ACTION ALERT: Housing at Risk of Being Cut from Infrastructure Legislation
Negotiations between a divided Democratic party are threatening to undermine the hard work NAHRO and its members have done to ensure housing is included in infrastructure legislation. The Washington Post reported today that these critical housing investments “may prove among the first to hit the cutting room floor.” Your voice is urgently needed right now to tell your members of Congress and the White House that this is unacceptable.
The $3.5 trillion Build Back Better Act is stuck in the House of Representatives as leadership tries to gather votes for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework (BIF), which is a related piece of President Biden’s “Build Back Better Agenda.” The Build Back Better Act is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to preserve and create affordable housing that currently includes $80 billion for public housing, $75 billion for Housing Choice Vouchers, $40+ billion for HOME and CDBG, and billions more for other essential programs. These essential housing infrastructure investments are at risk of being cut from negotiations entirely. We cannot let this happen! We must tell Congress and the White House not to miss this opportunity to help the lives of millions of Americans.
Visit NAHRO’s Advocacy Action Center to send a pre-drafted letter in support of housing is infrastructure. To make your letter more powerful, add personalized stories about what the funding would mean to you, your residents, and your community. Together, our advocacy can help bring this bill across the finish line. Help us send 5,000 letters this week to Congress and the White House.
The NAHRO team will continue to provide real-time updates on where negotiations stand in the coming days, with detailed information provided during the 2021 NAHRO Online National Conference and Exhibition next week. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to hear from NAHRO experts and affordable housing industry thought leaders at this historic time. Join hundreds of fellow affordable housing and community development professionals from across the country at the 2021 NAHRO Online National Conference and Exhibition – click here to register!