McKinney's praise was well deserved

10/11/07
State Senate Minority Leader John McKinney’s warm greeting on Capitol Hill last week had to be gratifying. As a bipartisan passel of lawmakers praised his late father’s advocacy for the homeless, McKinney showed that he is continuing his father’s work on behalf of people in need.
Rep. Stewart B. McKinney in the 1980s pushed legislation through Congress that for the first time offered federal assistance to handle a dramatic increase in homelessness. Democratic leaders have indicated they are looking to extend the law, which is due to expire, and John McKinney was in Washington to make sure that reauthorization was a priority.
“Today, it is all too common to see mothers and their children — entire families — arrive at an emergency shelter in need of a place to sleep,” he told the House Financial Services subcommittee on housing. It was an issue his father pushed into the public consciousness, and one that the son will not allow to quietly slip out of view.
And it remains a serious issue. People are routinely stunned to realize that in the richest nation in the world, and in one of the wealthiest states, people are still forced to live their lives without a place to sleep every night. It is a shock to many people that so many can afford so much while people right around the corner are struggling to get by from one day to the next.
McKinney recently rose into the leadership ranks among state Republicans, and his continued ascent is deserving of praise from both sides of the aisle. He is a thoughtful, dedicated public servant who champions important causes while putting his constituents first.
Congress should extend the original McKinney bill, and continue efforts to help the homeless and, more important, eliminate homelessness. The McKinney family is to be praised for its work in this regard.