergency shelter in the area;
• whether the applicant has experience operating emergency shelters;
• past performance under related homelessness programs;
• past coordination with local emergency response systems;
• the expected benefits compared with the cost, including impacts on health care spending, injuries, and deaths.

What the money could be used for

Grant funds could be used to:

• temporarily increase shelter capacity, including warming and cooling centers;
• pay for hotel, motel, or similar non-congregate shelter vouchers;
• cover shelter staffing, security, overtime, sanitation, utilities, and transportation related to severe weather response;
• buy emergency supplies and equipment such as water, heating and cooling equipment, generators, air filtration, and emergency medical support;
• other uses the Secretary determines are appropriate.

Requirements and oversight

Recipients would still have to follow the existing requirements that apply to grants under this part of the McKinney-Vento Act.

The Comptroller General, through the Government Accountability Office, would have to submit a report to Congress within 5 years reviewing how well the grants worked. The report would look at:

• how many people were served;
• any barriers to running the program;
• what services people used during severe weather when the funds were being used.

Funding

The bill would authorize $750 million per year for each fiscal year from 2027 through 2029, in addition to other available funding, for these supplemental emergency shelter grants.

Relevant Companies

None found