Cisneros: No More Cuts

The Clinton administration’s approach to helping the homeless is paying off, says a Columbia University study, which found that as many as 14 times as many people were helped in 1995 as in 1992.

At the same time, Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros and homeless advocates are warning of the dangers of cutting funds for the homeless any further.

Department of Housing and Urban Development funds for homeless assistance totaled $571 million in 1993 and rose to $1.1 billion in 1995, but Congress reduced that to $823 million this year and next year.

Anywhere between 93,730 and 289,620 people were beneficiaries in 1995, according to a study by the Barnard-Columbia Center for Urban Policy.

Some 20,140 homeless people were helped in 1992, said the study which was released Friday by HUD.

Funding for transitional and permanent housing programs also increased from $331 million in 1992 to $931 million in 1995. Emergency shelter funding increased modestly during the period, from $72 million to $157 million.

Cisneros, who is at odds with the administration over plans to cut $1 billion from the department, said the study shows HUD is on the right track and that “money matters.”

“If we are doing something right, then I want it to continue,” the outgoing secretary said in releasing the study.