Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed its version of an economic recovery bill, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan, and the full Senate is expected to vote on a bill next week.  Both the House and Senate bills include $1.5 billion for homeless prevention activities through the Emergency Shelter Grants Program (ESG).  This funding is sufficient to assist approximately 800,000 vulnerable people (many of whom are in a recession-related housing crisis) stay in or find housing.

The Alliance greatly appreciates the investments made in ESG and several other critical low-income housing assistance programs in the economic recovery plan (below is more information about the House and Senate proposals.)  This funding will have a major impact on communities' capacity to respond to homelessness. However, neither the House nor the Senate version includes funding for the National Housing Trust Fund or additional Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers, as many advocates, including the Alliance, have urged.
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What you can do:
Urge your Members of Congress to support the inclusion of the $1.5 billion for ESG in the final American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan, as was requested by the House and the Senate Appropriations Committees.  Additionally, ask them to contact their leadership to support the inclusion of funding in the final bill to further mend the effects of the housing and economic crisis:

• $10 billion over two years for the National Housing Trust Fund to develop housing affordable for families with extremely low incomes and assist projects that are stalled because of the financial crisis.
  
• $3.6 billion over two years for 400,000 Section 8 housing choice vouchers to assist families at the brink of homelessness.  Additionally, if the recovery package stimulates affordable housing production as planned, rental subsidies will be needed to help owners maintain the affordability of the units.

This three-prong funding request is supported by several advocates and Members of Congress, including several House members who signed a recent "Dear Colleague" letter.  Click here for a copy of the letter.  

The full Senate is expected to vote on the bill next week so that the legislation may proceed to the conference stage as quickly as possible. The full House passed its version of the bill on January 28.  The House and Senate leadership hope to send a final bill to the President by President's Day recess on February 16.
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