by Ethan Handelman, National Housing Conference
Congress is finishing up the HUD appropriations for FY 2012, and members need to hear how HOME creates affordable housing. The recent negative coverage by the Washington Post makes it even more important that senators and representatives hear about HOME’s impact in specific communities (see HUD’s blog post). The more detailed and specific—people, places, properties—the better.
To help you make the case for HOME in your state, NHC has compiled data from HUD on the affordable housing HOME has produced state-by-state, since the program began. The totals are impressive: nearly 400,000 rental units, over 440,000 homeownership units, over 200,000 homeowner rehab units, and more than 250,000 households helped with direct rental assistance. Check the table (available here as a spreadsheet from NHC’s website; PDF version here) to see what the results are from your state.
To help you make the case for HOME, here are some other resources:
- NHC’s testimony in support of the HOME program delivered to the House Financial Services Committee at a joint subcommittee hearing (also see this blog post)
- NCSHA’s online advocacy materials on HOME
- HUD’s blog post responding to recent Washington Post stories
- NAHMA’s page of advocacy resources on HOME
What can you do?
- Contact your senator and representative directly to express support for the HOME program and opposing cuts in federal funding for it.
- Write letters or op-eds to your local paper describing the good work of the HOME program.
- Contact members of the conference committee on FY 2012 Appropriations:
Let’s protect HOME as a crucial part of our national commitment to safe, decent, and affordable housing for all in America.