Advocate for Housing Programs Under the New Budget Deal
Urge Your Legislator to Prioritize Funding for Housing Programs and Stop the Raid on the NHTF
Thanks in large part to the hard work of advocates across the country, Congress approved a two year budget deal that will provide relief from sequestration. While this is welcome news, it does not guarantee greater funding for housing programs. Housing advocates must act now to inform their legislators of their priorities. The fate of the National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF) and other key housing programs still hangs in the balance. There are only five weeks until the current Continuing Resolution expires on December 11. Now is the time for advocates to weigh in as Congressional offices have begun negotiations on funding levels for HUD programs.
BACKGROUND
Earlier this year, both the House and the Senate Appropriations Committee passed their respective Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) bills for FY16 under the constraints of the sequester caps. Both bills resulted in drastic cuts for housing programs.
The budget deal will raise the sequester caps for nondefense discretionary programs, like housing, by $33 billion in Fy16. Congress must now renegotiate how it will allocate federal funds across NDD programs. Your lawmakers have the opportunity to enact a THUD spending bill that provides housing programs the funds they need to continue serving our country’s poorest families.
TAKE ACTION
Congress needs to make housing programs a priority. Contact your Senators and Representative and ask them to:
- Oppose any raid on the National Housing Trust Fund to pay for any other program.
- Oppose the expansion of the Moving to Work demonstration without needed reforms.
- Fully fund the renewal of Housing Choice Vouchers at $18.05 billion, and provide $470 million for new vouchers for targeted populations.
- Provide $2.480 billion for the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants program.
- Fully fund 12 month Project-Based Rental Assistance renewals at $10.826 billion.
- Provide at least $4.8 billion for the public housing operating fund and $2.5 billion for public housing capital fund.
- Fund HOME at $1.016 billion.
- Fund Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS at $335 million.
- Fund Section 811 Housing for Persons with Disabilities at $177 million.
- Fund Section 202 Housing for the Elderly at $455 million.
- Fund Native American Housing Block Grants at $660 million.
NLIHC’s budget chart, http://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/FY16HUD-USDA_Budget-Chart.pdf
To contact your legislator, call the Congressional switchboard at 877-210-5351, or click below.
Please email outreach@nlihc.org with any feedback you receive from your Senator’s office.