NLIHC released on January 26 Advancing Housing Justice in the 118th Congress, a memorandum addressed to the new Congress outlining the ongoing need for federal investments in affordable, accessible housing and the long-term solutions required to end the nation’s affordable housing and homelessness crises.
The memo details the extent of the housing crisis facing extremely low-income renters using research from NLIHC’s publications, The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Rental Homes and Out Of Reach: The High Cost of Housing. It also overviews the social costs of housing instability, which include reinforcing racial inequities, impeding economic mobility, and limiting access to healthcare and educational opportunities. The memo advocates for large-scale, long-term solutions needed to end the affordable housing crisis, including:
- Bridging the gap between incomes and housing costs.
- Expanding and preserving the supply of affordable, accessible rental homes for people with the lowest incomes.
- Providing emergency rental assistance to help stabilize families in crisis.
- Strengthening and enforcing renter protections.
The memo also identifies legislative opportunities to advance these solutions during the 118th Congress, including the fiscal year 2024 appropriations process and bipartisan legislation like the “Eviction Crisis Act,” which would create a permanent federal emergency rental assistance program, and the “Family Stability and Opportunity Vouchers Act,” which would provide funding for 500,000 Housing Choice Vouchers and housing mobility counseling for families with young children. Importantly, the memo highlights threats to federal funding for affordable housing and homelessness programs, including proposed budget cuts that may emerge as part of Congress’s debt ceiling and appropriations negotiations.
Read the memo to Congress at: https://bit.ly/3wD95V2
Visit NLIHC’s Take Action page to learn about how you can advocate for federal investments in affordable, accessible housing!