NEWS HEADLINES

Support Urged for Housing Trust Fund

By Donna Kimura

Senators are urging their colleagues to sign a letter in support of funding the National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF) this week.

“In its Jobs for Main Street Act, the Housing of Representatives has included $1 billion for the NHTF and $65 million for project-based vouchers to support units built by the NHTF,” said the letter. “We request that this same funding be included in the Senate version of a jobs and state fiscal relief package.”

The funding would build, preserve, or rehabilitate an estimated 10,000 rental homes for low-income families.

Sens. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), are asking fellow senators to sign the letter, which will be sent to Majority Leader Harry Reid and other Senate leaders. They were planning to gather signatures by the end of the day Jan. 21.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition is also urging affordable housing supporters to call their senators to raise support for the NHTF, which was created under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 but has yet to be funded.