Webinar Nov. 16th on FY18 Budget Outlook and Impact of Tax Reform on Affordable Housing Programs

NLIHC and other leaders of the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF) invite you to join advocates from across the country to learn about the current status and outlook for the FY18 budget process and the potential impact tax reform could have on affordable housing and community development programs.

Click Here to Register for the Webinar!

Panelists will also discuss how advocates can effectively communicate with policymakers and the public about the need for increased federal investments in proven affordable housing and community development programs.   The webinar will be held on November 16, 2017 at 2:30 pm ET. Elayne Weiss, NLIHC senior policy analyst, will moderate the event. Speakers include: Doug Rice, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Linda Couch, LeadingAge Emily Cadik, Enterprise Community Partners Joey Lindstrom, NLIHC With more households struggling to make ends meet, we cannot afford funding cuts to the very programs that sustain our communities and help families thrive. Source: National Low Income Housing Coalition

Register Today!

Join NLIHC Today

2018 Housing Policy Forum: Building the Movement, National Low Income Housing Coalition - March 19-21 - RSVP

Oct 2017 - Register for NLIHC’s 2018 Housing Policy Forum: Building the Movement. The Forum, taking place in Washington, DC, March 19-21, 2018, will provide opportunities to engage with affordable housing advocates, thought-leaders, policy experts, researchers, housing providers, low income residents, and leaders from Capitol Hill and the administration about building the affordable housing movement in 2018 and beyond.

The Policy Forum will explore the state of fair housing on the fiftieth anniversary of the Fair Housing Act; threats and opportunities for affordable housing in 2018 and beyond; the keys to resident-led organizing; successful state and local organizing; making housing an issue with the media; and effective story-telling for affordable housing.  The forum will also feature sessions on a national campaign to expand the affordable housing movement with non-traditional allies; non-partisan voter registration, engagement and mobilization prior to the 2018 elections; getting candidates for public office to address affordable housing in their campaigns; using dynamic research to change the story and influence policy solutions; housing the formerly incarcerated; and others. There will also be opportunities to engage with leaders and staff at HUD and in Congress on affordable housing challenges, solutions and priorities.

The 2018 Housing Leadership Award honorees, Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), Matt Desmond, and Lisa Hasegawa, will be recognized for their contributions to affordable housing at NLIHC’s annual Housing Leadership Reception on the evening of March 20.

The NLIHC 2017 Housing Policy Forum and Leadership Reception will take place at the Washington Court Hotel in Washington DC.  Register for the Forum at: http://bit.ly/2yjjTZK

A limited number of shared-lodging hotel scholarships will be awarded on a first-come-first-served basis to low income residents who are NLIHC members and who pay their own Forum registration fee (“self-pay participants”). Scholarships will be awarded to ensure a broad geographic distribution. To apply for a scholarship, send an email expressing interest to: jsaucedo@nlihc.org 

source: press release

Twitter Storm on June 7th - Tell Secretary Ben Carson and Congress that Pres. Trump’s Budget is UNACCEPTABLE

The Coalition on Human Needs, and National Low Income Housing Coalition are coordinating a Twitter Storm during Ben Carson Hearing on June 7, 2017 at 2:30 pm (ET).

From Our Friends at the National Low Income Housing Coalition

Tell Secretary Carson and Congress that President Trump’s Budget is unacceptable.  

 

HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson will testify before the Senate Appropriations Transportation and HUD (THUD) Subcommittee on June 7 at 2:30 pm ET on the administration’s FY18 budget. The president’s budget proposes to slash federal investments in affordable housing at HUD by 15%, or $7.4 billion, compared to FY17.

The proposed cuts would mean more than 250,000 people could lose their housing vouchers. It would also impose punitive measures that would jeopardize family stability – increasing the financial burdens they face through higher rents and ending support to help cover the cost of basic utilities, like water and heat. The proposed budget would slash funding for public housing and many other vital programs and eliminate funding for the national Housing Trust Fund, the HOME Investment Partnerships program, and the Community Development Block Grants program.

Twitter Storm Tomorrow at 2:30pm ET

Please join the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding to tell Secretary Carson and Congress that President Trump’s budget is unacceptable, during a Twitter storm tomorrow, June 7 at 2:30 pm ET.

Sample Tweets:

• #TrumpBudget puts struggling families under more financial strain by ^ rents to 35% of their gross income (avg is $12K/yr)
•  #TrumpBudget takes hsg assistance away from 250K families, putting them at immediate risk of eviction &homelessness. #CutsHurt
• #TrumpBudget cuts resources to keep public housing developments up and running by 2/3rds. #CutsHurt
• Tell Congress to lift the unfair budget caps for a stronger and more prosperous America. #CutsHurt
•  #CutsHurt the most vulnerable in our communities: low income seniors, veterans, ppl with disabilities, those who are  homeless.
• Families thrive bc of housing & community development investments at HUD and USDA. Now is not the time to cut funding #CutsHurt
• Congress must lift spending caps & increase $$ to protect #affordablehousing for low income families and communities. #CutsHurt
• We should not balance the budget on the backs of low income families struggling to get by. #CutsHurt
• America is stronger and prosperous when we have decent, affordable homes & stable communities. #CutsHurt
• Families thrive bc of housing & community development investments at HUD and USDA. #CutsHurt
• With an affordable home, families can climb the economic ladder and kids do better in school. #CutsHurt
• Affordable housing is linked to better health. Cuts will only make our communities less healthy. #CutsHurt
• Learn more about why housing matters to health, education, and economic mobility http://bit.ly/2ljnEed
• HUD investments led to half a million jobs in 2015, on top of providing homes to 5 million families. http://bit.ly/2ljnEed
• Thanks to HUD, 5 million families have a place to call home. http://bit.ly/2ljnEed
•  Find out the economic impact of federal investments in affordable housing in your state. http://bit.ly/2ljnEe

Important Twitter Handles

Secretary Ben Carson: @SecretaryCarson

Senator Susan Collins: @SenatorCollins

Senator Jack Reed: @SenJackReed

Senator Richard Shelby: @SenShelby

Senator Lamar Alexander: @SenAlexander

Senator Roy Blunt: @RoyBlunt

Senator John Boozman: @JohnBoozman

Senator Shelly Moore Capito

Senator Steve Daines: @SteveDaines

Senator Lindsey Graham: @LindseyGrahamSC   

Senator John Hoeven: @SenJohnHoeven

Senator Patty Murray: @PattyMurray

Senator Richard Durbin: @SenatorDurbin

Senator Dianne Feinstein: @SenFeinstein

Senator Chris Coons: @ChrisCoons

Senator Brian Schatz: @brianschatz

Senator Chris Murphy: @ChrisMurphyCT

Senator Joe Manchin: @Sen_JoeManchin

# # #

source : Coalition on Human Needs

Webinar May 19th: How to Stop President Trump's Proposed Cuts to Affordable Housing

In his blueprint for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018, President Trump proposed to slash federal investments in affordable housing and community development by 15%, putting more than 200,000 families at immediate risk of eviction and homelessness and starving local communities of the resources they need to thrive. Later this month, the Trump administration is expected to release more details.

National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) and other leaders of the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF) invite you to learn how to effectively communicate with policymakers and the public about the impact of President Trump's budget cuts on families and communities.

WHEN: May 19, 2017 - 3:00 PM (ET)

REGISTER: CLICK HERE

Speakers include:

• Rebecca Vallas, Center for American Progress  
• Jeremy Slevin, Center for American Progress
• Tiffany Manuel, Ph.D.,Enterprise Community Partners
• Amy Clark, National Housing Conference
• Elayne Weiss, National Low Income Housing Coalition

Take action now:

1. Organizations and local governments can sign onto a national letter calling on Congress to lift the caps on federal spending for FY18 equally for defense and non-defense programs and ensure that affordable housing and community development programs receive the highest level of funding possible.  
2. Individuals can email members of Congress and urge them to protect critical resources for affordable housing. Email Congress! 
3. Everyone can share CHCDF's new A Place to Call Home report and more than 100 success stories with their members of Congress. A Place to Call Home brings together the latest research on how affordable housing boosts economic mobility, reduces poverty and homelessness, improves health outcomes, and strengthens the economy.

For more on the National Low Income Housing Coalition, visit: nlihc.org/

Ability Chicago Info is a member of the National Low Income Housing Coalition!

National Call-In Day TODAY April 26, 2017 - TELL CONGRESS TO FUND & PROTECT AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Take Action! Join Today's National Call-In Day

Tell your members of Congress to pass final spending bills for FY 2017 before the Friday, April 28 deadline and to protect affordable housing investments. 

NLIHC and the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding are holding a national call-in day TODAY to urge members of Congress to pass final spending bills for fiscal year 2017 before the Friday, April 28 deadline and to protect affordable housing investments. Unless Congress extends the deadline or passes full spending bills, the federal government will shut down and vital investments in affordable housing and community development will be put at risk.

Call the congressional switchboard toll free at 202-224-3121 or click below.

 Call Congress! 

Sample Script:

Please work with your colleagues to pass a final spending bill for fiscal year 2017 that protects affordable housing investments at HUD and USDA. These resources keep roofs over the heads of low income families, seniors, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable people. Funding affordable housing is a smart investment because such housing leads to better health and education outcomes and boosts economic mobility and the local economy. Our communities are stronger because of HUD and USDA. Please do not put these resources at risk by failing to pass full-year spending bills by the April 28 deadline.

 Call Congress! 

The National Low Income Housing Coalition is dedicated solely to achieving socially just public policy that assures people with the lowest incomes in the United States have affordable and decent homes. Learn more »

Ability Chicago Info is a proud member & supporter of the National Low Income Housing Coalition

and Housing Action Illinois.

National Low Income Housing Coalition 2017 Advocates Guide is Available

Every year, the National Low Income Housing Coalition publishes the Advocates’ Guide to Housing and Community Development Policy to educate advocates of all kinds about the programs and policies that make housing affordable to low income people across America. Whether you are a new employee at a housing agency, a student in an urban planning program, or a seasoned affordable housing advocate looking for a refresher on key programs, this book will give you the overview of housing programs and advocacy tools you need to be a leader in the affordable housing movement.

 Click Here To Download a PDF of the 2017 Advocates' Guide

To USE: If you would like to print the guide, you will have better results if you save the pdfs to your desktop, open the pdf in Acrobat Reader, and print from Acrobat. To download Acrobat Reader, click here: https://get.adobe.com/reader/

To purchase a copy, please visit http://nlihc.org/library/publications-order.

For more on the National Low Income Housing Coalition, visit: http://nlihc.org/

Webinar March 20, 2017: How Advocates Can Help Stop President Trump's $7 Billion Cut to HUD in Its Tracks

President Donald Trump is expected to send Congress a high-level budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2018 tomorrow. An overview of early drafts by the Washington Post shows that the Trump administration is considering slashing HUD's already extremely tight budget by as much as 14% from FY16 funded levels.

National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) and other leaders of the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF) invite you to learn more about Mr. Trump's proposal and how you can help fight back against these budget cuts.

Deep budget cuts would make it harder for the most vulnerable people in our communities—low income seniors, people with disabilities, families with children, veterans, and those who were formerly homeless—to keep a roof over their heads.

During the webinar, we will discuss ways to effectively engage lawmakers, and we will provide advocacy tools including talking points, sample op-eds, statewide data, and best practices for setting up in-district meetings and site visits.

Speakers include:

• Diane Yentel, National Low Income Housing Coalition
• Nan Roman, National Alliance to End Homelessness
• Barbara Sard, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
• Trey Reffett, Local Initiatives Support Corporation
• Elayne Weiss, National Low Income Housing Coalition

Monday, March 20 at 4pm EST
Register HERE Today!          

Take action now:

1. Organizations and local governments can sign onto a national letter calling on Congress and the Trump administration to work together to lift the caps on federal spending for FY18, with parity for defense and non-defense programs, and ensure housing and community development programs receive the highest allocation of funds possible.  
2. Individuals can email Members of Congress and urge them to protect critical resources for affordable housing. Email Congress! 
3. Everyone can share our new A Place to Call Home report and more than 100 success storieswith their Members of Congress. A Place to Call Home brings together the latest research on how affordable housing boosts economic mobility, reduces poverty and homelessness, improves health outcomes, and strengthens the economy.
4. Register today for the March 20, 4 pm ET webinar. 

SOURCE: Press Release National Low Income Housing Coalition