On our most recent (January 10) national call on “HoUSed: Universal, Stable, and Affordable Housing,” we were joined by House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC), who discussed the vital affordable housing investments in the “Build Back Better Act.” He stressed the importance of housing as a foundation for safety and success and emphasized the need for continued advocacy to ensure significant affordable housing resources are included in the Build Back Better Act and appropriations bill for fiscal year (FY) 2022. “I encourage you to call on your senators to stand up and support making America’s greatness accessible and affordable for all by passing the Build Back Better Act,” said Majority Whip Clyburn.
NLIHC’s Sarah Saadian provided updates on the Build Back Better Act and congressional appropriations for FY2022. While Congress has temporarily shifted its focus to enacting voting rights legislation, the Build Back Better Act remains a high priority for congressional democrats. House and Senate Appropriators are also working on finalizing a federal spending bill for FY2022 before the current continuing resolution expires on February 18. Both the Build Back Better Act and FY22 appropriations bill present an opportunity for advocates to push Congress for significant investments in affordable housing programs, including expanding access to housing vouchers, obtaining funds to make desperately needed repairs to public housing, and constructing new affordable housing stock through the national Housing Trust Fund (see Memo, 1/10).
Alayna Calabro, policy analyst at NLIHC, discussed new guidance from the Treasury Department on using State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRFs) for affordable housing. Treasury issued on January 6 its final rule on the SLFRF program (see Memo, 1/10). NLIHC’s Emma Foley presented the latest data from Treasury on emergency rental assistance (ERA) spending and provided details on the ERA reallocation process (see Memo, 1/10). Alison McIntosh from Neighborhood Partnerships in Oregon and Paola Martinez from United Way of Metropolitan Dallas provided field updates.
NLIHC hosts national calls every week. Our next call will be today, January 18, at 2:30 pm ET. Register for the call at: tinyurl.com/ru73qan
Watch a recording of our January 10 call at: tinyurl.com/ycykmhzc
View presentation slides at: tinyurl.com/5n943vn9