Keep the Pressure On! Urge Your Members of Congress to Support Increased Funding for Affordable Housing and Homelessness Programs in FY26!

House and Senate Appropriators are moving forward with drafting their fiscal year (FY) 2026 spending bills, despite having yet to reach an agreement on topline spending numbers – known as “302(b)s” – for each of the 12 FY26 appropriations bills. Funding levels have not yet been determined for the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) spending bill, which funds HUD’s affordable housing, homelessness, and community development programs.  

Advocates can still take action on FY26, and urge Congress to expand – not cut – vital federal investments in affordable housing and homelessness programs in the coming fiscal year. President Donald Trump’s FY26 appropriations request proposed slashing HUD funding by a historic 44%, including a proposal to block grant rental assistance programs and cut funding by 43%, and impose a two-year time limit on households for receiving rental assistance. While the President’s request is in no way binding, House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) has stated his committee will draft their spending bills as closely as possible to the request.   

Congress has until October 1, the beginning of the federal fiscal year, to draft, negotiate, and pass final FY26 spending bills. Without a final spending agreement, Congress will need to enact a short-term funding patch known as a continuing resolution (CR) to maintain funding for federal programs and avoid a partial federal government shutdown. While Republicans control both the House and the Senate, any spending bill needs at least 60 votes to pass the Senate, so final appropriations bills will need bipartisan support to be enacted. 

Take Action TODAY: Urge Congress to Provide the Highest Possible Funding for HUD in FY26!  

• Use NLIHC’s advocacy toolkit, Opposing Cuts to Federal Investments in Affordable Housing, to call on Congress to protect and expand affordable housing and homelessness resources, including:  

  • Full funding to renew all existing Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) contracts and 60,000 Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHVs). 

  • Increased funding for public housing operations and public housing capital needs. 

  • $4.922 billion for HUD’s Homeless Assistance Grants (HAG) program. 

  • $20 million for the Eviction Protection Grant Program (EPGP). 

  • At least $1.3 billion for HUD’s tribal housing programs and $150 million for competitive funds targeted to tribes with the greatest needs. 

• Email or call members’ offices to tell them about the importance of fully funding affordable housing and homelessness resources that are vital to community development and growth. You can use NLIHC’s Take Action page to contact your member offices. 

• Share stories of those directly impacted by homelessness and housing instability. Storytelling adds meaningful context to your advocacy and can help lawmakers see how their policy decisions impact real people. Use this resource from the HoUSed campaign to learn about how to tell compelling stories. 

National, state, local, Tribal, and territorial organizations can also join over 2,700 organizations on CHCDF’s national letter urging Congress to provide the highest possible funding for affordable housing, homelessness assistance, and community development resources in FY26.