CONGRESSWOMAN SYLVIA GARCIA (TX-29) INTRODUCES BILL TO STUDY BARRIERS TO HOUSING ASSISTANCE ACROSS THE NATION

Washington, D.C. – Recently, Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) introduced a bill to investigate the barriers that housing assistance agencies face across the nation. H.R. 7123, known as the Studying Barriers to Housing Act, directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study to identify challenges in homelessness reduction and prevention. This bill comes at a time when homelessness has intensified because of the pandemic's effects.

"Sadly, America's homelessness crisis has worsened for many years now. Even worse, the pandemic has compounded this major problem. No one in our great Nation should experience homelessness or risk of homelessness," said Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia. "I introduced the Studying Barriers to Housing Act because now is the time to do everything in our power to protect Americans from homelessness and its devasting effects. Identifying existing challenges that prevent government agencies from providing the best assistance and resources possible is fundamental to reduce homelessness and risk of homelessness."

The bill would instruct 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 both the House Judiciary and Financial Services Committees.