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04.12.2021
On April 1st the Network and the New York Housing Conference (NYHC) participated in the National Low Income Housing Coalition’s (NLIHC) annual federal lobby day as part of their HoUsed campaign, of which the Network and NYHC are the New York State grantees.
The Network, members, and NYHC met with 11 members of the New York delegation to advocate for the HoUsed campaign’s four solutions to America’s housing crisis: 1) Expand rental assistance to every eligible household; 2) Increase the supply of affordable housing for people with the lowest incomes; 3) Provide emergency housing assistance to help stabilize families in a crisis; 4) Strengthen and enforce robust renter protections.
During meetings, Network staff and members spoke to these solutions and stressed the need to advance anti-racist policies and achieve the large-scale, sustained investments and reforms necessary to ensure that Americans with the lowest incomes have an affordable place to call home.
Network Executive Director Laura Mascuch emphasized the current disparity in need for rental assistance, "Today, only one in four households eligible for rental assistance receives it - rental assistance is necessary to keep rents affordable for those leaving the shelter systems."
Ralph Fasano, Executive Director at Concern for Independent Living stressed the need for more supportive housing, "Supportive housing is a clear solutions to homelessness and poverty, but I'm often asked why aren’t we doing more of it and quicker? We know it works and we know the demand is so large out there."
Network Upstate Coordinator Steve Piasecki stated the impact expanding the national housing trust fund could have on supportive housing, “Expanding the National Housing Trust fund by $26 billion annually for supportive housing is a game changer already called for by eleven New York members of congress and Senator Gillibrand in a letter to President Biden. This would bring an estimated $250 million annually to the state to build affordable supportive housing,”
To learn more about the HoUsed campaign see here.