More help may be coming to the Housing Choice Voucher program in the near future, but it isn’t guaranteed yet! The United States Senate just introduced a new bill, spearheaded by Senator Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts), that seeks to immediately increase funding of public housing projects and programs by $70,000,000,000.
“Expanding our supply of quality housing is the only way to dig ourselves out of this housing crisis,” Sen. Warren said, “I’m pushing for this bold investment in our public housing so that every family has a safe place to live — and to breathe new life into the countless public housing units we’ve lost to decades of neglect and disrepair.”
The new Public Housing Emergency Response Act would “authorize additional monies to the Public Housing Capital Fund of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD),” according to the text of the bill. Because of chronic underfunding, there is an estimated $70 billion backlog of repairs to the existing public housing stock. As a result, approximately 10,000 units are lost every year, and tens of thousands of residents live in unsafe, unhealthy, and undignified conditions. This investment would allow tenants to live in safe conditions and prevent existing units of affordable housing from falling into disrepair as lawmakers work to end the housing crisis by expanding the supply of public housing.
“Sen. Warren is renewing the push for funding public housing with the reintroduction of the Public Housing Emergency Response Act, to make vital repairs to 1.2 million units of existing public housing,” according to a spokesperson for the senator.
“For low-income Americans, estimates indicate that there are only 37 affordable and available homes for every 100 extremely low-income households”, the spokesperson said.
Elizabeth Warren is the chief sponsor (the one who introduced the bill, but she has 8 other co-sponsors on the bill, meaning it has significant support from the Democratic party. The additional co-sponsors are: Sens. Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Cory Booker (N.J.), Dick Durbin (Ill.), Ed Markey (Mass.), Chris Murphy (Conn.), Alex Padilla (Calif.) and Tina Smith (Minn.). Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.).
Help make A Difference In Affordable Housing
Do you want to help make a difference in affordable housing, and help more people receive the housing that they need? Right now you have the opportunity to leave a comment on a proposed rule that would expand the Housing Choice Voucher program, and would allow people with previous criminal convictions to potentially qualify for housing if they are reformed! You can read how you can make a difference here.
Make sure to read the article and leave a comment, because the government has to review each and every one! Your comment can truly make a difference in someones future with affordable housing!