Hello,
My name is Nicole Wengert and I am not just a registered voter and student; I am also a advocate for the Housing for Homeless Students Act of 2015 S.1412. This legislative bill was introduced on May 21st, 2015. This bill would allow students, including youth and veterans, who have have been homeless at anytime in the last seven years to be able to qualify for any type of benefits.
The Low Income Housing Tax Credit is a program that has provided financing for more than two million rental homes and effectively used tax policies towards helping individuals develop affordable rental housing for low income families. To give you a better picture, a veteran who has been living in an LIHTC apartment and he or she was homeless two years ago. This individual then decides to pursue their dream of achieving an education, go back to school and earn their degree. That individual has now been disqualified from receiving any more benefits. Can you imagine this feeling? Making a decision that can only better your life, and you feel that you’ve almost been punished for what you’ve done. Thus making it difficult for individuals to go back to school to not only further their education, but to bring in more annual income and or provide of better future for themselves.
S.1412 was referred to the finance committee. The representative of this bill, Alan Franken, the Junior Senator from Minnesota (Democrat). Senator Charles Grassley is also on this committee, I have emailed him my letter and received feedback the very next day, an automatic message was sent within minutes after sending an email. There was no difficulty to email these officials. They have easily accessible information, facts, and contact information for every state or near by office.
This bill has only been introduced and with only having a one percent chance of being considered, the future does not look very good. The Iowa House of Representatives has not made any true comment or many any remarks towards the topic in any media, but it has not gone ignored. There are support groups, like the followers of the 2008 passage of the housing and economic recovery act, where it added adults who had been in foster care. These are advocates who continue to show support, along with the individuals effected by this change.
I support this act because poverty and homelessness is a serious and growing issue in the community, the Siouxland and surrounding areas, and we need individuals who hold power to be able to advocate for these individuals in need. Even those who do not have any power or voice, one small change can make a huge difference.
Legislative Analysis and Advocacy 