By Sarita Kelkar, NLIHC Policy Intern
On February 24, NLIHC hosted a National HoUSed campaign call discussing recent federal legislative and regulatory actions threatening communities’ access to voting and housing. NLIHC Vice President of Field Strategy & Innovation Ramina Davidson began by providing a brief agenda of the call. NLIHC Project Manager for Our Homes, Our Votes, Tia Turner, named NLIHC’s strong opposition to the “SAVE Act”—introduced legislation that, in requiring proof of citizenship for voting, would harm many communities’ election participation and civic voice without easy access to documentation.
Rob Randhava, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights’ Senior Counsel, added context on the difficulty of gathering documentation, where time/effort, technicalities, and travel create a high barrier to entry, especially for marginalized communities. Moreover, Randhava added context by describing the “SAVE America Act,” a newer bill that would require presenting a photo ID on top of documentation—where the bill lacks any funding to offset voters’ or states’ high costs—and other legislative and judicial actions to keep in mind.
Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey delved deeper into discussing the codification of a move toward voter restriction, where “Americans are getting disempowered through paperwork and process”: requiring a significant voter education effort and community-centered solutions. Next, Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF) Director Adriana Cadena opened conversation on HUD’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) eliminating mixed-status families’ ability to live in HUD-assisted housing—contrasting current policy with the projected impact of the proposed rule, which would affect both ineligible immigrants and U.S. citizens while failing to increase access to affordable housing.
NLIHC Senior Policy Advisor Renee Williams highlighted the proposed rule on work requirements and time limits, sharing analysis from sources including the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), which found that imposing a two-year time limit would result in 3.3 million people losing rental assistance.
Lastly, Hannah Adams, Senior Staff Attorney at the National Housing Law Project (NHLP), discussed the interim final rule on the 30-day eviction notice requirement; pointing out HUD’s skipping of the notice and comment process, Adams emphasized how this effort to revoke the 2024 final rule creates limited notice for tenants and increases the risk of homelessness. A recording of the call, as well as the presentation slides, are now available. Register here for NLIHC’s next National HoUSed campaign call on March 24 from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm ET.
The SAVE Act and Avenues for Advocacy
- Learn more about the “SAVE Act” here.
- Consider disability-specific impacts of the “SAVE Act” here.
- Explore a Center for American Progress overview & fact sheet on the “SAVE Act.”
- Read about the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights’ opposition to the “SAVE America Act,” the “SAVE Act,” and the “Make Elections Great Again Act” here.
- Take action by contacting your senators.
Follow NLIHC’s Our Homes, Our Votes coverage of this information by registering for our webinar series.
“Mixed Status” Proposed Rule
- Check out NLIHC, NHLP, and PIF’s Keep Families Together campaign, building opposition to the proposed mixed status rule.
Work Requirements and Time Limits
- Read the CBPP report assessing the impact of imposing a two-year time limit.
Learn how work requirements and time limits would worsen housing instability here.
NLIHC’s National HoUSed campaign calls take place on the second and last Tuesday of every month, from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm ET. Register for the series here and access NLIHC’s archive of HoUSed campaign recordings here.