Valley Families Unite Responds to Congressman Calvert’s Disingenuous Claims on Homelessness
Corona, California - Earlier this month, Congressman Ken Calvert placed an opinion piece on his stance on the homelessness epidemic in California, attributing it to ineffective policies and claiming that “federal policy is about maintaining the status quo.”
Despite his words, Rep. Calvert, as a federal policy maker has a consistent record of voting against lower housing costs:
He voted to cut access to Health Center Program locations for around 2 million people nationwide, which provide accessible, high-quality primary health care services, including mental health services for people experiencing homelessness.
He voted for the Limit, Save, Grow Act, which would cut rental assistance for over a million families.
He voted against the American Rescue Plan, which included nearly $30 billion in emergency rental assistance and housing vouchers.
Valley Families Unite coalition member and Courage California Executive Director Irene Kao responded to the op-ed:
“Calvert’s opinion in this piece fails to account for his role in federal policy. It's crucial for federal policy to support comprehensive strategies that break the cycle of homelessness by tackling its underlying challenges, and that requires Congressman Calvert to stop pointing the finger at other leaders and, instead, make decisions that avoid harmful cuts to programs and funding that our most vulnerable rely on.”
For media inquiries, please contact Mario Vasquez Zuniga at 661-483-4927 or mario@valleyfamiliesunite.org.
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Valley Families Unite represents a shared vision of economic prosperity for working families and accountable leadership in California. With the collective strength of Courage California, Inland Empire United, Communities for a New California Action Fund and Lower Costs California, we are eager to hold our elected officials accountable for fighting for the economic well-being of California families.
