House May Cut VASH Program Today Today, the House is expected to vote on H.R. 5850, the fiscal year (FY)
2011 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (T-HUD)
Appropriations Bill. The bill includes a number of provisions to help
people experiencing homelessness, including $2.2 billion for HUD's
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Grants program.
However, funding for the HUD - Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program, HOME, public housing funding, and other critical programs are in danger, . is in danger of being eliminated. An amendment has been introduced to reduce or eliminate funding for a number of programs, including HUD-VASH.
What We Need to Do:
- Call your Representative's office NOW.
Ask to speak to the person who works on housing issues. You can find
your Congressional office phone numbers by calling the U.S. Capitol
Switchboard at 202-224-3121.
- Tell them to make sure their boss votes AGAINST Amendment #106 to H.R. 5850. Of particular importance is to maintain funding for the HUD-VA Supportive Housing program.
- The amendment is being sponsored by Representatives Peters (MI), Adler (NJ), Himes (CT), and Welch (VT). If these are your representatives, urge them to withdraw their amendment immediately.
TAKE ACTION NOW!
Please call your Representative NOW:
Call the Congressional switchboard, toll-free at 877-210-5351,THIS MORNING and
ask to be connected to the housing staffer for your representative's
office. Remind them of the housing needs in your community and urge them
to oppose all amendments that would reduce HUD funding, specifically
amendments #19 and #8.
For more information on the specific amendments:
Oppose these eight amendments that would reduce funding for HUD programs:
Amendment
#19- offered by John Adler (D-NJ), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jim Himes (D-CT)
and Peter Welch (D-VT)- This amendment is pa rticularly important to
mention to your Representative because it was filed by Democratic
members and other Democratic members are likely to give it more
consideration. The amendment would:
Eliminate Veterans Affairs Supported Housing (VASH) voucher funding
Eliminate Resident Opportunity and Supportive Services (ROSS) program funding
Eliminate HOPE VI funding
Eliminate Brownfields program funding
Reduce HOME funding by $175 million
Reduce Self Help and Assisted Homeownership Program (SHOP) funding by $22 million
Amendment #8- Tom Latham (R-IA)- would:
Reduce Public Housing Capital funding by $455.8 million
Reduce Native American Housing Block Grant funding by $120 million
Eliminate Brownfields program funding
Reduce HOME funding by $175 million
Amendment #6- Michael Arcuri (D-NY)- would reduce Policy Development and Research funding by $3 million.
Amendments
#1, #2, and #3- John Boehner (R-OH)- would reduce Policy Development
and Research funding by $300,000, reduce Transformation Initiative
funding by $40 million, and reduce funding for capital grants to
renovate affordable housing by $35 million.
Amendment
#5- Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA) and Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)-
would reduce administration and operations funding by $21 million.
Amendment
#15- Bruce Braley (R-IA)- would reduce the Community Development Fund
by $20 million and reduce administration and operations funding by $21
million.
Oppose these four amendments that would reduce overall funding for bill (and HUD programs):
Amendment #18- Jim Jordan (R-OH)- would reduce the bill by $18.6 billion.
Amendment #10- John Culberson (R-TX)- would reduce the bill by $13.4 billion.
Amendment #14- Randy Neugebauer (R-TX)- would reduce the bill by $10.5 billion.
Amendment #17- Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ)- would reduce the bill by 5% (about $3.4 billion).
Support passage
of the FY11 T-HUD bill without these negative amendments and with any
amendments to increase HUD funding. The House bill would provide over $1
billion more to HUD programs than the President's budget request.
View the full list of amendments and text at: http://www.rules.house.gov/SpecialRules_details.aspx?NewsID=4743
-----------------------------------The Virginia Coalition to End Homelessness is the statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness in the Commonwealth of Virginia through community collaboration, capacity building, education and advocacy.Join us today!
