Over the last year, advocates throughout the country urged members of Congress not only to reject President Trump’s call to slash affordable housing investments, but to provide much-needed increases in funding. As a result, advocates, resident leaders and Congressional champions achieved a 10% increase in federal investments in HUD’s programs in FY18 - funding that will directly translate into more affordable homes for the lowest income people.
This is an important step forward - but there is still much more to do. Let’s build on the momentum of this year’s funding victory to carry it into the next. President Trump continues to propose huge cuts to housing benefits that help struggling seniors, people with disabilities, families with children, and other populations keep roofs over their heads.
Here are key two ways you can build on the FY18 success:
First, help advocate for affordable housing investments by signing onto a national letter urging Congress to provide the highest level of funding possible. Last year, more than 3,400 other national, state, and local organizations and governments signed a letter resulting in this year’s 10% increase to critical HUD programs.
Second, plan an event for the Our Homes, Our Voices National Housing Week of Action, taking place May 1-8. Last year, NLIHC members, national and state partners, mayors and other elected officials, and concerned individuals across the country hosted more than 60 rallies, press conferences, letter writing campaigns, and other events to defeat harmful federal affordable housing funding cuts and to tell members of Congress why affordable housing matters to our communities. We hope more advocates will join us this year and build on last year’s successes by bringing more attention to the severe shortage of homes affordable to the lowest income people and to urge increased investments in proven solutions.
Sign onto the national letter before the April 13 deadline at: https://bit.ly/2ocUZqa
Learn more about the Our Homes, Our Voices National Housing Week of Action and sign up to participate at: https://www.ourhomes-ourvoices.org/