Rick Lazio: “I want to once again thank the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach), the chairman of the committee, for his leadership and…”

“I want to once again thank the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Leach), the chairman of the committee, for his leadership and his commitment to the needs of low-income families and individuals. Without his help, this bill would not be before us today. Mr. Speaker, today we embark upon a journey with a worthy destination, an America where no one has to live or die on the streets. Tragically, walking through the streets of many of our cities today, one would see a much different picture than our ideal portrait of an American community. On any one evening in America, say last night, for example, over a half million people, real people with real lives, are homeless. Why? The frustration is that we know what works. We have seen it. It is being done. Take Julius, for example, who lives at Jeremiah House, a successful housing facility for homeless adults in the shadow of this Capitol. Earlier today the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions) and I visited Jeremiah House and spoke to Julius. Julius lived on the streets and in abandoned cars for more than 10 years as a result of drug and alcohol addiction. Today Julius lives at the Jeremiah House, and with the help of his family, he is involved in a substance abuse program, regularly attends church, is enrolled in engineering courses at the University of the District of Columbia, and hopes to receive his Bachelor's degree next year. This, Mr. Speaker, is success.”