The McKinney-Vento as amended by S. 896 the Homeless...

The McKinney-Vento as amended by S. 896 the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act of 2009 also known as McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, signed into law in 1987, covers many aspects of homelessness. The National Coalition for the Homeless states that the â€Å"McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act was the first—and remains the only—major federal legislative response to homelessness† (NCH). Originally, this act contained fifteen different programs that were included to aid the homeless population (United States Department of Housing and Urban Development [HUD], 2007). The goal of this act is help the homeless receive the services this population needs. This act also defined what is considered†¦show more content†¦There is a direct correlation between crime rates and the number of homeless people in an area. Children are the most vulnerable among the homeless population. Statistically, children who are homel ess at any point have a greater chance of being homeless when they are adults, thus, continuing the cycle of poverty. The McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act was originally written in the 1987 to address the increasing epidemic of homelessness in the United States. During earlier years of the 1980’s, homelessness was not seen by the Regan Administration as a problem that needed federal intervention (NHC). Instead, in 1983 the Regan Administration created the first task force to provide information to local communities on how to acquire excess federal property. This did not address homelessness through programmatic or policy actions (NHC). The population was still left with little to no resources or support from the government and the problem continued. In the preceding years, advocates around the United States demanded that the federal government needed to address the widespread problem of homelessness in the country. This lead to the making of the Homeless Personâ€⠄¢s Survival Act and it was introduced to both houses of Congress in 1986. â€Å"This act contained emergency relief measures, preventive measures, and long-term solutions to homelessness† (NHC). However, only a small part of the act was ratified into law and there was a need for emergency measures to