NLIHC, the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH), and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) sent a letter to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees urging them to fund affordable housing programs at the highest level possible in FY18 and to use the additional funding made available by the bipartisan deal lifting the low spending caps to prioritize the housing needs of the lowest income people. Together, the three organizations called for an increase in public housing capital funds, Homeless Assistance Grants, and Housing Choice Vouchers “to help more of the nation’s most vulnerable individuals and families live in safe, stable, affordable housing, allowing them to live with dignity and supporting their efforts to improve their lives.”
After months of operating the federal government through Continuing Resolutions (CRs) at 2017 funding levels, Congress reached a bipartisan deal in February to lift the low spending caps on defense and domestic programs for FY18 and FY19. The Appropriations Committees must now divvy up these additional resources among various departments and programs before Congress can enact its final spending bills. The current CR expires on March 23. Congress may begin debate on the spending bills as early as Wednesday, March 14, although House and Senate leaders are grappling with several controversial policy riders that could delay enactment.
See the letter from NLIHC, NAEH, and CBPP at: http://bit.ly/2DmdbD3