On our most recent (January 31) national call for the “HoUSed: Universal, Stable, and Affordable Housing” campaign, we were joined by Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and champion of the housing investments in the “Build Back Better Act.” In a conversation with NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel, Representative Jayapal discussed the impact of the housing crisis in her district and why investing in housing infrastructure is vital to efforts to address the nation’s affordable housing crisis. The Congressional Progressive Caucus prioritized securing the historic $150 billion for affordable housing investments included in the House-passed bill. Now, the Caucus is continuing to put public pressure on the Senate to maintain these vital housing investments in any final version of the Build Back Better Act.
“Pump up the volume, your letters, your calls, your virtual townhalls, your storytelling. Those are the things that will move the needle right now,” said Representative Jayapal during the call.
Diane Yentel began the call by providing updates on ongoing Build Back Better negotiations and reminding listeners of the importance of keeping up their advocacy to ensure the bill’s vital housing investments – including $25 billion to expand housing vouchers, $65 billion to repair public housing, and $15 billion to construct accessible, affordable housing through the national Housing Trust Fund – remain in the bill. Find tools to communicate with your members of Congress at NLIHC’s Legislative Action Center and in the Build Back Better toolkit.
Next, Barbra DiPietro of the National Healthcare for the Homeless Council discussed a new resource from the Framework for an Equitable COVID-19 Homelessness Response for creating community partnerships to provide medical respite care (MRC) to people experiencing homelessness. NLIHC’s Neetu Nair then presented recently published research on the distribution of emergency rental assistance among Indigenous Tribes and Tribally Designated Housing Entities. End Rental Arrears to Stop Evictions (ERASE) Project Coordinator Jade Vasquez also shared NLIHC’s new tenant protections resource page, which provides interactive maps and research relating to long- and short-term tenant protection laws and policies.
Kendra Knighten of Idaho Asset Building Network provided a field update on Idaho’s legislative session, and Jonathan Jager from the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles discussed Los Angeles’s plan to phase-out eviction protections by the end of 2022. NLIHC’s Kim Johnson concluded the call by giving the latest updates on Build Back Better Act negotiations and Congress’s work on a federal budget deal for fiscal year 2022.
NLIHC hosts national calls every week. Our next call will be today, February 7, at 2:30 pm ET. Register for the call at: tinyurl.com/ru73qan
Watch a recording of the January 31 call at: tinyurl.com/2p9cvfeu
View presentation slides from the January 31 call at: tinyurl.com/2p8ftp6e