Housing Development Alliance

The Housing Development Alliance needs you. If you believe in the work of the Housing Development Alliance, we need you to let your elected officials know that our work and the federal programs that fund them are important. Currently several program that the Housing Development Alliance utilizes to provide new homes and home repairs are under threats of deep budget cuts (cuts of over 80%!). These programs help the Housing Development Alliance assists nearly 100 families a year and work supports approximately 75 jobs in the community (based on figures from the National Association of Home Builders on the economic impact of constriction within a community).

Here is some information from the Housing Assistance Council – a national housing organization:

Funding for key USDA rural housing programs is in jeopardy for the rest of 2011 and for fiscal year 2012. The Senate may vote on 2011 funds as early as Tuesday, March 8. Senators need to hear from their constituents about the importance of these programs in their states.

Previously HAC reported that the rural housing programs' funding prospects looked much better in the 2011 Continuing Resolution (CR) than in the 2012 Administration budget. That has changed; reports indicate that the Administration has suggested using its 2012 budget proposals as a starting point to reduce 2011 spending. As a result, the Senate bill may include serious cuts to Section 502 direct mortgage loans, the self-help housing program, Section 504 repair loans and grants, and rental preservation.

The Administration's budget would cut Section 502 direct loans to $211.4 million from their FY10 level of $1.121 billion. Section 523 grants for local self-help housing producers would be eliminated. There would be no Section 504 loans for very low-income homeowners to repair their homes, and Section 504 grants for very low-income elderly homeowners would be cut by almost two-thirds, from $31.6 million in FY10 to $11.5 million. The Multifamily Preservation and Revitalization demonstration program and the Preservation Revolving Loan Fund would be defunded. More details are available on HAC's website at
http://www.ruralhome.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=393:fy-2012-budget-and-appropriations&catid=45
and the National Rural Housing Coalition's site at http://ruralhousingcoalition.org/rural-housing-issues/coalition-priorities .

If you believe in our work, please call or email your Senators and ask them to keep USDA rural housing programs at FY10 funding levels for both 2011 and 2012. Tell them that these programs not only meet the affordable housing needs of many low-income and working families, but also create much needed jobs. Your support is greatly appreciated.