McKinney–Vento Homeless Assistance Act

McKinney–Vento Homeless Assistance Act
Other short titles	Urgent Relief for the Homeless Act
Long title	An Act to provide urgently needed assistance to protect and improve the lives and safety of the homeless, with special emphasis on elderly persons, handicapped persons, and families with children.
Nicknames	Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act
Enacted by	the 100th United States Congress
Effective	July 22, 1987
Citations
Public law	100-77
Statutes at Large	101 Stat. 482
Codification
Titles amended	42 U.S.C.: Public Health and Social Welfare
U.S.C. sections created	42 U.S.C. ch. 119 § 11301 et seq.
Legislative history
	Introduced in the House as H.R. 558 by Tom Foley (D–WA) on January 8, 1987; Committee consideration by House Banking, Finance, and Urban Affairs, House Energy and Commerce; Passed the House on March 5, 1987 (264-121); Passed the Senate on April 9, 1987 (Passed voice vote, in lieu of S. 809, S. 810, S. 811, S. 813, S. 728); Reported by the joint conference committee on May 20, 1987; agreed to by the Senate on June 27, 1987 (65-8) and by the House on June 30, 1987 (301–115); Signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on July 22, 1987;

The McKinney–Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 is a United States federal law that provides federal money for homeless shelter programs. It was the first significant federal legislative response to homelessness, and was passed by the 100th United States Congress and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on July 22, 1987. The act has been reauthorized several times over the years.

With the death of Stewart McKinney, its chief sponsor, it was renamed Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act. After the death of a leading supporter of the legislation, Bruce Vento, President Bill Clinton renamed it the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

The McKinney Act originally had fifteen programs providing a spectrum of services to homeless people, including the Continuum of Care Programs: the Supportive Housing Program, the Shelter Plus Care Program, and the Single Room Occupancy Program, as well as the Emergency Shelter Grant Program. It also established the Interagency Council on the Homeless, now the Interagency Council on Homelessness.