Washington, D.C. - The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) commends Senate Democrats for recognizing the importance of affordable housing investments in a comprehensive infrastructure package.
An investment in affordable housing infrastructure for the lowest income people would provide our nation with the resources it needs to help the economy, local communities, and families thrive. These investments would not only make significant headway towards ending homelessness and housing poverty, they would bolster productivity and economic growth. By connecting people to communities with well-paying jobs, good schools, and transit, affordable housing can spur local job creation and increase family incomes. Investments in affordable and accessible housing would boost local economies and contribute to neighborhood and community development.
Any comprehensive infrastructure package should include an expansion of the national Housing Trust Fund, a new tool exclusively focused on increasing the supply of affordable homes for those with the greatest needs; an increase in Housing Choice Vouchers or other rental assistance to help connect families to areas of opportunity; resources to rehabilitate public housing stock to preserve this asset for current tenants and future generations; and the inclusion of affordable housing developments among projects eligible for loans and equity investments through a national infrastructure bank.
Our nation has a shortage of 7.2 million rental homes that are affordable and available to more than 10.4 million extremely low income renters. This means that for every 100 extremely low income renters, there are just 31 rental homes that are affordable and available to them. A full 75% of these households pay more than half of their income on rent. These families – seniors, people with disabilities, veterans, and low-wage workers – are forced to make impossible choices between paying the rent and buying groceries, visiting their doctor, commuting to their jobs, or saving for college and are often one unexpected expense away from homelessness.
NLIHC looks forward to working with Congress to increase resources for affordable housing for the lowest income households through a comprehensive infrastructure package.
To read NLIHC’s Affordable Housing Infrastructure fact sheet, visit: http://bit.ly/2fDBAIX
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Established in 1974 by Cushing N. Dolbeare, the National Low income Housing Coalition is dedicated solely to achieving socially just public policy that assures people with the lowest income in the United States have affordable and decent homes.