National Organizations Sign Letter to House and Senate Leadership Urging Leaders to Protect America’s Most Vulnerable

WASHINGTON - The Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF), a group of 70 national organizations representing all 50 states and territories, wrote to the leadership of the House of Representatives and Senate today asking both houses to keep the bipartisan promise to protect the most vulnerable.

This letter, provided in full below, comes as a reaction to the House announcement last week of a proposed cut to housing and community development funding of 17% in FY11 and the House Appropriations Committee approving these funding levels this week.

"Disproportionately cutting funding for housing and community development for FY11 makes no sense.  Programs that help homeless people and struggling families find housing, communities remain economically viable, and the elderly and disabled are most important now, when the need is greatest,” said Matt de Ferranti, a CHCDF spokesperson. “We understand the debt presents a serious long-term problem, but ask whether it is fair or smart to place the greatest burden on those most in need in the worst economy of our lifetimes."

Housing and community development advocates argue that the transportation, housing urban development programs under threat of cut are those that drive job creation and stabilize communities, both necessary functions of government during times of slow economic growth.

A list of CHCDF members can be found at http://www.nlihc.org/doc/CHCDF_Members_January2011.pdf

***

Last week, the House of Representatives announced a proposal to cut housing and community development funding by 17% in FY11.  The proposal would harm the most vulnerable households at a time when they can least afford it.  It is simply unacceptable.  The undersigned members of the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF), a group of 70 national organizations representing all 50 states and territories, call on you to reject this proposed cut. 

Severely cutting transportation, housing, and urban development (T-HUD) funding by 17 percent will not help our fragile economy, and the people most impacted by its downturn, move toward growth and self-sufficiency.  The House FY11 proposal would impose the highest percentage and largest dollar amount cuts to T-HUD programs despite these programs promoting job creation and stabilizing communities.  These harmful cuts would cause millions of people served by HUD programs in particular to lose their housing or decrease their overall economic stability.  Cities and towns would be limited in their ability to generate jobs and economic activity.  The cuts would undermine the very economic recovery that the country so desperately needs. 

We ask instead that you protect the most vulnerable, a bipartisan promise reflected most recently in both the Republican Leadership’s “Pledge to America” and the public policy position of the House minority.  Please help shield the most vulnerable households from bearing the impact of deepest cuts to FY11 appropriations during the most difficult economic period these households have suffered through in more than 50 years.  Members of CHCDF stand ready to work with you to find responsible ways to continue to address our nation’s housing and community development needs.