NLIHC hosted a national HoUSed campaign call on June 5. NLIHC President and CEO Diane Yentel was joined by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) for a discussion about the urgent threats facing people experiencing homelessness as Congress prepares fiscal year (FY) 2024 budget negotiations. Representative Mike Quigley (D-IL), ranking member of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Appropriations’ Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD), also joined the call for a conversation about HUD’s FY24 budget. Tierra Labrada of the Supportive Housing Network of New York discussed dehumanizing rhetoric against people experiencing homelessness. We also received field updates; shared the latest updates from Capitol Hill on the final debt ceiling agreement; discussed advocacy needed to ensure the highest level of funding for housing and homelessness programs; provided an overview of the Request for Input issued by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA); and outlined ways advocates can take action to urge the federal government to protect renters.
A recording of the call, as well as the presentation slides, are now available.
Join NLIHC’s biweekly national HoUSed campaign call every other Monday at 2:30 pm ET to learn more about how to advance long-term solutions to end the housing crisis and achieve housing justice. The next national call will be held on June 20 from 2:30 to 4 pm ET. Register for the call here: https://tinyurl.com/ru73qan
Resources discussed on the 6/5 call:
- Dehumanizing Rhetoric against People Experiencing Homelessness – Tierra Labrada, Supportive Housing Network of New York
- Field Update – Isabel McClain, Virginia Housing Alliance
- 2023 State Policy Priorities
- Op-ed in Richmond Times-Dispatch: “Budget cuts will exacerbate housing crisis”
- Field Update – Chelsea Sedani, Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath), MA
- Press statement on the final debt ceiling agreement
- Opportunity Starts at Home campaign
- Policy Updates – Kayla Laywell, NLIHC
- Learn about the Federal Housing Finance Agency and NLIHC’s opportunities for engagement.
- Sign on to a letter by the Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF) coalition urging Democratic members of the House of Representatives to vote against a resolution to overturn the Biden administration’s “public charge” rule. Read about the background of the public charge rule.
- Email your members of Congress today and urge them to increase – not cut – resources for affordable housing and homelessness in FY24 and to support NLIHC’s top appropriations priorities!
- Sign your organization on to the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding’s (CHCDF) annual budget letter.
- Register for NLIHC/NAEH/CBPP’s webinar series on Homelessness and Housing First! The next webinar, “Housing First Supports People Impacted by the Criminal Legal System,” will be held on June 12 from 2:30 to 4 pm ET.