Home is the foundation.
But for the 7.1 million American households for whom even a modest rental home is unaffordable and unavailable, life is a daily struggle for survival. Families in this situation find themselves making impossible choices between food and rent. When illness, job loss or other tragedy strikes, they often become homeless.
The National Housing Trust Fund was established as a provision of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush. The passage of National Housing Trust Fund legislation is a major victory for low income housing advocates and the lowest income people in our country with the most serious needs.
The NHTF will, once capitalized, provide communities with funds to build, preserve, and rehabilitate rental homes that are affordable for extremely and very low income households. The NHTF’s most important features are:
- It is a permanent program, and will have dedicated source of funding not subject to the annual appropriations process.
- Targeted toward rental housing, at least 90% of the funds must be used for the production, preservation, rehabilitation, or operation of rental housing. Up to 10% can be used for the following home ownership activities for first-time home buyers: production, preservation, and rehabilitation; down payment assistance, closing cost assistance, and assistance for interest rate buy-downs.
- Targeted toward extremely low income households, at least 75% of the funds for rental housing must benefit extremely low income households and all funds must benefit very low income households.
RESOURCES
National Housing Trust Fund: Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)
A detailed review of the National Housing Trust Fund
NHTF State Allocations (PDF)
Estimated funding states would receive through the National Housing Trust Fund
Current Avenues for Funding (PDF)
An overview of different funding sources for the National Housing Trust Fund