On our most recent (November 1) call on “HoUSed: Universal, Stable, and Affordable Housing,” Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) discussed the historic housing investments he is championing in the Build Back Better Act, including robust rental assistance provisions. “The pandemic has exposed deep inequities in so many areas from healthcare to digital divide, and housing,” said Senator Van Hollen. “That’s why we’ve got to pass the Build Back Better Agenda because we’ve really got to tackle those issues.” Thanks to the senator, other congressional champions, and the dedicated work of advocates around the country, the most recent framework contains over $150 billion for affordable housing, including $25 billion to expand rental assistance to an estimated 300,l000 households.
NLIHC’s Paul Kealey and Sarah Saadian provided updates from the Hill and progress on the Build Back Better Act, and gave action steps for advocates to secure the bill’s historic housing investments. Megan Sandel of Children’s Health Watch and Boston Medical Center discussed the intersection of housing and health outcomes, especially for children. “Housing is the preventative healthcare we need for all people to be healthy.” She stressed the importance of stable homes for children to give them a healthy future.
Shakti Robbins-Cubas from the New York Housing Conference spoke about her organization’s strategy for coalition building and advocacy at the federal level. Elizabeth Glidden of the Minnesota Housing Partnership presented on her state’s use of the Fiscal Recovery Funds provided in the American Rescue Plan Act. NLIHC’s Emma Foley and Sarah Gallagher shared updates on ERA spending across the country. So far, states and localities have spent a total of $10.3 billion for ERA. ERASE cohort members Kody Glazer, Tonya Phillips, Gwendolyn Winston, Tenesa Sanders, Rea Maci and Ted Phillips discussed the projects their organizations are engaging in to increase outreach to historically marginalized communities and improve equitable access to ERA funds.
Our next national call will be today, November 8 at 2:30 pm ET. We will provide the latest updates on the Build Back Better Act, learn about a new action from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on tenant screenings, discuss findings from a report on evictions in undocumented communities, hear updates from the field, and more. Register for the call at: bit.ly/3ENtRn5
View presentation slides: bit.ly/3CSpExT
Watch the recording here: bit.ly/2ZUry2Z