John,

Families in every state of our country are forced to wait year after year for housing vouchers because essential federal programs remain underfunded. This situation has gotten worse during the pandemic, which is gaining new strength as the Delta variant takes hold.

We have no time to waste.

We must increase the supply of affordable housing and dramatically boost the number of rental vouchers available. Low-income Americans simply can't afford to pay the rent without these vouchers.

The good news: The $3.5 trillion Senate Budget Resolution which advanced in the Senate last week allows for —and encourages —more rental vouchers.  

That's a good start, but we have more work to do.

This spending plan would allocate $332 billion to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. They’re tasked with coming up with the details for investing in affordable housing and community development, which will be included in the big economic recovery bill that Congress needs to take up in the fall. That’s the “reconciliation bill,” which under the Senate rules allows a spending and revenue bill to pass with just a simple majority.

It's our job to build a grassroots coalition to demand Congress direct a significant sum to rental vouchers while also increasing the supply of affordable housing. Join CHN to demand Congress provide rental vouchers for tenants with low incomes. Send a letter to Congress today!

This is not a new issue, but the pandemic has made it much worse. Throughout this terrible pandemic, millions of people have lost income and have fallen behind on rent.  

Rental vouchers will help address this critical challenge. Here's how they work: They set a maximum allowable rent based on the local rental market. The tenant pays about 30% of their income towards the rent, and the voucher pays the rest.

But there aren’t enough vouchers. Only one in four eligible renters has a rental subsidy. Congress can change this by including the funding so more households with low incomes can get the vouchers that will keep them securely housed.  

You’ve been reading about how many tenants are on the brink of eviction. We are facing a historic opportunity to prevent that and make positive, lasting change. Join CHN to demand Congress act!

It is important to understand that rental vouchers, or any other housing subsidies for people with low incomes, are not now entitlements. Instead, Congress appropriates a certain amount of funds. And once those funds are used up, people who are in desperate need for housing can remain on waiting lists for years.¹

John, can you take 1 minute to send a letter to Congress to demand they act? We must ensure people with low incomes can afford their rent by boosting the amount of rental assistance vouchers that are available.  

The COVID-19 pandemic has created no shortage of challenges. Looming evictions and people going without food and medicine in order to afford rent are big ones. But together, we can really make lasting change. Thank you for all you do to demand accountability from our political leaders and to fight for the needs of the vulnerable, the sick and the poor.

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs