growing our economy
and creating jobs
The McKinney-Vento Homeless Housing Assistance Act was one of Louise Slaughter’s first major actions as a member of Congress. Still today, it is one of the laws she is most proud of. It was the first federal law regarding homelessness, and included support for homeless children. Louise ensured that homeless children could get the school supplies they need and continue to attend the same schools, even if their family moved to a shelter outside the school district. In the 2013-2014 school year there were over 2,800 homeless students enrolled in Monroe County public schools receiving assistance from McKinney Vento. The same year, there were over 1,258,000 homeless students in the United States protected under the law Louise authored.
Louise is also committed to helping address the problem of LGBTQ homeless youth in Rochester. According to the Williams Institute, LGBTQ youth make up 40 percent of the homeless youth served by government agencies – and the average age, according to the Center for American Progress, is between 13 and 14 years old. Louise believes we need inclusive solutions to address the cycle of homelessness.
