rich 1.0 Action Network https://actionnetwork.org <link href='https://actionnetwork.org/css/style-embed-v3.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' /><script src='https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v6/letter/tell-congress-to-invest-in-housing-programs?format=js&source=widget'></script><div id='can-letter-area-tell-congress-to-invest-in-housing-programs' style='width: 100%'><!-- this div is the target for our HTML insertion --></div> CHN Action https://actionnetwork.org/groups/coalition-on-human-needs https://actionnetwork.org//images/generic_facebook.jpg There is a shortage of 7.3 million affordable rental homes available to renters with extremely low incomes—not a single state has an adequate supply of affordable rental housing for them. A report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) revealed that homelessness increased by 12%, or 70,650 more people, in 2023—a record high. On a single night in January of 2023, 653,100 people—20 out of every 10,000 people in the U.S.—were experiencing homelessness. As Congress is negotiating appropriations bills for FY2025, we’re urging them to increase housing to meet this drastic need. We cannot ignore the fact that lack of access to affordable housing disproportionately impacts people with disabilities, communities of color, seniors, LGBTQIA people, and people with low incomes. Limited funding endangers survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault as demand for services skyrockets—leading to over 180,000 domestic violence survivors a year being unable to access emergency shelter and one-third of rape crisis centers having substantial waiting lists. Without stable housing, people have difficulty accessing stable employment, education, and reliable health care. The effects can be felt for generations. We are strongly urging Congress for an allocation that addresses the gaps created from years of underfunding these essential programs by including these priorities in FY2025 funding bills: Full funding to renew all existing contracts for the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, and funding to expand assistance to at least 20,000 more households $6.2 billion for public housing operations and $5.1 billion for public housing capital needs $4.7 billion for HUD's Homeless Assistance Grants (HAG) program Increased funding for the Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP), the Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP), and especially to increase staffing at HUD’s Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity (FHEO)—particularly important for victims of domestic violence $100 million for the Eviction Protection Grant Program (EPGP) At least $1.3 billion for Tribal housing programs, plus $150 million for competitive funds targeted to tribes with the greatest needs $800 million for the McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) program, administered by the U.S. Department of Education $304 million for the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) program, administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Click “START WRITING” to send a letter to Congress urging them to invest in critical housing programs now. https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-congress-to-invest-in-housing-programs