The Nation : U.S. Plans Cut in Program for Homeless

The Reagan Administration is proposing a change in rules that would substantially cut a federal program benefiting the homeless, an official said. Wayne A. Stanton, head of the Family Support Administration in the Health and Human Services Department, said the new rule would limit the federal contribution to a family’s stay in a welfare hotel or shelter to 30 days within any 12-month period. Under existing rules, the federal government covers half the cost of emergency housing and state and local governments pay for the rest. The new regulation also would prohibit use of money in the Emergency Assistance for Families with Dependent Children program for single homeless people, he said. The program, Stanton said, was not intended to benefit homeless individuals or for unlimited stays in temporary housing.