Housing Is a Human Right Act of 2025

This bill focuses on ending homelessness by investing in housing and services and by stopping policies that punish people for being homeless. It funds local programs that divert people from arrest and jail, build mobile crisis teams instead of police-only responses, and help cities change laws so people aren’t punished for sleeping outside when they have nowhere else to go. It provides $100 million per year for 10 years for these efforts and requires strong anti-discrimination rules, including protections for gender identity. It also creates pilot grants so libraries can expand services for people who are homeless, and speeds up the transfer of unused public buildings to groups that will turn them into housing or shelters, with ownership by deed rather than short-term leases .

The bill creates a major “CDBG Plus” program to help cities and states build and preserve affordable homes, including tiny homes; convert hotels or unused buildings into housing or shelter; make ADA upgrades; and add basics like public bathrooms and water fountains. It can invest up to $6 billion a year, prioritizes Housing First and sustainability, and does not fund projects that penalize homelessness or force people into shelters . It also boosts other safety‑net programs: up to $10 billion a year for emergency shelter grants and $10 billion a year for community housing grants, plus $1 billion a year for emergency food and shelter. To receive funds, governments must stop enforcing laws that criminalize sleeping outside and follow fair rules for handling people’s belongings; nonprofits need community input and training for staff on trauma, bias, and disability rights. The bill orders a national study on voting barriers and gives out $5 million per year in grants to help people who are homeless or housing‑unstable register and vote. It also strengthens the federal council that coordinates homelessness policy, makes it permanent, directs it to promote evidence‑based approaches like Housing First, and sets up an advisory board with people who have lived experience to guide decisions .

Key points

• Who is affected: People who are homeless or housing‑unstable; renters facing high costs; local governments, nonprofits, and libraries that serve them .
• What changes: More funding for housing and services; new grants for diversion and mobile crisis teams; help to vote; faster reuse of federal buildings for housing; stronger rules against discrimination and against criminalizing homelessness .
• When: Most funding runs for 10 fiscal years, starting the first year after the bill becomes law .