Advocacy Update: NHTF Update + New Members of Congress
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Advocacy Update | November 19, 2010
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Urge Congress to Fund NHTF This Year
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Congress can only consider a few more issues before it adjourns for the year in December. We need to urge Congress to make sure that funding the National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF) is one of those things.
What You Can Do:
- Call your Senators' offices TODAY. Ask to speak to the person who works on housing issues. Senators' phone numbers can be found by calling the congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 202-224-3121 end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 202-224-3121 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
- Ask the housing staff person to urge his/her boss to make sure funding for the NHTF is passed THIS year.
- Explain the importance of the NHTF for your state. Click here to learn how many jobs the NHTF is expected to create in your state and how much funding your state would receive in NHTF funding.
- Report any responses to Kate Seif at cseif@naeh.org / 202-942-8281.
Background
The goal of the National Housing Trust Fund, which was authorized in July 2008, is to create 1.5 million units of affordable housing within ten years. The NHTF is critical for efforts to prevent and end homelessness, as it targets at least 75 percent of the amount used for rental housing to extremely low income households. The majority of the people who enter the homeless system have experienced some sort of crisis that caused them to lose their housing because of the added burden from paying so much of their income for rent.
On May 28, the House of Representatives passed legislation known as the" tax extenders bill," which would provide $1 billion for the National Housing Trust Fund and $65 million for associated project-based housing vouchers. However, the Senate has not been able to pass its version of the tax extenders bill. Congress will be taking up several measures during this "lame-duck" legislative session, including tax legislation and a budget for the federal government. Senators should make sure funding for the NHTF is passed before the end of this session.
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Help Identify New Congressional Champions on Homelessness
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Earlier this month, dozens of new representatives and senators were elected by voters. These members-elect of Congress will start their congressional terms in January 2011. It will be critical to educate these new members on solutions to homelessness and the importance of making ending homelessness a federal priority.
Ending homelessness has been a goal supported by both Republicans and Democrats for many years. It would be great to identify a few members of this incoming congressional class from both parties who might become champions on the issue of homelessness.
If you have a reason to believe that your newly-elected member of Congress might be strongly supportive of efforts to prevent and end homelessness, please let us know! Please contact Amanda Krusemark at akrusemark@naeh.org / 202-942-8281 to share the name of that member.
With a new Congress and new members, it is CRITICAL that we keep homelessness on the federal agenda as a key issue for policymakers. With your help, we can identify which members of Congress are important to reach out to in order to ensure that ending homelessness is a federal priority.
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BUILDING
POLITICAL WILL
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The Alliance works collaboratively with its local, state, and national partners to advance policies and programs that prevent and end homelessness.
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