House Engrossed

homelessness; urging congress; HUD

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-seventh Legislature

First Regular Session

2025

HOUSE CONCURRENT MEMORIAL 2011

A CONCURRENT MEMORIAL

Urging the United States Congress, Department of Housing and Urban Development and Interagency Council on Homelessness to eliminate restrictions in federal housing programs.

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To the Congress, Department of Housing and Urban Development and Interagency Council on Homelessness of the United States of America:

Your memorialist respectfully represents:

Whereas, the State of Arizona is committed to addressing homelessness and housing insecurity by ensuring that housing policies and programs are tailored to the unique needs of local communities and uphold accountability; and

Whereas, the federal government has limited the flexibility of states and local governments to adopt community-specific solutions to homelessness and housing insecurity by imposing complex compliance measures through its continuum of care interim rule; and

Whereas, the federally mandated homeless management information system rule places an undue administrative burden on state and local agencies that reduces their ability to focus on direct services to the community due to the substantial data collection and reporting requirements; and

Whereas, the federal requirements under the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) performance standards and measures have incentivized a one-size-fits-all approach that may not accurately reflect the unique challenges faced by diverse communities or promote innovative, community-based approaches to reducing homelessness; and

Whereas, federal policy mandates have limited the ability of local service providers to offer a range of housing and service options, which curbs flexibility and hinders efforts to support clients with varying levels of need and readiness for permanent housing; and

Whereas, current federal standards under the Emergency Solutions Grants Program restrict local agencies from using resources effectively, often leading to misalignment with community-specific priorities and reducing the impact of services provided to this state's most vulnerable populations; and

Whereas, the McKinney-Vento Act Amendments of 2009 have resulted in a proliferation of federal mandates that limit Arizona's ability to adapt its approach to the needs of diverse populations experiencing homelessness; and

Whereas, Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH), while essential for many individuals, should not be the sole or primary solution for all people experiencing homelessness, and excessive reliance on federal PSH standards has constrained this state's capacity to develop diverse housing solutions and funding structures; and

Whereas, block grant funding would allow Arizona to better leverage HUD assistance by granting this state more discretion over the allocation of monies, enabling local agencies to design programs tailored to the specific needs of Arizona's homeless and housing-insecure populations.

Wherefore your memorialist, the House of Representatives of the State of Arizona, the Senate concurring, prays:

1. That the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness:

(a) Repeal the continuum of care interim rule to provide more flexibility for state and local governments to design housing solutions that are responsive to local conditions.

(b) Amend the homeless management information system rule to streamline reporting requirements, reduce administrative burdens and allow providers to direct more resources toward client services.

(c) Eliminate HUD's performance standards and measures to allow local governments and agencies the freedom to set performance indicators that more accurately reflect community needs and goals.

(d) Rescind housing-first policy mandates to permit flexibility for communities to offer a variety of housing options that meet the diverse needs and preferences of individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

(e) Reduce federal standards in the Emergency Solutions Grants Program to better align with local priorities, ensuring that resources are effectively allocated to maximize community impact.

2. That Congress:

(a) Repeal the McKinney-Vento Act Amendments of 2009 to decrease restrictive federal mandates and increase state autonomy in addressing homelessness.

(b) Reduce HUD's role in Permanent Supportive Housing to allow local agencies more freedom in implementing supportive housing options tailored to their specific populations.

(c) Shift HUD funding to block grants rather than direct assistance to enable states to have greater flexibility in allocating monies to the areas of greatest need, which allows for a more effective response to homelessness.

3. That the Secretary of State of the State of Arizona transmit copies of this Memorial to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, each Member of Congress from the State of Arizona, the Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Executive Director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness.