New resources show how states and localities are leveraging State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to address affordable housing and homelessness
WASHINGTON, DC– The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) released today a new report, State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds: Initial Trends in Housing Investments, and a set of resources showing how states and localities are leveraging Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) to invest in affordable housing and homelessness prevention and services.
The report documents how jurisdictions are using some of the $350 billion in SLFRF resources made available through the “American Rescue Plan Act of 2021” to keep families housed during the pandemic, tackle the growing homelessness crisis, and develop affordable housing to address the root causes of housing instability and homelessness. A new webpage makes accessible to the public data from NLIHC’s SLFRF database and includes an interactive map identifying state and local housing investments made with SLFRF dollars, along with other resources for housing advocates and policymakers.
“With rents skyrocketing, homelessness increasing, pandemic rental assistance ending and federal action on solutions increasingly unlikely, some state and local governments are using a combined $14 billion in State and Local Fiscal Relief Funds to get and keep people stably housed. More communities should quickly follow their lead,” said NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel. “The housing and homelessness crises demand urgent action – policymakers must use the unique opportunity presented with SLFRF to fund solutions for the lowest income renters and people experiencing homelessness.”
The report shows that as of April 2022, 54 of the 112 jurisdictions (48%) in the sample tracked by NLIHC – including over half of all states and over 41% of the selected cities and counties – had allocated more than $13.5 billion for housing activities.
The report also shows that states and localities have allocated SLFRF toward a wide range of housing activities, with the most funds going toward affordable housing development, short-term aid to households, and homelessness prevention. The report highlights 35 jurisdictions that have allocated over $5 billion to acquire, construct, and preserve affordable housing; 38 jurisdictions that have allocated approximately $3.9 billion for rental and utility assistance, legal aid, housing navigators, housing counseling, case management, and other household assistance; and 33 jurisdictions that have allocated approximately $1.3 billion for rapid rehousing, permanent supportive housing, hotel conversions, street outreach, and emergency shelters.
The new SLFRF program webpage includes additional resources and tools to help housing advocates and policymakers better understand the types of housing investments jurisdictions are prioritizing. The page includes an interactive map and searchable table that record those housing programs set up or funded through SLFRF in the jurisdictions tracked, while also detailing the total amount of funding allocated for housing and the target populations served with this historic infusion of federal funds.
State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds: Initial Trends in Housing Investments is available at: https://bit.ly/393TXrJ
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About the National Low Income Housing Coalition
The National Low Income Housing Coalition is dedicated to achieving racially and socially equitable public policy that ensures people with the lowest incomes have quality homes that are accessible and affordable in the communities of their choice. NLIHC educates, organizes, and advocates to ensure decent, affordable housing for everyone. For more information about NLIHC, please visit www.nlihc.org.