The National Affordable Housing Trust Act of 2007, S. 2523, led by Senators Kerry (D-MA) and Snowe (R- ME), was introduced in the Senate on December 19. In an effort to move the legislation forward quickly, advocates are calling on Senators to co-sponsor the legislation. In addition to requesting that Senators co- sponsor, please ask that Congressional staff attend a briefing on Monday March 3 to learn more about this critical legislation.

What You Can Do?

Please report responses from Congressional offices to Sarah Kahn (skahn@naeh.org or 202-942- 8259) by Friday, March 7.

Related Materials

The goal of the Trust Fund is to construct, rehabilitate, and preserve 1.5 million units of housing over the next 10 years. The National Housing Trust Fund Campaign, made up of more than 5,600 endorsers, had an exciting victory in October when similar legislation passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a strong bipartisan vote of 264-148.

• NHTF Toolkit: Information including answers to frequently asked questions, state-specific data on the need for affordable housing, and issue- specific fact sheets created by the National Low Income Housing Collation.
• Legislative Update: More information on the bill's status, additional materials, and talking points.

• Contact your Senators' offices and ask the staff person who works on housing issues if their boss will co-sponsor S. 2523, if they have not already done so. They can contact John Phillips with Senator Kerry's office if their boss would like to sign on. Click here for a list of current co-sponsors.
• Ask the staff person if they will attend a Congressional briefing on S. 2523 on Monday, March 3 from 2-3 pm in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, room 538.
• Fax a letter, and ask other organizations to fax letters, asking your Senators to co-sponsor S. 2523. Click here for a sample letter.

Senators Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and Charles Schumer (D-NY) are seeking original co-sponsors for the Section Eight Voucher Reform Act of 2008 (SEVRA)-a companion bill to the SEVRA bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in July. Click here for a copy of the "Dear Colleague" letter being circulated and ask your Senators to sign on today.

The SEVRA bill makes some very important changes to the housing voucher program so it can serve more families and improve its effectiveness. The bill:

Please call on your Senators today to become original co-sponsors of SEVRA. To sign-on, staff should contact Jenn Fogel-Bublick on Senator Dodd's staff or David Stoopler on Senator Schumer's staff today or tomorrow.

For more information about SEVRA, see the National Low Income Housing Coalition's SEVRA Fact Sheet.

• Establishes a more efficient and permanent voucher funding formula that is based on vouchers in use and their average cost in the prior year. This ensures that every agency has enough funding to renew its vouchers, while not wasting scarce resources on vouchers that go unused.
• Streamlines and simplifies program requirements, including housing inspections and rent calculations, to more effectively use program resources and make it easier for housing authorities and landlords to participate in the program.
• Improves housing conditions and promotes family stability by encouraging owners to repair defects and gives housing agencies new tools to ensure housing is safe. Families that have to move due to bad conditions are assured of sufficient time and assistance.
• Reforms the financing of "portability" moves which makes it easier for families to move with a voucher and less burdensome for agencies.