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Support Funding for the National Housing Trust Fund
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For every 100 extremely low-income renter households, Illinois has only 53 existing affordable rental units. Sixty-three percent of extremely low income-renter households pay more than 50% of their income on housing.
In a dramatic show of grassroots support for the National Housing Trust Fund, more than 2,225 organizations representing every Congressional district in the country sent a letter this week to every U.S. Senator and Representative urging immediate funding for the National Housing Trust Fund.
A total of 113 organizations from Illinois, organized by Housing Action Illinois, signed the letter calling on Members of Congress to provide $1 billion to capitalize the NHTF and $65 million for project-based vouchers to support NHTF homes.
Legislation to fund the NHTF could be considered before the Memorial Day recess as part of H.R. 4213, the American Jobs, Closing Tax Loopholes, and Preventing Outsourcing Act.
H.R. 4213 is more commonly known as the tax extender bill. Both the House and Senate have previously passed extender bills. H.R. 4213 includes additional amendments, including the NHTF, and thus must be voted on by both chambers again.
The bill was developed by the Ways and Means Committee in the House and the Finance Committee in the Senate. The bill would extend unemployment benefits and more than 50 special tax breaks that expired at the end of 2009. The total cost will be around $100 billion. Some, but not all, of the cost will be offset by closing tax loopholes and increasing some taxes.
The National Housing Trust Fund was created as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, but has not yet been capitalized. Once funded, the NHTF will support the production, preservation, and operation of rental homes for the lowest income people in the United States. The NHTF is the first federal rental housing production program that is specifically targeted to extremely low income households since the Section 8 program was established in 1974.
Please contact your federal representative and ask them to support funding for the National Housing Trust Fund.
A copy of the letter in support of funding for the National Housing Trust Fund and a complete list of all organizational signers is available at clicking the "more" button below.
Your message will be sent to each of the following targets:
Your U.S. Representative
A sample message appears below, which you may edit before sending.
Support Funding for the National Housing Trust Fund
Dear Representative,
I ask you to support $1.065 billion in initial funding for the National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF)—$1 billion to capitalize the NHTF and $65 million for project-based vouchers to couple with NHTF capital grants.
The NHTF was created in the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) to address the severe shortage of rental homes that are affordable for the lowest income families, but it has not yet been funded. The President proposed funding for the NHTF in his FY10 and FY11 budget requests.
In Illinois, for every 100 extremely low-income renter households, Illinois has only 53 existing affordable rental units. Sixty-three percent of extremely low income-renter households pay more than 50% of their income on housing
Investment in the NHTF will create good jobs. Every $1 billion provided to the Trust Fund will support the immediate construction of 10,000 rental homes, creating 15,100 new construction jobs and 3,800 new jobs in ongoing operations.
I urge Congress to provide this badly needed funding at the soonest possible opportunity.
Sincerely, Your name and address here
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This Action Alert Campaign is Closed.
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