It’s the final week of August advocacy! We’ve sent over 2,000 letters to Congress in August – a good number, but still well below our goal of 3,000 letters. Please take action now to support responsible funding for housing and community development in FY 2019.

House and Senate Appropriations staff are currently working to negotiate a final Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) spending bill. Using the Senate-approved FY 2019 THUD bill and the House Appropriations Committee-approved bill, staffers are in the process of “conferencing” these two pieces of legislation into a single bill, likely to be passed as a larger spending package. This means important decisions about spending levels for housing and community development programs are being made right now. Make sure your voice is heard in this process by sending a letter to your members of Congress today.

Please help us reinforce the importance of responsible funding for housing and community development programs and help NAHRO send 3,000 letters to Capitol Hill this month – reach out to your members of Congress now!

HUD has awarded on $5 million to 22 public housing agencies across the country for Emergency and Security Improvements.  The FY18 omnibus provided $21.5 million for grants to PHAs for emergency capital needs resulting from unforeseen or unpreventable emergencies and natural disasters, excluding presidentially declared emergencies and natural disasters under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Act. This included a set-aside of $5 million reserved for safety and security emergencies. HUD’s Capital Fund Emergency Safety and Security Program supports public housing authorities as they address the safety of public housing residents. These grants may be used to install, repair, or replace capital needs items including security systems/surveillance cameras, fencing, lighting systems, emergency alarm systems, window bars, deadbolt locks and doors.

HUD’s press release can be found here.