In fiscal year 2001, the targeted  programs were funded at roughly $1.7 billion. In addition, some of the programs are available to the general homeless or  low-income population; others are reserved for specific groups within  these populations. HUD has taken steps to improve coordination among its McKinney-Vento  programs and reduce the administrative burden caused by different  program requirements. Recognizing the need to move  further, both your bill and the Administration’s budget propose  consolidating HUD’s McKinney-Vento programs. Homeless People Encounter Barriers to Using Mainstream Programs

Despite the availability of a wide array of programs, we reported in July  2000 that homeless people are often unable to access and use federal  mainstream programs because of the inherent conditions of homelessness  as well as the structure and operations of the programs themselves. All  low-income populations face barriers to applying for, retaining, and using  the services provided by mainstream programs; however, these barriers  are compounded by the inherent conditions of homelessness, such as  transience, instability, and a lack of basic resources. Furthermore, as we reported in July 2000, the underlying structure and  operations of federal mainstream programs are often not conducive to  ensuring that the special needs of homeless people are met. They said that federal agencies could do more to incorporate into  mainstream programs the “best practices” for serving the homeless  population that have been learned from past demonstration and research  projects.
Why GAO Did This Study

Many people are homeless for only a short time and get back on their feet with minimal assistance, but others are chronically homeless and need intensive and ongoing assistance. Fifty federal programs exist to help the homeless with housing. Sixteen of these are targeted exclusively to the homeless, and the others are mainstream programs. Targeted programs were funded at $1.7 billion in fiscal year 2001.

What GAO Found

GAO found that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has been unable to ensure that adequate coordination occurs among the programs without creating undue administrative burdens for the states and communities. Steps have been taken to improve the coordination of homeless assistance programs within communities and to reduce some of the administrative burdens caused by separate programs. Although low-income populations face barriers to obtaining services provided by mainstream programs, these barriers are compounded by homelessness. In addition, the underlying structure and operations of federal mainstream programs do not ensure that the special needs of homeless people are met. Consolidating HUD's McKinney-Vento programs could help reduce the administrative burden. However, to end chronic homelessness in 10 years, federal agencies must strive to eliminate the barriers that homeless people encounter as they seek services from mainstream programs.