Calling for increased investments in affordable housing, LeadingAge joined other housing and community development organizations Friday to urge Congress to pass final appropriations bills, saying that longer-term continuing resolutions have “significant impacts” on housing and homelessness.
The national Campaign for Housing and Community Development — with members including LeadingAge, Justice in Aging and SAGE, among others — sent a letter to the leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives appropriations committees, calling for increased investment in affordable housing for fiscal year 2025. Funding bills have stalled ahead of the end fiscal year 2024 on Sept. 30, potentially leading to continuing resolutions that potentially could stretch into next spring, according to LeadingAge.
LeadingAge said it “strongly opposes” the House appropriations bill, which does not provide new resources for homes developed through the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Section 202 Supportive housing for the Elderly program. The bill also does not provide dollars for additional service coordinators in HUD-assisted housing. The Senate bill has some positives, the association said, adding, however, that it “falls short” of meeting LeadingAge key priorities.
“The increased funding included in the Senate bills is needed to help people afford a safe, stable home and allow communities to meet the needs of their residents,” the letter read. “Funding levels included in the House’s FY 2025 THUD appropriations bill would reduce existing assistance, needlessly perpetuating housing instability and hardship.”
The campaign called for support of funding levels in the Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies, or THUD, and Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies appropriations bills that passed the Senate Appropriations Committee in July.
“Longer-term continuing resolutions have significant impacts on housing, homelessness and community development programs, and can cause shortfalls since they maintain the same level of funding as the previous fiscal year,” the Sept. 4 letter read. “Because the cost of many housing, homelessness and development programs are tied to market rats, which rise every year, flat funding acts as a cut, reducing the number of people that can be served.”
