An Advocacy Thank You: Congress Passes Omnibus Spending Package for FY18
We did it!
Thanks to tireless efforts by advocates around the country, including thousands of letters you sent to elected officials, the new federal budget includes new funding that can help us make progress toward ending homelessness.
Congress passed (and the president signed) an omnibus spending package for the remainder of fiscal year (FY) 2018, including $42.7 billion in funding for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will receive $42.7 billion. Some highlights of the spending package include:
- Increased funding for HUD’s Homeless Assistance Grants will be enough to move an additional 20,000–25,000 people from homelessness to housing over the course of the year, primarily young adults and domestic violence survivors.
- The Section 8 voucher program will have expanded capacity, which can support approximately 60,000 vulnerable Americans, particularly veterans, families and youth in the child welfare system, and persons with disabilities.
- Several programs received funding to increase new or rehabilitated affordable housing, including the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), and public housing. There is also a 12.5% increase in Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC).
This spending package is in effect for six months, and legislative debate over the FY2019 are on the horizon. The efforts to maintain adequate funding for affordable housing will certainly continue. We will keep you posted!
For a more detailed analysis of funding for affordable housing in the new budget, go to
https://endhomelessness.org/finally-fy-2018-budget-theres-good-news/
For information on funding for human services in the budget, go to http://staff.alliance1.org/web/news/2018/march/health-human-services-clear-wins-2018-spending-package.aspx
