November 20, 2007
NAHC Fall E-Newsletter
Click
here to view the fall e-newsletter from NAHC. Want to
receive it directly in your inbox? Enter your email address in the
"Join Our Email List" box above.
Table of Contents:
-
THUD Appropriations Update
-
National Affordable Housing Trust
Fund Update
-
Second Chance Act
-
NAHC Dallas Regional Meeting
-
Presentation at USCA
-
Upcoming: Spanish Version of
the NAHC Policy Toolkit
-
NAHC Needs Assessment Survey
November 15, 2007
THUD Appropriations Update
On November 13,
2007, by a vote of 270-147 (5 votes short of the number needed to
override a threatened veto, the House approved the conference report
( H. Report 110-446 to accompany H.R. 3074) the Transportation,
Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations
Act, 2008.
The measure
provides $300.1 million for HOPWA as included in the President's
budget and approved by both the House and Senate. The amount
includes up to $1.485 for technical assistance.
The Senate may not act on the measure
until after the Thanksgiving recess.
The President has threatened to veto the measure because it exceeds
his budget request by $3 billion.
Click here to access the link to The Statement of Administration
Policy.
Stay tuned for further NAHC updates with actions you can take as the
THUD bill moves forward.
October 11, 2007
House Passes National Affordable
Housing Trust Fund Bill
On October 10,
2007 by a vote of 264-148, the House passed a measure
that would establish
the long-sought
national housing trust fund. H.R.2895 the National
Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2007 would direct
dedicated sources of funding for
the production, preservation and rehabilitation of 1.5 million
affordable homes over the course of 10 years
with a majority of
the funding targeted to extremely low income people, including
people with HIV/AIDS.
.
Passage of the bill was made possible by
two key votes: the first opposing the
Neugebauer
amendment which would have eliminated program funding sources and
decreased the goal of affordable housing units to just 750,000, and
the second victory opposing a motion to recommit the bill back to
the House subcommittee for further consideration.
Chairman Frank (MA) of the House Financial Services Committee, who
managed the bill on the floor, cited AIDS Housing in an exchange
with Ranking Member Bachus (AL).
Click here for the text of the exchange.
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, there are
over 9 million extremely low income households and about one-third
of them lack affordable housing. After previous ill-fated
attempts to pass the trust fund bill, it finally has a chance to be
considered by the Senate. This is a step in the right
direction for all of us.
Now is time to thank your Representative for his or her support if
they voted in favor of passage.
To see how your Representative voted, go to
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll958.xml
October 9, 2007
On October 1, AIDS Foundation of Chicago
(AFC) staff delivered 1,649 petitions (left) to Mayor Richard M.
Daley and Chicago aldermen on behalf of city residents in favor of a
$1.5 million increase in AIDS housing services. Chicago’s 50
aldermen each received petitions signed by their constituents,
showcasing broad-based, city-wide support for $1.5 million in new
city funding for AIDS housing.
more
October 3, 2007
HASA 4 ALL
Rally Attracts Hundreds in New York
Hundreds of
people rallied on the steps of City Hall last week to support
expanding the services of the HIV/AIDS Service Administration (HASA)
to provide housing assistance to all needy low-income and homeless
HIV-positive New Yorkers.
A coalition of
more than 40 advocacy organizations pledged support for prospective
legislation called "HASA For All" and is pressing the city to act on
the draft bill, which was announced to coalition members early last
month by Councilwoman Annabel Palma, a Bronx Democrat who has not
actually introduced it in City Council.
more
September 21, 2007
Senate Passes FY 08 HOPWA Funding at
$300 m.
On Tuesday, September 11th, the Senate approved the Fiscal Year 2008
Transportation, HUD, and related agencies (THUD) appropriation bill
including $300 million dollars for HOPWA. Although the Senate
approved the President's HOPWA budget request, already adopted by
the House in July, the THUD bill still faces a veto threat due to
the $3.1 billion increase for the account over the Administration's
budget request. Despite passing with a two-thirds majority vote in
the Senate, President Bush has threatened to veto any appropriations
bill that does not match his initial recommendations. The
Administration says the FY 08 THUD bill "includes an irresponsible
and excessive level of spending" and that Congress should "cover the
excess spending in this bill through reductions elsewhere, while
ensuring the Department of Defense has the resources necessary to
accomplish its mission". Given hard- lined presidential opposition,
Congress must now rework their strategy to ensure that THUD programs
are fully funded. The THUD bill is expected to be included in
continuing resolution which will keep its programs funded for some
period after the October 1 start of the new fiscal year.
Click here to view the National Low Income Housing Coalition's
updated FY 08 budget chart for HUD programs.
September 13, 2007
Maxwell Awards of Excellence:
Deadline
October 31, 2007
The Fannie Mae Foundation, in collaboration with the Partnership to
End Long Term Homelessness, will present four awards to
nonprofit or
nonprofit/for profit collaborations to recognize outstanding
development of supportive and affordable housing for homeless
individuals and families. The Maxwell Awards of
Excellence program showcases the outstanding work of nonprofit
organizations in developing and maintaining affordable housing. Each
2007 Maxwell Awards recipient will receive a $75,000 grant to
continue its work in the field of supportive and affordable housing
for homeless individuals and families.
Organizations from
across the country are invited to submit applications for
projects. The application and instructions are available at:
www.2007maxwellawards.org
September 5, 2007
NAHC Launches Policy Toolkit
Today,
the National AIDS Housing Coalition unveils its Policy Toolkit. The
NAHC
Policy Toolkit, developed through a grant from the San Francisco
AIDS Foundation, translates research findings confirming the
critical role of housing in HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment
into a user friendly format to inform public policy at the local,
state and federal level.
Click here to view the
press release.
Click here to view the toolkit.
August 21, 2007
NAHC Summer E-Newsletter
Click
here to view the summer e-newsletter from NAHC. Want to
receive it directly in your inbox? Enter your email address in the
"Join Our Email List" box above.
Table of Contents:
-
House HOPWA Level
-
Principles for HOPWA Formula Update
-
NAHC Testifies on Reauthorization of
Federal Homeless Programs
-
Presentation at NAEH Annual
Conference
-
International AIDS Housing
Roundtable Launched
-
Second Chance Act Reported from
Senate Committee
-
NAHC Welcomes New Policy Assistant
August 1, 2007
National Housing
Trust Fund Bill Passes House Committee
Yesterday, July 31, the House Financial Services Committee passed
the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2007 (HR 2895) by
a bipartisan vote of 45 to 23.
The
bill, introduced by Chairman Barney Frank of Massachusetts along
with 16 original cosponsors, would create a new housing program
using a dedicated source of funding that would produce,
rehabilitate, and preserve 1.5 million units of affordable housing
over 10 years.
NAHC
is long-time endorser of the National Housing Trust Fund and has
been one of the key organizations working towards its passage.
Click here to read a press release from the National Low Income
Housing Coalition with more information on yesterday's markup and on
HR 2895.
Click here to read the Financial Services Committee press
release on the passage.
If
you called your Representative yesterday in support of the bill,
thank you! The committee passage of the bill would not have occurred
without your support.
The
full House is expected to take up the bill sometime after the August
recess.
July 31, 2007
Call Your FS
Member Right Away to Support the Housing Trust Fund
CALL TOLL FREE 877-210-5351
Calls are needed to members of the Financial Services Cte. Please
click here to view a list of committee members. If your
Representative appears on this list, call his or her office right
away to support the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of
2007 (H.R. 2895) which is being considered by the committee right
now.
Call
to Action from the National Low Income Housing Coalition for
constituents of the Financial Services Cte Members:
House Committee on Financial Services to vote on H.R. 2895 TODAY!
CALL TOLL FREE 877-210- 5351
You
are receiving this message because your Representative is on the
House Committee on Financial Services.
Please contact your Representative NOW and urge him or her to
support or oppose the following amendments to H.R. 2895, the
National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2007, which will be
marked up starting at 11:00am EDT TODAY.
-
Support
the
Manager's amendment offered by Representative Frank (D-MA)
-
Support
the Castle
(R-DE) amendment which offers a compromise on income targeting
acceptable to the National Housing Trust Fund Campaign.
-
Oppose
the Miller (R-CA) amendment that will require that 10% of the
funds benefit households with incomes above 50% of the area
median.
-
Oppose
any other amendments that weaken income targeting to households
with incomes at or below 30% of the area median.
-
Support
H.R. 2895 overall and the establishment of the National
Affordable Housing Trust Fund with dedicated sources of revenue.
Call
877-210-5351 and ask to be connected to your U.S. Representative to
relay the above points and this simple message: "I represent X
organization (or live in X community). Please tell Congressperson X
to support H.R. 2895 and to preserve dedicated funding sources, as
well as the deep income targeting. This bill will help my community
(or the communities I work with) address pressing affordable housing
needs."
Please call TODAY to support the National Affordable Housing Trust
Fund!
You
can watch the Committee hearing by going to the following link:
http://financialservices.house.gov/
July 30, 2007
Washington Post Editorial Calls for Passage of Housing Trust Fund
Bill
Read the article here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/29/AR2007072900920.html
July 27, 2007
Action Alert on McKinney Vento Reauthorization
The
National AIDS Housing Coalition strongly supports S. 1518, the
Community Partnership To End Homelessness Act of 2007 (CEPHA),
scheduled for mark-up in the Senate Banking Committee on Wednesday,
August 1. The measure will effectively consolidate and streamline
the federal low income housing programs that respond to
homelessness. NAHC 's Research Summit initiative includes
documented findings that up to 60% of persons with HIV/AIDS have
experienced homelessness or unstable housing during the course
of their illness and NAHC has adopted a policy imperative making
housing homeless persons a top prevention priority.
CEPHA will include an update to the definition of homelessness
recommended by NAHC in testimony before the Committee in June and
includes important prevention and rehousing provisions, a Rural
Stability program and shifts permanent supportive housing renewals
to the housing certificate fund, freeing up dollars for the creation
of more supportive housing.
If your Senator is a member of the Senate Banking Committee (see
list below), phone today,
ask to
speak to the staffer who handles housing. Ask that person to convey
to the Senator why the reauthorization of the McKinney Vento
Homeless Assistance programs through CEPHA is important to your
community and ask support for S. 1518. All Senate offices can be
reached through the U.S. Capitol Switchboard (202)224-3121.
Senate Banking Committee
Majority
Christopher J. Dodd, Chairman (D-CT)
Tim Johnson (D-SD)
Jack Reed (D-RI)
Charles E. Schumer (D-NY)
Evan Bayh (D-IN)
Tom Carper (D-DE)
Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI)
Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
Robert P. Casey (D-PA)
Jon Tester (D-MT)
Minority
Richard C. Shelby, Ranking Member (R- AL)
Robert F. Bennett (R-UT)
Wayne Allard (R-CO)
Michael B. Enzi (R-WY)
Chuck Hagel (R-NE)
Jim Bunning (R-KY)
Mike Crapo (R-ID)
John E. Sununu (R-NH)
Elizabeth Dole (R-NC)
Mel Martinez (R-FL)
July 25, 2007
HOPWA Mentioned on House Floor During T/HUD Consideration
Yesterday, during consideration of the Transportation/HUD
Appropriations (T/HUD) bill by the full House, Representative
Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) used time on the floor to discuss the merits
of the HOPWA program and to praise the increase in funding for FY08.
Said
Mr. Nadler, "HOPWA is the only Federal housing program that
specifically provides cities and states with the resources to
address the housing crisis facing people living with HIV/AIDS.
Americans living with HIV/AIDS are often forced to choose between
expensive drug treatments and necessities such as housing."
The
Congressman also cited research presented at NAHC's Housing and
HIV/AIDS Research Summit Series. Mr. Nadler went on to say,
"According to the National AIDS Housing Network, rates of new HIV
diagnoses among the homeless are 16 times the rate in the general
population, and HIV/AIDS death rates are five to seven times higher.
People with AIDS who are homeless are more likely to be uninsured,
use an emergency room, and be admitted to a hospital." (Note: NAHC
was mistakenly referred to as a "Network" in this dialogue.)
After two days of discussion and debate, the House voted to pass the
T/HUD FY08 Appropriations bill, including the $14 million increase
for HOPWA, bring the funding level up to the $300.1 million
requested by the President. It is still unknown when the full Senate
will consider the bill.
Click here to view the full text of Mr. Nadler's comments on the
House Floor (beginning at the bottom of column two on page H8387 and
continuing on page H8388.)
If
you reside in Mr. Nadler's district (NY-8th), please take a moment
to call his office (DC: 202-225-5635) to thank him for advocating
for HOPWA.
July 12, 2007
Recent Action on HOPWA Appropriations
Yesterday, July 11, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (T/HUD) marked up the
FY08 funding bill. Just like the President's recommended level and
the House Subcommittee passed level, the Senate Subcommittee
approved a level of $300.1 million. The full Appropriations
Committee on the Senate side is scheduled to consider the bill
today.
The
full House Appropriations committee also considered the T/HUD bill
and funded HOPWA at the same level. It is unknown when the House
bill will go to the floor.
The
$300.1 million level for HOPWA is an almost 5% increase over the
FY07 level of $286 million for the program, but far below NAHC's
recommendation of $454 million.
July 3, 2007
Call to Action: Ask Your Representative to Cosponsor H.R. 2895
The
National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2007 (H.R. 2895), was
introduced on June 28, 2007 by Representative Barney Frank (D-MA),
Chairman of the Financial Services Committee. He was joined by 15
other original co-sponsors, for a total of 8 Democrats and 8
Republicans, including: Maxine Waters (D-CA), Jim Ramstad (R-MN),
Christopher Shays (R-CT), Barbara Lee (D-CA). William Lacy Clay
(D-MO), Charles Dent (R-PA), Phil English (R-PA), Al Green (D-TX),
Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), John McHugh (R-NY),
Gary Miller (R-CA), Christopher Murphy (D-CT), Rick Renzi (R-AZ),
Christopher Smith (R-NJ) and Nydia Velázquez (D- NY).
Now
that the bill has been introduced with such strong bipartisan
support, it is time to show the sheer number of members of Congress
who support this important legislation. If your Representative is
not on the above list, please take some time this week and next to
call and request that he or she become a co- sponsor of H.R. 2895.
Here's what to do:
1.
Call your Representative's office, which can be reached through the
Capitol Switchboard at 202-225- 3121. (Don't know who your Rep. is?
Visit
www.house.gov to find out.)
2.
Ask to speak to the staff member who handles housing issues.
3.
Once you get the staff member on the phone, tell him or her that
that you are a constituent and that you would like the
Representative to cosponsor H.R. 2895, the National Affordable
Housing Trust Fund Act of 2007 which will produce 1.5 million units
of affordable housing over 10 years.
Note
that Congress is currently on 4th of July recess and your Member may
be back in your district right now. This is the perfect to time to
call their local offices (info at www.house.gov) or to try and grab
a second with your Representative if you see him or her at an
Independence Day event.
Tools:
June 28, 2007
AIDS Housers Applaud Introduction of National Affordable Housing
Trust Fund Bill
Washington, D.C. June 28, 2007.
At noon today in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill,
Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), Chairman of the House Financial
Services Committee, announced introduction the National Affordable
Housing Trust Fund Act of 2007.
The legislation
would create a dedicated source of funding for the production,
preservation, and rehabilitation of 1.5 million units of affordable
housing over 10 years.
The National AIDS Housing Coalition (NAHC) is a
long-time organizational endorser of the Trust Fund and has actively
participated in the National Housing Trust Fund Campaign for many
years.
HIV/AIDS housing providers and clients have a
particular interest in increasing America’s affordable housing
stock. Recent research presented at NAHC’s National Housing and
HIV/AIDS Research Summit series demonstrates
·
the
prevalence of HIV/AIDS is up to nine times higher among persons who
are homeless compared with persons with stable housing;
·
up to
60% of all persons living with HIV/AIDS report a lifetime experience
of homelessness or housing instability; and
·
lack
of housing has been found consistently to be associated with HIV
positive persons not receiving appropriate medical care.
“The deep targeting included in this legislation,
mandating that at least 75% of funds must serve extremely low-income
(ELI) families, is a particularly vital component to the bill,” said
Nancy Bernstine, NAHC Executive Director. “HIV/AIDS
disproportionately affects low-income populations.” Some HIV
positive persons who are ill and unable to work survive solely on
Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The national average for SSI in
2006 was $632 per month, meaning that SSI earners must spend 113.1%
of their income to afford a one-bedroom apartment at Fair Market
Rent.
According the National Low Income Housing Coalition,
there is shortage of roughly 2.8 million homes affordable and
available to ELI households. The establishment of a National
Housing Trust Fund would be a major step toward solving the
country’s affordable housing crisis.
Representatives Charles Dent (R-PA), Philip English
(R-PA), Al Green (D-TX), Barbara Lee (D-CA), John McHugh (R-NY),
Chris Murphy (D-CT), Jim Ramstad (R-MN), Rick Renzi (R -AZ), Chris
Shays (R-CT), Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), and Maxine Waters (D-CA) join
Chairman Frank in sponsoring this timely legislation. NAHC applauds
Chairman Frank and the other cosponsors for their leadership and
commitment to making sure every American has a home.
########
Tools for advocates:
June 19, 2007
House Appropriations Cte Postpones THUD Bill Markup
The
full House Appropriations committee has postponed their markup of
the Transportation/HUD appropriations bill until sometime after the
July 4th recess. The markup was originally scheduled for yesterday,
Monday, June 18th.
There is still no word on when the Senate Subcommittee will begin
consideration of the bill.
June 12, 2007
House Approps. Subcommittee Funds HOPWA at $300.1 Million
The
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations
Subcommittee completed their markup of the FY08 funding bill,
passing it by voice vote yesterday. The THUD Subcommittee funded
HOPWA at $300.1 million, a slight increase over the President's
request for the program.
HOPWA is currently funded at $286 million, so this represents almost
a 5% increase over FY07. The bill now must be marked up by the full
House Appropriations Cte (scheduled for the 18th), then the full
House (sometime the week of the 24th), and of course will also need
to be considered by the Senate. Stay tuned for a call-to-action
related to next week's markup.
Linda Couch, Deputy Director of the National Low Income Housing
Coalition (www.nlihc.org)
also composed this short summary of some of the known funding levels
from yesterday's mark up:
-
Section 8 vouchers, $330 million increase above
president's request (within the range of what the Center on
Budget and Policy Priorities estimates is needed to renew all
vouchers)
-
Project-based Section 8, $666 million increase
above president's request (within the range of what's needed for
FY08)
-
Community Development Block Grants, $4.18 billion
(more than a billion more than the president's request and $400
million more than FY07)
-
Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly
and Section 811 Housing for Persons with Disabilities, level
funded with FY07 ($735 million and $237 million, respectively)
-
New vouchers: $30 million for 1,000 new,
incremental vouchers for homeless veterans and 3,000 new,
incremental vouchers for non-elderly disabled individuals
-
HOPE VI, $120 million ($120 million above
president's request and $20 million above FY07)
June 8, 2007
Housing Appropriations Subcommittee
to Markup FY08 Bill Monday
The
House Appropriations subcommittee that handles funding for
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) is scheduled to
markup the FY08 appropriations bill on Monday, June 11 at 3:00 PM.
Although the overall discretionary budget level (which includes HUD)
is set at 6.8% higher than the FY07 level, this does not guarantee
an increase for the HOPWA program. HOPWA is currently funded at $286
million and the President requested $300 million for the program for
FY08. NAHC recommends a funding level of $454 million.
After the THUD subcommittee marks up the bill we will learn what the
Members are suggesting for the program's funding level. The full
Appropriations Cte. is set to review the bill on June 18 and we
anticipate that the full House will consider it sometime the week of
June 25th. Advocates expect that most amendments and changes to the
bill will occur during one of these later meetings.
However, it is still important that members of the THUD subcommittee
hear from HIV/AIDS housing advocates that an increase for the HOPWA
program is essential. If your Representative sits on this
subcommittee (see list below), please call his or her office today
or Monday morning, ask to speak to the staffer that handles housing
appropriations, and tell him or her that you would like to see HOPWA
funded at the highest level possible.
All
House offices can be reached through the capitol switchboard at
202-225-3121.
Please stay tuned for more information and calls-to- action after
the Subcommittee considers the bill. Thank you!
THUD Approps Subcommittee
AL04 Robert Aderholt
AL05 Robert Cramer
AR01 Marion Berry
AZ04 Ed Pastor
CA34 Lucille Roybal-Allard
MA01 John Olver
MI09 Joe Knollenberg
NY25 James Walsh
OH09 Marcy Kaptur
VA05 Virgil Goode, Jr.
VA10 Frank Wolf
June 1, 2007
NAHC Launches International AIDS
Housing Roundtable
The National AIDS Housing
Coalition is pleased to announce the launch of The International
AIDS Housing Roundtable!
The International AIDS Housing
Roundtable (IAHR) is a forum for discussion of issues pertaining to
homelessness and HIV and the provision of appropriate housing for
people living with HIV and AIDS. This roundtable is a project of
the USA-based National AIDS Housing Coalition. The Roundtable is
intended to provide opportunities for international dialogue toward
the development and implementation of public policies that recognize
the critical role of housing both in the prevention of HIV
transmission and in the care of people who are living with HIV and
AIDS.
The IAHR consists of a moderated
listserv and other distance communication methods, including
sponsored conference calls.
To learn more and to get involved,
please visit the IAHR website at
www.nationalaidshousing.org/IAHR.htm.
May 22, 2007
House Passes GSE Bill (H.R. 1427)
Today,
the House passed H.R. 1427 by a vote of 313 to 104. The bill was
designed to regulate Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the GSEs) and also
contains language that would shift a percentage of GSE profits into
an Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) expected to raise $500 - $600
million a year.
Despite a number of attempts, both in committee and on the floor
today, to remove or weaken the Fund, the language remained. During
the first year of the Fund, money would be used for housing for
victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
The
bill also contained a major victory for housing advocates, language
directing that AHF money would be shifted into a National Housing
Trust Fund when one is established. This makes the GSE AHF the first
source of dedicated funding reserved for this larger trust fund,
which proponents are hoping will be used to construct or
rehabilitate 1.5 million units of affordable housing. Trust Fund
legislation will hopefully be introduced sometime this summer.
H.R.
1427 now must face the Senate and approval from the administration
before becoming law. Experts wonder if changes made last week, which
weakened the power of the new GSE regulator, may make the bill less
likely to pass these hurdles.
Click here to find out how your Rep. voted on H.R. 1427.
May 17, 2007
NAHC Offering a Limited Number of
Scholarships to HIV/AIDS Housing Consumers to Attend NAEH Conference
and HOPWA Lobby Visits in DC
NAHC is pleased to offer a limited number of full and
partial scholarships for attendance to the upcoming National
Alliance to End Homelessness conference, "Ending Homelessness: The
Time is Now!" on July 9-11, 2007. Scholarship recipients will
participate in NAHC’s AIDS Housing Training Institute (at the
conference) and to make visits on Capitol Hill to educate
Congressional staff about the need for HIV/AIDS housing. NAHC is
looking for HIV/AIDS housing consumers/residents who
are hoping learn more about federal HIV/AIDS housing policy, share
their experiences, and become more active in advocacy activities.
You can find more information about the NAEH conference
content and agenda at
http://www.endhomelessness.org/section/tools/conference/2007annual.
Scholarships MAY include air or train fare, conference fees,
and room and board. Applications must be received by
June 8, 2007 to be considered.
Click here to
download the application.
The National Alliance to End
Homelessness is also offering their own scholarships for attendance
to this conference. Please
click here for more information.
May 17, 2007
Alert on GSE Bill (H.R. 1427): Calls
Needed Immediately to Stop Amendments to Strike Money Set Aside for
Affordable Housing
Please see the below alert from the National Low Income Housing
Coalition:
The House will vote on amendments to H.R. 1427, the Federal Housing
Finance Reform Act of 2007 today and tomorrow, May 17 and 18. The
bill establishes an Affordable Housing Fund and then, once a
National Housing Trust Fund is established, funnels AHF monies into
the NHTF. The NHTF will rely on several sources of dedicated
funding. The bill would generate about $600 million a year for a new
National Housing Trust Fund, an incredibly important achievement for
the affordable housing community.
Several amendments have been filed to weaken or altogether do away
with the Affordable Housing Fund in H.R. 1427. All of these
amendments will be voted on between May 17 and 18 by the entire
House of Representatives. The most serious anti-Affordable Housing
Fund amendments are listed below. In particular the amendment that
was accepted in 2005 that limits funds to those whose primary
purpose is to provide affordable housing and has not engaged in
voter registration and other non-partisan voting activates is on the
list.
Please contact the moderate Rs (list below) that we have been
focusing on to vote for H.R. 1427, but to oppose the following
amendments:
Amendment #1, offered by Representative Neugebauer (R-TX). This
amendment would cap the amount that could go into the Affordable
Housing Fund annually at $520 million.
Amendment #16, offered by Representative Feeney (R- FL). This
amendment would provide that, after 2007, all Affordable Housing
Fund money would be used to fund HUD's voucher program. The
amendment also strikes language for the Fund regarding deep income
targeting.
Amendment #25, offered by Representative Doolittle (R-CA). This
amendment raids the Affordable Housing Fund by allowing it to be
used for public infrastructure, public safety, law enforcement and
other uses, even if these uses are not connected to housing
development.
Amendment #28 by Representative Hensarling (R- TX). This amendment
would establish anti- democratic, anti-nonprofit protocols with
regard to which organizations can use Affordable Housing Fund
resources. This is the language that the very conservative
Republican Study Committee championed in 2005 that requires grantees
to have as their primary purpose housing development, prohibits
resources to nonprofits that have engaged in (or will engage in)
voter registration, education or mobilization work and includes
language casting a very wide net on the groups these restrictions
impacts.
Amendment #30 by Representative Hensarling (R- TX). This amendment
would delete the bill's mechanism to transfer Affordable Housing
Fund resources into a National Housing Trust Fund.
All
of these amendments should be opposed! Please call Bonnie at NLIHC
at 202-662-1530, ext 242 (or email at bonnie@nlihc.org) with
questions.
Moderate Rs to Target for GSE bill (all can be reached through the
Capitol Switchboard at 202-225- 3121)
The GSE bill, H.R. 1427 is scheduled for floor action in the House
on May 17 and 18. Below is a list of the R cosponsors of trust fund
legislation in the last Congresses, and other moderate Rs that
should be called to support the GSE bill on the floor. They should
be asked to vote NO on the anti-Affordable Housing Fund Amendments.
Chris Smith, NH; Jim Ramstad, MN; Joanne Emerson,MO; Fred Upton,MI;
Phil English,PA; Todd Platts,PA; Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, FL; Chris
Shays,CT; John McHugh,NY; Chip Pickering,MS; Tom Davis-VA; Shelly
Moore Capito,WV; Ray LaHood, IL; Jim Walsh,NY; Charlie Dent,PA; Jim
Gerlach,PA; Steve LaTourette; Richard Baker; Deborah Pryce; Mike
Castle; Peter King; Rick Renzi; Paul Gilmore; Chris Smith; Geoff
Davis
May 15, 2007
GSE Bill To Be Considered by House
This Week: Contact Your Representative Right Away to Request His or
Her Support
Thanks to everyone
who worked so hard to get their Senators and Representative to sign
on to the HOPWA letter. NAHC is now requesting assistance with
an important
legislative issue that requires action from HIV/AIDS housing
advocates. The GSE bill, designed to regulate Government Sponsored
Enterprises, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, includes language mandating
that a portion of their portfolio be set aside for an "Affordable
Housing Fund" (hopefully, later to be moved into a "National Housing
Trust Fund"). This bill is expected to be considered by the full
House on May 17 and 18. Please read the below Call to Action from
the National Low Income Housing Coalition for further information:
Call Your Representative TODAY: Important National Housing Trust
Fund Vote on May 17-18
Support H.R. 1427, GSE Regulatory Reform Legislation, which includes
money for an affordable housing trust fund. Call Your Representative
Today!
The
House is expected to take up H.R. 1427 on May 17 and 18. The bill
contains a provision to reserve $500,000,000 a year from Fannie Mae
and Freddie Mac as a dedicated source of funding for the National
Housing Trust Fund.
Call
Your Representative and urge him/her to
-Vote YES on H.R. 1427.
-Vote NO on any amendment to strike the Affordable Housing Fund.
-Vote NO on an amendment to strike the language that reserves the
funds in the Affordable Housing Fund for the National Housing Trust
Fund.
-Vote NO on a "motion to recommit" that would send the bill back to
the Committee.
Please use this toll free number, 877-210-5351, for the
congressional switchboard and ask to be connected to the housing
staffer for your Representative.
Please email us at
outreach@nlihc.org to let us know the outcome of your call. And
thank you for your support! For more information on the National
Housing Trust Fund
click here.
May 9, 2007
Senate FY08 HOPWA Letter
Garners Thirty-Seven Signatures
Amazing advocacy by HIV/AIDS housing
advocates from across the country has resulted in the most
signatures ever on a tri-partisan Senate letter to the Appropriators
in support of HOPWA funding. In the letter, led by Senators
Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Gordon Smith (R-OR), thirty-seven Senators
from every region of the country sent a strong message to
Appropriators supporting adequate resources for HOPWA and
acknowledging the program's importance in meeting the housing needs
of people with HIV/AIDS in communities nationwide. In eleven
states -- HI, IL, MA, MD, ME, MN, MT, OR, NY, RI and VT -- both
members of the Senate delegation signed on. Kudos to HIV/AIDS
housing advocates!!!
May 4, 2007
Senate FY08 HOPWA Letter Update: Date for
Signatures extended to May 8th
Thanks
again to the terrific outreach by HIV/AIDS Housing advocates from
across the country, 35 Senators have signed on to the FY08 Senate
letter requesting $454 million for HOPWA, matching the highest
number of signatures on any HOPWA Senate appropriations letter ever!
The letter will now remain open for signatures until May 8th.
Please visit our
web page on the letter to
determine if your Senators have signed on, and if not, call his or
her office today.
April 26, 2007
Senate HOPWA Letter Update: Letter
Closes May 4th
Great
work HIV/AIDS Housing advocates! So far, 15 Senators from all over
the country have signed on to a Senate letter asking for an increase
in funding for the HOPWA program. (Kudos especially to Hawaii, New
York, and Massachusetts for getting both of their Senators to sign
on!)
The letter will now stay open until May 4th; please continue working to get your Senators to
sign on! If you made a call and you still don't see your Senators'
names on the list of signers, please consider making an additional
follow up call. If you have yet to make a call, please take a few
minutes to do so today.
Please visit our
web page on the letter to view:
-
instructions on how to call your Senators'
offices;
-
a current list of signers;
-
a copy of the letter itself.
Thank you to everyone who has been working tirelessly this week to
make sure HOPWA is funded at the highest level possible. Your
communication with Senate offices is making a difference!
April 20, 2007
An Advocate's Work is Never Done:
Senate HOPWA Letter Released!
HIV/AIDS housing advocates continue
today on their quest to secure the highest appropriation in history
for the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Program (HOPWA).
While the House HOPWA appropriations request letter winds to a
close, Senators Durbin (D-IL) and Smith (R-OR) release their own
HOPWA request letter which has began circulating on the Senate side
of Capitol Hill!
The House letter, which closes TODAY,
still needs attention; so be sure to make a last ditch effort to get
your Representative to sign on. There are currently 85 members
signed on!
Click here for a list of signers and more information on the
letter.
Meanwhile, on the Senate side of the
Hill... Senators Durbin and Smith's letter has begun to
make the rounds and already has two additional signers as it leave
the gates: Senator Clinton (D-NY) and Lieberman (I-CT). The
letter is set to close next Friday, April 27th, so there is
much work to be done in little time. Last year, 35
Senators--including Democrats, Republicans, and an
Independent--signed on to request an increase for HOPWA. This
year, NAHC is hoping for even greater support.
Like the House letter, the Senators are
requesting NAHC's recommended level: $168 million more for HOPWA,
for a total of $454 million in FY08.
Remember, these request letters are the
best way to signal to Appropriators that HOPWA is major priority for
many of their colleagues and that they would like it funded
appropriately. Please call your Senators right away to request
that they sign on to this important letter!
Click here to
visit NAHC's web page on the letter to view:
-
An up-to-date list of signers;
-
Instructions on how to call;
-
And PDFs of the HOPWA letter and the
"Dear Colleague" from Senators Durbin and Smith.
Ready...set...GO advocate for HIV/AIDS
housing!
April 12, 2007
House HOPWA Request Letter Closes
This Friday
The
clock is winding down on the House HOPWA appropriations request
letter; the last day to sign on is this Friday, April 20th!
We
currently have 70 signers, but are looking for even more support to
demonstrate to the Appropriators that HOPWA is an important priority
for Members and it should be funded appropriately.
Here
are the current signers as of this afternoon (our
letter web page is constantly updated with new signers):
Abercrombie, Neil (1st HI); Ackerman, Gary (5th NY); Allen, Tom (1st
ME); Baldwin, Tammy (2nd WI); Berkley, Shelley (1st NV); Berman,
Howard (28th CA); Blumenauer, Earl (3rd OR); Brown, Corinne (3rd
FL); Capps, Louis (23rd CA); Capuano, Michael (8th MA); Clarke,
Yvette (11th NY); Clay, Wm. Lacy (1st MO); Cleaver, Emanuel (5th
MO); Conyers, John (14th MI); Courtney, Joe (2nd CT); Crowley,
Joseph* (7th NY); Cummings, Elijah (7th MD); Davis, Danny K. (7th
IL); Davis, Susan (53rd CA); DeGette, Diane (1st CO); Delahunt,
William (10th MA); DeLauro, Rosa (3rd CT); Dingell, John (15th PA);
Doyle, Mike (14th PA); Ellison, Keith (5th MN); Engel, Eliot (17th
NY); Farr, Sam (17th CA); Fattah, Chaka (2nd PA); Frank, Barney (4th
MA); Green, Al (9th TX); Green, Gene (29th TX); Grijalva, Raúl (7th
AZ); Hinojosa, Rubén (15th TX); Hirono, Mazie (2nd HI); Holt, Rush
(12th NJ); Johnson, Eddie Bernice (30th TX); Kildee, Dale E. (5th
MI); Langevin, James (2nd RI); Larson, John (1st CT); Lewis, John
(5th GA); Lofgren, Zoe (16th CA); Maloney, Carolyn (14th NY);
Markey, Edward J. (7th MA); Matsui, Doris (5th CA); McCarthy,
Carolyn (4th NY); McDermott, Jim (7th WA); McGovern, James (3rd MA);
McNulty, Mike (21st NY); Michaud, Michael (2nd ME); Miller, George
(7th CA); Moore, Gwen (4th WI); Murphy, Chris* (5th CT); Nadler,
Jerrold* (8th NY); Norton, Eleanor Holmes (DC); Pallone, Frank (6th
NJ); Payne, Donald (10th NJ); Rangel, Charles (15th NY); Reyes,
Silvestre (16th TX); Rush, Bobby (1st IL); Schakowsky, Janice (9th
IL); Slaughter, Louise McIntosh (28th NY); Sutton, Betty (13th OH);
Tauscher, Ellen (10th CA); Towns, Edolphus (10th NY); Van Hollen,
Chris (8th MD); Velázquez, Nydia (12th NY); Waters, Maxine (35th
CA); Waxman, Henry (30th CA); Weiner, Anthony (9th NY); Wexler,
Robert (19th FL)
Here
are members who signed onto an appropriation's request letter for
HOPWA last year and have yet to sign on this year's. If your Rep. is
on this list, make sure to call and remind them that they signed
onto a HOPWA letter regarding FY07.
Russ
Carnahan - MO; Julia Carson - IN; Ed Case - HI; Jerry Costello - IL;
Christensen - VI; Artur Davis - AL; Norm Dicks - WA; Lloyd Doggett -
TX; Phil English - PA; Luis Gutierrez - IL; Jane Harman - CA; Mike
Honda- CA; Jay Inslee- WA; Steve Israel- NY; William Jefferson-LA;
Ron Kind-WI; Dennis Kucinich-OH; Barbara Lee-CA; Dan Lipinski -IL;
Steven Lynch - MA; Marty Meehan - MA; Meek - FL; Meeks-NY;
Millender-Macdonald - CA; Miller - NC; Napolitano - CA; Pascrell
-NJ; Petersen - MN; Price- NC; Ros-Lehtinen- FL; Roybal-Allard-CA;
Schiff-CA; Smith, Adam- WA; Solis - CA; Stark - CA; Strickland -OH;
Tierney- MA; Tubbs-Jones-OH; Udall-CO; Udall-NM; Watson-CA; Watt-NC;
Woolsey-CA
Click here to visit our web page on the letter which has:
-
instructions on how to call your Rep. to request
that he or she sign on;
-
links to the letter itself and the Dear
Colleague;
-
and an up-to-date list of signers.
Please share this email with your colleagues and networks; the more
phone calls to Capitol Hill about this letter, the better! Thank
you.
April 12, 2007
List of House Members in Support of
HOPWA Funding Increases Gets Longer...
Be sure to check our page on the House
HOPWA approps. request letter for the most current list of signers:
http://www.nationalaidshousing.org/HouseHOPWALetter08.htm.
April 4, 2007
HOPWA Approps. Request Letter to Stay
Open Until April 20--Call Your Rep.!
Representatives Nadler, Crowley, and Chris Murphy have extended the
deadline for signing on to their programmatic request letter which
asks for $454 million for HOPWA in FY08. Additional signatures for
the letter will be collected through April 20, 2007.
Thanks to calls from HIV/AIDS housing advocates like you, more than
40 members of Congress have now signed on to the letter. Often, all
it takes is a quick phone call from a constituent to get a Member to
sign on to a programmatic request letter. If your Member does not
appear on the list below, please call his or her office right away.
Tools:
Here
is the current list of signers (as off 2:30 PM, 4/4/07):
Abercrombie, Neil (1st HI); Allen, Tom (1st ME); Baldwin, Tammy (2nd
WI); Berman, Howard (28th CA); Brown, Corinne (3rd FL); Capps, Louis
(23rd CA); Cleaver, Emanuel (5th MO); Conyers, John (14th MI);
Courtney, Joe (2nd CT); Crowley, Joseph* (7th NY); Davis, Danny K.
(7th IL); DeLauro, Rosa (3rd CT); Dingell, John (15th MI); Doyle,
Mike (14th PA); Engel, Eliot (17th NY); Farr, Sam (17th CA); Frank,
Barney (4th MA); Grijalva, Raúl (7th AZ); Green, Al (9th TX);
Hinojosa, Rubén (15th TX); Hirono, Mazie (2nd HI); Holt, Rush (12th
NJ); Johnson, Eddie Bernice (30th TX); Larson, Jim (1st CT); Lewis,
John (5th GA); Markey, Edward J. (7th MA); Matsui, Doris (5th CA);
McCarthy, Carolyn (4th NY); McDermott, Jim (7th WA); McNulty, Mike
(21st NY); Michaud, Michael (2nd ME); Moore, Gwen (4th WI); Murphy,
Chris* (5th CT); Nadler, Jerrold* (8th NY); Reyes, Silvestre (16th
TX); Rush, Bobby (1st IL); Schakowsky, Janice (9th IL); Van Hollen,
Chris (8th MD); Velázquez, Nydia (12th NY); Waxman, Henry (30th CA);
Weiner, Anthony (9th NY)
*letter sponsor
March 29, 2007
House Financial Services Cte Passes
GSE Reform Bill--With Affordable Housing Fund!
This
afternoon, the House Financial Services Cte. overwhelmingly passed
H.R. 1427, the Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2007 or the "GSE"
reform bill. A go-ahead from the cte. on this legislation turned out
to be a tremendous victory for affordable housing advocates in two
important ways:
1.
The bill passed with the inclusion of an Affordable Housing Fund
(see NAHC's
spring newsletter for more details)! There were amendments
offered to remove the fund from the bill or redirect the money, but
they were defeated.
This
fund creates a dedicated source of funding for preservation, rehab,
and production of affordable housing targeted to very low- and
extremely low- income families. The amount going into the fund will
be based on the size of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s portfolios (not
based on profits); it is anticipated that the fund will generate
roughly $500 million per year. The fund is sun-setted after 5 years.
During the first year of the fund, all money will go to the Gulf
Coast region to assist with hurricane recovery.
2.
The Chair of the Committee, Rep. Barney Frank (D- 4th MA), offered a
surprise amendment (#033) which was adopted. This amendment marks
the money from the Affordable Housing Fund for transfer to a
“housing trust fund” when one is established! Essentially the
amendment designates the first source of dedicated funding for a
National Housing Trust Fund and gets the possibility of a Trust Fund
on the books. We expect that a bill to establish a Trust Fund may be
dropped soon.
Click here to view Mr. Frank's amendment.
The
bill still faces passage in the Senate and the full House.
March 27, 2007
NAHC Spring E-Newsletter
Click
here to view the spring e-newsletter from NAHC. Want to
receive it directly in your inbox? Enter your email address in the
"Join Our Email List" box above.
Table of Contents:
-
House HOPWA Programmatic Request
Letter Deadline Extended
-
FY08 HOPWA Need Paper Released
-
Senate HOPWA Letter to Be Circulated
Soon
-
HIV/AIDS Housing Congressional Staff
Briefing
-
Katrina Relief Bill Passes House
-
GSE Bill Contains an Affordable
Housing Fund
-
Second Chance Act Update
March 27, 2007
House HOPWA Programmatic Request
Letter Deadline Extended
The House letter requesting an increase
in HOPWA funding (see March 26 update) will remain open through next
week! Please continue to call your Representatives' offices.
Click here for instructions and
an up-to-date list of signers.
March 26, 2007
Call Your Representative Right Away
to Request Support for HOPWA: Letter closes this Wednesday!
Today,
Representatives Nadler (D-NY), Crowley (D-NY) and Murphy (D-CT)
released a programmatic sign-on letter (see below) to the Chair and
Ranking Member of the House HUD Appropriations Subcommittee
requesting NAHC’s recommended funding level for the Housing
Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) program for FY2008 --
$454 million. The President included $300 million for HOPWA in his
FY08 budget request – a welcome increase over the FY07 appropriated
level of $286 million, but -- far below the amount required to meet
actual need.
Here
is the challenge: Sign-ons from members of Congress are urgently
needed. The deadline for him or her to sign on to this critical
letter is Wednesday, March 28, 2007. Immediate action is needed
from AIDS housing providers, consumers and advocates to urge
your member of Congress to sign on to the letter.
Follow these easy steps to request that your Representative sign on:
-
Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 225-3121
and ask to be transferred to your Representative's office.
(Don't know who your Rep. is? Visit
www.house.gov to find out.)
-
Ask to speak to the person on your
Representative's staff that handles housing funding issues.
-
Tell the staffer that you are a constituent and
that you urge the Representative to sign on to Representatives
Nadler, Crowley and Chris Murphy’s letter to the Appropriators
asking for $454 million dollars for the HOPWA program in FY08.
He or she can sign on by contacting Jillian Youngblood of Rep.
Nadler's staff.
Tools:
March 20, 2007
Comparison of 2006 and 2007 HOPWA
Formula Allocations
HUD's website now lists the amount of
CPD formula allocations for FY2007, including those for the HOPWA
program. NAHC member Robert Shiau, HOPWA administrator for the
NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, has prepared a
comparison of 2006 and 2007 allocations by eligible area, including
percent change.
Click here
to download the comparison as an Excel spreadsheet.
Thanks Robert!
March 19, 2007
Call on Congress to Pass the Gulf
Coast Hurricane Recovery Act of 2007
Please
see the below call-to-action from the National Low Income Housing
Coalition regarding this important legislation:
Get
Needed Resources to the Gulf Coast and Help Displaced Low Income
People:
Urge Support of HR 1227
One
and a half years after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, a severe housing
crisis exists in the Gulf Coast states. At least 60,000 pre-disaster
low income renters remain displaced.
On
Tuesday, March 20th, the House of Representatives will vote on H.R.
1227, the Gulf Coast Hurricane Housing Recovery Act of 2007. Your
representative needs to know that you have not forgotten the victims
of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and that you want Congress to do more
to help them.
For
a detailed analysis of H.R. 1227, go to
http://www.nlihc.org/detail/arti cle.cfm?article_id=3963&id=61
CALL
TODAY using this toll free number, 877-210- 5351. Urge your
Representative to vote for H.R. 1227, including the Green Amendments
and the Manager's Amendment, when the bill comes to the floor on
Tuesday.
Take Action.
March 15, 2007
HUD Releases FY2007 SuperNOFA
Yesterday, March 13, 2007, HUD released their FY2007 SuperNOFA
making available funding for a variety of grant programs, including
HOPWA. The HOPWA competitive grants will total $28,463,000.
Applications for these grants are due by May 31, 2007. HOPWA
Technical Assistance grants are due by May 25, 2007 and total
$900,000. Almost all applications must be completed online this year
and HUD encourages applicants to begin the process as early as
possible.
From
HUD's Press Release:
HUD
ANNOUNCES $2.4 BILLION AVAILABLE THROUGH 38 GRANT PROGRAMS
Applicants strongly encouraged to update their registration to avoid
a last minute crush
WASHINGTON - The Department of Housing and Urban Development today
published HUD's Fiscal Year 2007 "SuperNOFA," a notice that makes
available approximately $2.4 billion in funding through 38
individual grant programs (see attached list). In launching this
year's grant application season, HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson
strongly encouraged prospective applicants to read the general and
program-specific sections of their funding notices thoroughly and to
follow the registration information available in HUD's step-by-step
registration guide.
Click here to read the rest of the press release and find links
to further SuperNOFA information.
February 27, 2007
HRSA Delays Implementation of Housing
Policy Amendmen