A representative of Michigan has implemented a proposal targeting emancipated minors and individuals under the age of 30, providing them with cash assistance for three years to address homelessness and facilitate access to housing, with a special emphasis on supporting youth in their educational pursuits.
On Monday, Newsweek reported that Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) proposed the bill, which is co-sponsored by Representatives Cori Bush of Missouri, Sylvia Garcia of Texas, Eleanor Holmes Norton of the District of Columbia, Barbara Lee of California and Jan Schakowsky of Illinois.
The proposal aims to provide $1,400 in cash assistance, or cover rent based on market value, with the primary objective of aiding emancipated minors and individuals under 30, including those identified as Gen Z and millennials. Additionally, this assistance will serve to examine the effects of such support on homelessness eradication efforts.
“We can’t keep repeating the same policy approaches that haven’t ended the youth homelessness crisis,” Tlaib said in a statement. “By providing direct cash assistance, we can address our housing crisis while respecting the autonomy and dignity of the folks receiving assistance.”
According to Newsweek, a spokesperson from Tlaib’s office, the proposed program is designed to have a nationwide reach, although the timing for its legislation reaching the floor remains uncertain. Tlaib referenced a study from the University of Chicago revealing that approximately 10 percent of adults aged 18 to 25, and slightly over 3 percent of teenagers aged 13 to 17, have experienced homelessness. While acknowledging some evidence suggesting that cash assistance can mitigate homelessness, Tlaib emphasized the necessity for further research on the matter.
Tlaib highlighted that the bill, officially titled the Youth Homelessness Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act, was developed in collaboration with the individuals it aims to support.
“This bill came directly from young people with lived experience. They helped craft the bill to ensure that it meets the real needs of our unhoused neighbors,” Tlaib said in her statement. “In the richest country in the history of the world, it’s time to eradicate homelessness. The Youth Homelessness Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act brings us closer to that goal.”
Several nonprofit organizations have expressed their support for the legislation, as reported by Tlaib’s office. Nancy Parker, the executive director at the Detroit Justice Center, noted in a statement released alongside the announcement that the bill presents an alternative strategy for addressing homelessness.
“The Youth Homelessness Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Act is a welcomed first step towards addressing the ongoing issue of homelessness and the manner in which unhoused residents are disproportionately impacted by the criminal system,” she said. “Our current system fails to address known root causes, and instead, substitutes prisons and jails for actual policies that address the confluence of indigency and egregiously high housing costs in this country. This bill represents a long overdue shift away from the flawed carceral approach towards a more just city.”
