Housing Advocates Urge Senate Passage of Broad Housing Reform Bill

On March 16, NLIHC joined more than 30 national organizations in sending a letter to Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee Chair Richard Shelby (R-AL) and Ranking Member Sherrod Brown (D-OH), urging Senate passage of the “Housing Opportunities Through Modernization Act” (H.R. 3700). The House passed H.R. 3700 unanimously on February 2, 2016.

The letter states, “Our nation faces tremendous housing needs. This legislation is an important step forward to address a number of significant items which have enjoyed broad consensus over the years. There is more to be done to address housing and community development needs, but H.R. 3700 represents solid progress in the right direction. If enacted, this bipartisan bill would build on the effectiveness of federal rental assistance while achieving some modest savings.”

H.R. 3700 would make several important changes to the operation of housing assistance programs, including:

  • Improving the project-basing of vouchers to increase housing options while ensuring choice;
  • Changing income reviews to allow residents to keep onto increased earnings for longer periods;
  • Imposing housing assistance limits for households with incomes above 120% of the poverty level;
  • Streamlining income deductions, while requiring hardship exemptions for negatively impacted families;
  • Allowing for expedited inspection processes for units to be rented to families and individuals with vouchers; and
  • Updating the Housing for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) distribution formula.

Read the letter here: http://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/HR3700_group_support_031616.pdf