Volume 20, Issue 39
October 13, 2015

In This Issue:

FEDERAL BUDGET

Budget Talks Continue, Federal Deficit Smallest Since 2007

On October 2, two days after signing the Continuing Resolution (CR) keeping federal programs funded until December 11, President Barack Obama said he would not sign another “shortsighted spending bill.” “We purchased ourselves 10 additional weeks and we need to use them effectively,” President Obama said.  Meanwhile, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the federal deficit in FY15 was the lowest it has been since 2007.

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“Caps Hurt Communities” Webinar on Federal Budget and Sequestration

The Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF) will conduct a free webinar, Spending Caps, Budget Negotiations, and the Impact on Housing and Community Development in Your Community on Monday, October 19 at 3pm ET.

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Housing Agencies Restore Some Vouchers Lost Due to Sequestration

A new analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) shows that with Congress providing additional funding for vouchers in the last two years, “state and local housing agencies are restoring many of the 100,000 housing voucher lost after 2013’s sequester cuts.”  A CBPP analysis of HUD data finds that public housing agencies restored 30,000 vouchers to low income families over the past year, about one-third of the 100,000 vouchers lost in the 16 months after sequestration took effect in March 2013.

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Congress

Broad Housing Assistance Reform Bill Introduced

House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance Chair Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) introduced broad housing assistance reform legislation on October 7. The bill, H.R. 3700, the “Housing Opportunity through Modernization Act of 2015,” includes several provisions from the previously introduced, but never-passed “Section Eight Voucher Reform Act” (SEVRA) and “Affordable Housing and Self-Sufficiency Improvement Act” (AHSSIA). H.R. 3700 also brings together other recent housing bills and policy proposals that have been considered by the House or emerged in policy discussions.

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Hearing on 50 Years of HUD Rescheduled

The House Financial Services Committee has rescheduled its hearing, The Future of Housing in America: 50 Years of HUD and its Impact on Federal Housing Policy, for October 22 at 10 am ET in room 2128 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The Committee has not confirmed who will be invited to testify. Click here to learn more about the hearing. 

Lead Democrat Asks GAO to Look into MTW, RAD

House Committee on Financial Services Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA) has asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to look into HUD’s Moving to Work (MTW) and Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) programs. The Senate’s HUD FY16 appropriations bill would expand the MTW program from its current 39 public housing agencies (PHAs) to an additional 300 PHAs. For RAD, HUD has requested Congress remove the 185,000 unit cap on the number of public housing units that can convert their public housing subsidy streams to the project-based voucher or project-based rental assistance platform.

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FORECLOSURE

Survey on Renters in Foreclosed Properties Underway

The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty (Law Center) is collecting information on potential rights violations faced by renters living in foreclosed properties. If you work with clients facing eviction or other issues due to their tenancy in foreclosed properties, the Law Center would like to hear from you.

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HOUSING AND THE ELECTIONS

Ask Democratic Presidential Candidates about Affordable Housing

Do you have questions about affordable housing and homelessness for the 2016 Democratic presidential candidates? The first Democratic presidential debate offers an opportunity to ask them. The debate is being hosted by CNN and Facebook in Las Vegas, NV, on October 13^th at 9 pm ET (8pm CT, 6pm PT).

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FROM THE FIELD

San Franciscans to Vote on Housing Measures in November

On November 3, San Francisco residents will vote on two housing referendums. Proposition A would provide $310 million dollars in funding. Proposition K would increase the sale of public land for the development of affordable housing. Mayor Edwin Lee (D) heralds the ballot initiatives as important for creating affordable housing in the city.

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RESEARCH

Federal Housing Subsidies and other Assistance Programs Reduce Poverty

The U.S. Census Bureau released the 2014 Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) in September. The SPM indicates that federal housing subsidies lower poverty by 0.9 percentage points and lifts approximately 2.8 million people out of poverty.

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FACT OF THE WEEK

Increases in Supplemental Poverty Rates When Specific Assistance is Removed

Source: Short, Kathleen (2015). The Supplemental Poverty Measure: 2014. United States Census, U.S. Department of Commerce.

EVENTS

NeighborWorks Training Institute in Washington, DC December 7-11

Another reminder that the Washington DC NeighborWorks Training Institute will take place December 7-11, 2015, featuring a broad array of professional development courses. Choose from over 100 one-to-five day courses on affordable housing, community development, resident engagement and nonprofit management. The featured Wednesday symposium is on Leading Tomorrow’s High-Performing Nonprofit Organization (ML908). Pre-event registration ends November 16. Visit www.neighborworks.org/dc2015 to register.

NLIHC News

Registration Now Open for NLIHC’s 2016 Policy Forum

Registration is open for NLIHC’s 2016 Policy Forum, which will take place in Washington D.C. on April 3-5, 2016. The theme of the 2016 Forum is Overcoming Housing Poverty, Achieving Housing Justice.

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Membership Month Brings in 150 New NLIHC Members

NLIHC is pleased to report that 150 new members joined the coalition during our second annual Membership Month in September. To new members, welcome! To current members who encouraged others to join, thank you! Special thanks go to Marla Newman, Chair of NLIHC’s Membership Committee and Executive Director of the Louisiana Housing Alliance, and to NLIHC state coalition partners the Utah Housing Coalition, the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition, and the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey for carrying out joint membership campaigns.

NLIHC STAFF