H.R.5244 Homes for All Act of 2019
Kelvin Wilson-Bey
PADM-550
Dr. Chenwi Ngwa
December 5, 2020
H.R.5244 Homes for All Act 2019
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Defining the Problem
While America is lightyears ahead of some countries, as a nation we have a serious problem with
homelessness. H.R.5244 provides funding for the construction of affordable housing, provides
funding for Public Housing Agencies (PHA), and will designate Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) to combat gentrification (Omar, 2019).
May
Biblical guidelines and principles: “A righteous man knows the rights of the poor; a wicked
man does not understand such knowledge” (Proverbs 29:7, ESV). The bible takes a strong stance
on the helping of those who are less fortunate. Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice of giving his life
to help those around him. H.R.5244 has a direct correlation with biblical guidelines and
principles.
Constitutional guidelines for federal and state involvement: H.R.5244 involved all the
different levels of government, ranging from federal government to local government. There are
a lot of proposed regulations, starting with the distribution of money from federal agencies.
PHA’s and local governments will be regulated to ensure that there is a fair housing market of
minorities or people with criminal records.
Can
Political Feasibility: H.R.5244 is a not a bipartisan bill. There is a strong connection to the
Democratic party. There are political parties that strongly disagree with assistance of ex-convicts
or even minorities. Unfortunately, in America if you make a mistake you forfeit your rights to
assistance. There are already PHA’s which prohibit anyone with a criminal record from living
within their housing complex.
H.R.5244 Homes for All Act 2019
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Financial feasibility: H.R.5244 has proposed a $20B allotment per fiscal year from years 2021-
2030 which would go towards the construction of newly constructed public housing (Omar,
2019). While realistically that still isn’t enough money to solve the mass homeless problem
throughout America, $20B being allotted annually is not realistic and has lessened the chance of
H.R.5244 being passed.
Practical feasibility: H.R.5244 is practically feasible if we examine the mass homelessness in
America. It’s not fair to call this the greatest country on Earth when we have homeless veterans
who went to other countries to fight for the freedom of the United States. There is an extreme
shortage of affordable housing throughout the United States that will only lead to more
homelessness. In practicality, affordable housing can and would be useful.
Should
H.R.5244 examined from a larger lens is a great bill to combat the mass homelessness and lack
of affordable housing in America. Upon examining H.R.5244 from a financial lens it does not
pass the May portion of the analysis. On top of the trillion of dollars of debt that the United
States Government is already in, upon the passing of H.R.5244 there will be an allotment of
$20B per year and that still may not fix the problem completely.
H.R.5244 Homes for All Act 2019
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References
Corruption and Economic Development. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2020, from
http://www1.worldbank.org/publicsector/anticorrupt/corruptn/cor02.htm
Kraft, M. E., & Furlong, S. R. (2021). Public policy: Politics, analysis, and alternatives.
Thousand Oaks, CA: CQ Press, an imprint of SAGE Publications.
Omar, I. (2019, December 05). H.R.5244 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Homes for All Act of
2019. Retrieved December 05, 2020, from https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-
congress/house-bill/5244?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%5B%22gentrification%22%5D
%7D
Staff, B. (2018, March 05). Bible Verses About Poverty, Retrieved December 5, 2020, from
https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/bible-verses-about-stealing/
