CLPHA, Industry Groups, 777 Public Housing Authorities Implore Congress to Provide an Additional $8.5B in Emergency Supplemental Funding for PHAs Plus Longer-Term Preservation Resources for Public Housing in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic
On Wednesday, April 8, CLPHA and other public housing industry groups the Moving to Work (MTW) Collaborative, the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO), the Public Housing Authorities Directors Association (PHADA), and 777 public housing authorities sent a letter to Congressional leadership urging Congress to allocate additional funding and resources for PHAs to help them continue to provide safe and affordable housing during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The letter implores Congress to appropriate additional emergency supplemental funding, housing vouchers, long-term funding, and other resources that will help PHAs not only survive and recover from the COVID-19 crisis, but also preserve their portfolios for years to come. In the letter, the signatories call for the following provisions in the next COVID-19 stimulus package and beyond:
1) An additional infusion of $8.5 billion for the public housing operating fund and the Section 8 Voucher Program
2) An increase in the supply of Housing Choice Vouchers, including $2.0 billion for 150,000 new Tenant Protection Vouchers (TPVs) and a robust increase in voucher program funding
3) A $70 billion investment in public housing infrastructure
While acknowledging that the recently passed CARES Act provides for $3 billion for public housing, housing choice vouchers and project based rental assistance, the signatories stress that this amount is not nearly enough to allow PHAs to continue to operate their agencies through the end of the fiscal year. Substantially more funding and resources, both in the short and long term, are critical for PHAs as they serve their low-income, vulnerable households during and after the pandemic.