NLIHC and our partners at the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF) are hosting a National Call-In Day on April 26 during which advocates can urge Congress to make significant investments in affordable housing in the fiscal year (FY) 2023 budget and in any reconciliation package. Use NLIHC’s National Call-In Day script to help develop your own talking points and urge Congress not to miss two critical opportunities to expand investments in affordable housing this year: during the FY23 appropriations process and in a budget reconciliation bill.
FY23 Appropriations
The President released his FY23 budget request in late March (see Memo, 4/4), kicking off the FY23 appropriations process. Congressional leaders in the House and Senate must now draft their own versions of the spending bill, with the goal of finalizing an appropriations package before the new fiscal year begins on October 1.
Advocates can help ensure that affordable housing programs receive robust funding by contacting their members of Congress and urging them to support the highest level of funding possible for affordable housing, including for NLIHC’s top priorities:
- $32.13 billion for the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) program to renew all existing contracts and expand housing vouchers to an additional 200,000 households.
- $5.125 billion for the Public Housing Capital Fund to preserve public housing, and $5.06 billion for the Public Housing Operating Fund.
- $3.6 billion for HUD’s Homeless Assistance Grants program to address the needs of people experiencing homelessness.
- $100 million for legal assistance to prevent evictions.
- $300 million for the competitive tribal housing program, targeted to tribes with the greatest needs.
CHCDF held a webinar on April 21 providing an overview of affordable housing programs for FY23. You can watch the recording here: https://bit.ly/3EF2zAG
Budget Reconciliation
The appropriations process is vital to ensuring continued and expanded funding for HUD’s affordable housing programs. However, budget reconciliation – which allows the Senate to pass legislation with a simple majority of 51 votes, rather than the 60 votes typically required in the chamber – represents the best opportunity to secure the bold, large-scale investments in affordable housing needed to address the severe lack of deeply affordable rental homes.
While the “Build Back Better Act” has stalled in the Senate, President Biden and Congressional Democrats are working to revive negotiations to enact a significantly scaled-down version of the bill. It is vital that Congress include in any reconciliation package significant funding for targeted affordable housing investments, including the HoUSed campaign’s top priorities:
- $25 billion to expand housing vouchers to more than 300,000 households.
- $65 billion to preserve public housing for its 2 million residents.
- $15 billion for the national Housing Trust Fund to build, preserve, and operate more than 150,000 units of affordable, accessible homes for households with the lowest incomes.
Take Action
Your members of Congress need to hear from you about the vital importance of increased affordable housing funding, and what these investments would mean for your community!
- Call your members’ offices on April 26 and urge them to support funding for affordable housing, homelessness, and community development programs at the highest levels possible for FY23, and to provide significant funding for vouchers, public housing, and the national Housing Trust Fund in any reconciliation package! Use NLIHC’s National Call-In Day script for talking points.
- Sign your organization on to a letter supporting the highest level of funding possible for housing resources in FY23.
Continue to weigh in with your members of Congress about why investments in rental assistance, public housing, and the Housing Trust Fund should remain in any budget reconciliation package!