THE HOUSE PASSES CONGRESSWOMAN SYLVIA GARCIA’S BILL TO STUDY BARRIERS TO HOUSING ASSISTANCE

Washington, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 7123, the Studying Barriers to Housing Act,introduced by Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia. This bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study to identify challenges in homelessness reduction and prevention. The passage of this bill comes at a time when homelessness has intensified because of the pandemic's effects.

"America's homelessness crisis has worsened because of the pandemic – so the time to act is now. This bill will take a deep look into barriers families experience when accessing Housing Assistance," said Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia. "We must do everything possible to make it easier for residents struggling with housing to access the resources available to them."

The bill instructs the GAO to conduct a study that will produce a report on reducing homelessness through public housing and Section 8 assistance. The report will examine the barriers public housing agencies face when serving people experiencing homelessness by providing housing assistance under the Public Housing and Housing Choice Voucher programs. Specifically, the barriers to be identified will include any laws and regulations, the limitations on the maximum amount of housing voucher assistance, access to fair housing, and coordination of federal funding outreach. The report will be submitted to Congress at the end of 12 months with the results and conclusions of the study.

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Congresswoman Sylvia R. Garcia was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2018, becoming the first Latina ever to represent the Texas 29th Congressional District. She serves on the House Judiciary, Financial Services, and Armed Services Committees.