WASHINGTON - May 19 - The National Low Income Housing Coalition(NLIHC) commends the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for its bold and forward-thinking Transforming Rental Assistance (TRA) proposal.

HUD released details of its proposed TRA legislative proposal on May 12. TRA would allow public housing agencies, and some HUD-subsidized housing owners, to voluntarily convert their units into a new form of HUD rental assistance. This new rental assistance would allow housing agencies to seek private capital to rehabilitate units, give residents increased options on where to live, and represent the first phase of bringing all of HUD’s housing programs under one programmatic operation.

“The TRA proposal demonstrates HUD’s dedication to preserving our nation’s underfunded public housing while protecting tenant rights and establishing mechanisms to provide extremely low income people with more housing options,” said NLIHC President Sheila Crowley. “NLIHC is optimistic that HUD’s vision to preserve homes and protect tenants can be realized in a way that gives residents a voice in decision-making, provides public housing agencies with the resources needed to preserve the housing stock, gives tenants more housing choices, and serves as the platform under which most HUD housing programs can be administered. We are committed to working with HUD and Congress to continue to improve the TRA proposal. The proposal is not perfect, but it represents a framework to discuss the critical issue of preserving public housing in a way that protects tenants, gives tenants a voice in decision-making, safeguards public investments, and maintains public housing for future generations.”

HUD’s goals for TRA are to streamline rental assistance programs, simplify program administration, leverage private capital, bring greater market discipline to HUD’s housing stock, enhance tenant choice, and expand tenant access to a broader range of neighborhoods. HUD proposed TRA as part of its FY11 budget request.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition, established in 1974 by Cushing N. Dolbeare, is dedicated solely to achieving socially just public policy that assures people with the lowest incomes in the United States have affordable and decent homes. The National Low Income Housing Coalition does not represent any sector of the housing industry. Rather, NLIHC works only on behalf of and with low income people who need safe, decent, and affordable housing, especially those with the most serious housing problems. NLIHC is entirely funded with private donations.