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Homeless Youth Resolution Passes House
July 11, 2007
For Immediate Release

"As many as 2.8 million young Americans are homeless on the streets of our hometowns and we can do something about it," said Rep. Jim McDermott on the House floor today as he led debate in support of passage of H. Res. 527, which designates November as National Homeless Youth Awareness Month in the U.S.

"We can be the lifeline that pulls these young people back from the brink," McDermott said. "They are alone, afraid, and vulnerable, unsure of whom to trust or how to get help." McDermott said that, on average, 13 of these kids die every day on the streets and that is a tragic outcome that can be prevented if we try.

In his role as chairman of the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support, McDermott has been holding hearings on youth homelessness, an issue as overlooked in Congress as it is by people walking along the streets of towns and cities across America.

Recently, Grammy nominated singer/songwriter Jewel testified before McDermott's subcommittee about her own experience of living in a car for over a year. McDermott said Jewel's poignant testimony helped everyone understand that homelessness is not someone else's problem; it is America's challenge.

According to McDermott, there are some existing programs in place which certainly help, but the number of young Americans living on the street and the loss of life every day shows we need to do more.

From the outset, McDermott worked with Ranking Member Jerry Weller (R-IL) to build a bi-partisan base of support that proved so strong the legislation ended up on what is called the House Suspension Calendar, where legislation with overwhelming support can be voice voted. That happened late today.

With passage of the resolution (a companion piece of legislation is expected to pass the Senate this week), McDermott said significant public awareness programs will gear up for November. The public and private sectors are involved in this issue, including Stand Up for Kids and RE*Generation, a program by Virgin Mobile USA, with Jewel acting as the national spokesperson.

"I believe awareness will lead to action; once the American people understand, they'll want congressional action to find more ways to reach these kids," McDermott said.