Carlos Giménez files ‘Women’s and Family Protection Act’ to bolster homeless shelter funding, services

Republican U.S. Rep. Carlos Giménez is undertaking a cross-aisle effort to address what his Office describes as a “rising crisis” of homelessness among women, children and survivors of gender-based violence.

He and Democratic U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York filed the “Women’s and Family Protection Act. It would establish a dedicated funding stream within the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Emergency Solutions Grants program for shelters and safe haven initiatives that serve women, children and families.

The measure, introduced Friday, would also update the federal definition of homelessness to include survivors of gender-based violence to enhance access to support and resources for vulnerable populations.

“As a father, and a grandfather, I believe we have an obligation to protect the most vulnerable among us,” Giménez, the immediate past Mayor of Miami-Dade County, said in a statement.

“The Women’s and Family Protection Act is a bipartisan step forward that ensures shelters and safe haven programs have the tools they need to provide not just a roof, but safety, dignity, and hope.”

The bill would amend the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 to modernize the definition of homelessness, specifically incorporating women and children who may reside in rural, indigenous or marginalized communities, and who are at risk due to domestic or gender-based violence.

By changing the existing definition, Giménez and Torres’ bill aims to ensure that those individuals are recognized and served under federal homelessness assistance programs.

The measure would also enable grants to be provided directly to nonprofits that serve high-needs populations, including homeless women, children, pregnant individuals and trauma survivors. Eligible activities for funding include shelter operating costs, mental health and substance use services, child care, trauma counseling, housing relocation and case management.

Grantees would have to submit regular evaluations of their services, detailing the number of individuals helped and the outcomes of housing support and stabilization services.

Torres said the legislation “is about restoring dignity and safety to those who need it most.”

“Women and children are the most vulnerable and yet invisible victims of the homelessness epidemic,” he said. “By modernizing the definition of homelessness and ensuring targeted funding for shelters and services that protect women, children, and survivors of gender-based violence, we hope to instill greater protections for a community that desperately needs it.”

As of January 2024, close to 771,500 people in the U.S. were experiencing homelessness, an 18% year-over-year increase and the highest recorded number since researchers began collecting data on the issue. According to the HUD’s most recent Homeless Assessment Report, published Dec. 27, homelessness among families with children rose by 39%, with nearly 150,000 children under 18 experiencing homelessness — a 33% increase from 2023.

Women constitute a roughly 38% share of the homeless population. Domestic violence is the leading cause of homelessness among women and children, with approximately 38% of all domestic violence victims becoming homeless at some point in their lives.

Florida reported approximately 30,809 individuals experiencing homelessness in the state in 2024, up from 25,959 in 2022 — a 19% increase over two years, according to Homeless No More. Contributing factors, the nonprofit said, include a lack of affordable housing, economic instability, mental health issues, substance abuse, domestic violence and the impact of natural disasters like hurricanes.

Homeless and domestic violence shelters in Florida have faced overcrowding issues in recent years, but sleeping on the street isn’t a legal option. In March 2024, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation prohibiting local governments from allowing people to sleep on public property without permission and compel them to relocate unhoused people to areas temporarily set aside for mass camping.

Homeless advocates have called the law cruel and criticized it as “criminalizing homelessness.” The Governor pushed back against that notion, saying it merely says that people “don’t have a right to just sleep in front of somebody’s business or … take over a street and put an encampment down.”