FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
11 June 2024
Contact: Kevin G. McGuire | 202-538-2386
Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, Congresswoman Nanette Barragán (CA-44) led more than 30 members of Congress in a letter to the Department of Housing and Urban Development that recommends strong policies to promote housing opportunities for individuals impacted by the criminal justice system. This letter comments on HUD’s Notice of Proposed Rule Making, which was announced last April and would amend regulations for certain HUD Programs to reduce barriers to affordable housing for individuals with a criminal record.
“In the United States, nearly 80 million Americans have a conviction or arrest record,” the Congressmembers wrote. “Without access to safe and stable housing, individuals returning from incarceration are more likely to fall into homelessness and return to prison or jail. These obstacles complicate successful reentry and create a cycle between incarceration, homelessness, and reincarceration…HUD must consider the entire tenancy cycle and enact policies that help secure and maintain housing for these individuals, who are working towards building a new life but are often targeted due to their past.”
You can view the letter here.
The following Representatives signed the letter: Reps. Adams (NC-12), Amo (RI-1), Beyer (VA-8), Blumenauer (OR-3),Bonamici (OR-1), Brown (OH-11), Carter (LA-2), Casar (TX-35), Castro (TX-20), Cherfilus- McCormick (FL-20), Crockett (TX-30), Evans (PA-3), R. Garcia (CA-42), S. Garcia (TX-29), Gomez (CA-34), Grijalva (AZ-7), Jackson (IL-1), Jayapal (WA-7), Johnson (GA-4), Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Khanna (CA-17), Lee (CA-12), Lee (PA-12), Menendez (NJ-8), Mullin (CA-15), Nadler (NY-12), Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ramirez (IL-3), Schakowsky (IL-9), Thanedar (MI-13), and Watson Coleman (NJ-12).
The following organizations have also endorsed the bill: the National Alliance to End Homelessness, the National Housing Law Project, the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, the National Network to End Domestic Violence, and the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence.
This letter builds on the Congresswoman’s efforts to reduce homelessness throughout our country, including the Housing ACCESS Act, which addresses the intersecting crises of homelessness, mental health, and substance use disorder, the Returning Home Act, which helps community organizations secure housing for formerly incarcerated individuals, and the following letters she co-led as Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Homelessness that opposes cuts to federal housing programs in Fiscal Year 2024 and another requesting robust funding for federal housing programs in Fiscal Year 2025.
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Congressmember Nanette Barragán represents California’s 44th District. She sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and works on environmental justice and healthcare issues. She is also Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC).