Action Alert: Urge Your Members of Congress to Fully Fund Housing Programs - December 13, 2013

The passage of a budget spending cap for FY2014 by the House, and expected passage next week by the Senate, Congress will quickly turn to finalizing appropriations for FY2014.   Supporters of housing programs are urged to contact their Representatives and Senators to ask them to restore funding to key programs that were deeply cut under sequestration, as detailed in the below Action Alert from the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC).

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Fully Fund Housing Programs in FY14

On Tuesday, December 10, the Budget Conference Committee reached an agreement on federal spending, avoiding another government shutdown and restoring some funding to programs that have sustained severe cuts mandated by sequestration. On Thursday night, the House voted to adopt the agreement, and the Senate appears to be on the verge doing so as well.

Now Congress must finalize FY14 appropriations for housing programs. Funding levels for Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs could be determined by the end of the year. It is critical that Congress provide sufficient funding to prevent further loss of affordable rental housing units for the nation’s lowest income households. Your Senators and Representative need to hear from you!

Appropriators are likely to negotiate final funding levels based on the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) bills passed by House and Senate committees earlier this year. The Senate bill would have provided substantially higher FY14 funding levels for housing programs than the House bill. Urge appropriators to provide HUD funding levels at least as high as those in the Senate bill, if not higher.

Call your Members of Congress and ask them to urge the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to adequately fund HUD programs by providing:

• $17.7 billion for Tenant-Based Rental Assistance voucher renewals, restoring vouchers lost due to sequestration and preventing further voucher loss.
• At least $2.26 billion for Homeless Assistance Grants, preventing stable households from losing their housing.
• $5.15 billion for the Public Housing Operating Fund and $3.75 billion for the Capital Fund, to protect the 1.1 million public housing units.
• $11.3 billion for Project-Based Rental Assistance, the amount required to fully fund contracts for 12 months in FY14 according to HUD. Underfunding these contracts for another year could result in the loss of units.
• $1.6 billion for the HOME Investment Partnerships program, to create new affordable units.

To view a chart comparing FY14 funding levels proposed earlier this year by the House and Senate, click here.

To find out if your Representative sits on the House Appropriations Committee, click here. To find out if one or both of your Senators sit on the Senate Appropriations Committee, click here.

Call your Members of Congress today at 202-224-3121. Or, find contact information for their offices by visiting NLIHC’s website and entering your zip code in the Contact Congress section on the lower right hand side.