Affordable Housing Construction Key to Jobs Growth, Economic Stimulus

A coalition of 45 national organizations sent a letter to President Barack Obama's domestic policy and economic teams today asking that the Administration include at least $10 billion for the National Housing Trust Fund in the President's jobs-creation plan.

Earlier this month, President Barack Obama began roll-out of a jobs agenda meant to lower unemployment, raise wages and rebuild security for middle class Americans. This agenda includes infrastructure investments, patent reform, free trade deals and an extension of payroll tax cuts.

Advocates for affordable housing say that construction and rehabilitation of housing for low income people is a surefire jobs creator the President should consider as a part of any jobs package introduced. Every $10 billion spent through the National Housing Trust Fund will create 122,000 new jobs in the construction industry and 30,000 new, ongoing jobs in the operation of the rental housing.

"It is clear the housing construction industry has not fully recovered from the recession," said Sheila Crowley, President and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. "Investing in the National Housing Trust Fund can achieve two critical objectives: stimulating jobs growth in a struggling industry, and creating housing that can help end homelessness for good in the United States."

The National Housing Trust Fund will produce, rehabilitate, preserve and operate rental housing that is affordable to extremely low income households across the country. It was signed into law in 2008 but has not yet been funded.

The letter notes that funding the National Housing Trust Fund will allow the Administration to create jobs while advancing other priorities, like ending veteran homelessness and homelessness for families with children.

The text of the letter to Melody Barnes, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, and Gene Sperling, Director of the National Economic Council, is copied below.

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The 45 undersigned national organizations strongly urge you to include funding for jobs in housing in the President's jobs-creation plan. Specifically, we recommend that the plan include at least $10 billion for the National Housing Trust Fund.

Once funded, the National Housing Trust Fund will produce, rehabilitate, preserve, and operate rental housing that is affordable for households with incomes at or below 30% of the area median (extremely low income). Every $10 billion spent through the National Housing Trust Fund will create 122,000 new jobs in the construction trades and 30,000 new ongoing jobs in the operation of the rental housing.

In addition to the jobs that will be created, funding the National Housing Trust Fund in the jobs plan will advance other objectives set by the Obama Administration. Funding for the National Housing Trust Fund is a key element to the success of the Administration's plan to end homelessness for veterans and people with disabilities in five years and families with children in ten years. Funds from the National Housing Trust Fund can be coupled with properties acquired through the disposition of foreclosed homes owned by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and FHA, so that some of these properties can be converted into affordable housing.

As you know, funding for the National Housing Trust Fund has been included in each of the President's budgets since he took office, but has not yet been enacted. We advocated for $10 billion for the National Housing Trust Fund in the 2009 stimulus bill, but Congressional appropriators were reluctant to include it then, because program regulations had not been developed. Fortunately, HUD is near completion of the regulations now, so any funding allocated could be spent immediately.

All indicators continue to report that the most serious housing problem faced by Americans is the shortage of rental housing that extremely low income households can afford. Today, there 10 million extremely low income renter households in our country and only 6.5 million housing units they can afford. They remain the only income group for whom there is an absolute shortage of homes.

We urge you to consider an investment in affordable housing to be as important to the future of our country as investments in schools, technology, and infrastructure. Without the foundation of safe and decent homes, children cannot thrive, adults cannot prosper, and seniors cannot live out their years in dignity.

Thank you for your attention to our request. A delegation from the National Housing Trust Fund Campaign is available to meet with you at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Catholic Charities USA

Center for Community Change

Coalition on Human Needs

Community Action Partnership

Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Housing Task Force

Corporation for Supportive Housing

Enterprise Community Partners

Friends Committee on National Legislation

Housing Assistance Council

Housing Partnership Network

Jesuit Conference

Jewish Council for Public Affairs

LeadingAge

Lutheran Services in America

Mercy Housing

Mennonite Central Committee U.S., Washington Office

NAACP

National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd

National AIDS Housing Coalition

National Alliance to End Homelessness

National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth National Center for Healthy Housing

National Center on Family Homelessness

National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development

National Coalition for Community Reinvestment

National Coalition for the Homeless

National Council of La Raza

National Council on Independent Living

National Fair Housing Alliance

National Health Care for the Homeless Council

National Housing Conference

National Housing Law Project

National Housing Trust

National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty

National Low Income Housing Coalition

NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby

PolicyLink

Poverty & Race Research Action Council

Sisters of Mercy Institute Justice Team

Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future

Technical Assistance Collaborative

The United Methodist Church General Board of Church and Society

Union for Reform Judaism

United Way Worldwide