1. Supportive Housing Network of New York Conference Housing Policy Under Trump: What We Can Do?
June 1, 2017

2. 2017 Budget Agreement FY 2016 Enacted (M) FY 2017 Omnibus (M)
Tenant Based Rental Asst
$19,628
$19,292
Contract Renewals
$17,681
$18,355
Project Based Rental Asst
$10,200
$10,816
PH Capital
$1,900
$1,941
PH Operating
$4,500
$4,400

3. 2017 Budget Agreement Also included in the bill are provisions that:
Extend the sunset provision for the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness to Oct. 1, 2018 (p.1631);
Raise the Rental Assistance Demonstration cap to 225,000 units (p. 1624);
Appropriate $15 million for  the Jobs Plus program within the public housing funding (p.1562); and 
Continue allowing private owners of Section 8 properties to make Family Self- Sufficiency programs (already available in participating public housing properties) available to residents. (p.1567)
The bill does not include the expansion of RAD to Section 202 Project Rental Assistance contracts.

4. President’s FY18 Budget: Cuts HUD By 15% or $7.4B
More than 250,000 families would lose housing assistance.
Cuts public housing capital fund by $1.3 billion or 68%.
Eliminates the national Housing Trust Fund.
Eliminates CDBG.
Eliminates HOME and Choice Neighborhoods.
Eliminates SHOP.
Cuts Homeless Assistance Grants, HOPWA, PBRA, Section 811, Healthy Housing, Native American Block Grants.
These cuts are on top of an already tight HUD budget—which is $4.3 billion or 8.4% lower in 2016 than in 2010, adjusted for inflation.

5. President’s FY18 Budget: Increasing Financial Strain on Residents
Gives the HUD Secretary the authority to:
Increase tenant rent contributions from 30% of their income to 35%;
Increase the minimum monthly rent for tenants to $50.
Prohibits utility reimbursements
Not provide rent adjustments for properties.
Waive or specific alternative statutory and regulatory requirements:
Setting and adjusting allowable rents, payment standards, tenant rent contributions, occupancy standards
PHA administrative, planning, and reporting requirements
Energy audits, income re-certifications, program assessments.

6. How You Can Advocate For Affordable Housing:
(1) Sign the national letter (2) Participate in NLIHC’s Day of Action on July 29! (3) Call or meet with your Members of Congress (4) Attend townhalls & ask about affordable housing (5) Submit an op-ed or letter-to-the-editor

7. Our Message to Congress:
(1) Lift the harmful spending caps, equally for defense and domestic programs (2) Provide the most funding possible to Transportation-HUD spending bill It is not enough for Congress to reject Trump’s deep budget cuts. They must lift the spending caps to ensure full funding for affordable housing.

8. Advocacy Resources
New Report - A Place To Call Home: The Case For Increased Federal Investments In Affordable Housing
Latest research on the link between affordable housing and economic mobility, health, education, and the economy.
100+ success stories of people and communities that have been positively impacted by HUD and USDA Rural Housing programs.
Statewide data on funding levels and job creation.
New report:
100+ Success Stories: Home_Profiles.pdf
Advocacy toolkit: cacy%20Toolkit%20FINAL_0.pdf

9. Medicaid
50 year history of providing health care coverage for elderly people or people with disabilities
Since the implementation of the ACA, many states have expanded the reach of Medicaid to serve people living in extreme poverty
Since the expansion, Medicaid has also become a key payer for services in supportive housing

10. Administration Budget Proposal –Medicaid
FY 2018 budget reflects a small increase in mandatory spending
$29 million to address health care cost inflation
Proposal directs future cuts to begin in FY 2020 by changing the structure of Medicaid payments
Result is $616 billion cut over 10 years

11. Medicaid - Impact
Estimates suggest that at least 14 million Americans’ health care coverage will be jeopardized immediately
The most profound impact will be felt by those who have gained Medicaid coverage under the ACA

12. Paul Ryan’s A Better Way Plan
Proposes welfare reform-style changes to housing programs, including work requirements and time limits that could lead to deeper poverty. Extreme poverty doubled under welfare reform. We may also see attempts to block grant housing programs to states.
Taking away housing assistance only makes it harder to find work. Instead, we should invest in education and training to help everyone get a well-paying job.
We need to ensure that people have an affordable place to call home, if they have low-incomes or fall on tough times. We should not dismantle federal programs that ensure basic living standards for all Americans.

13. Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act
Cantwell-Hatch (S. 548)
Tiberi-Neal (H.R. 1661)
Senate version increases Housing Credit allocation authority by 50 percent, phased in over 5 years
Both versions contain roughly two dozen provisions to strengthen the Housing Credit, including :
Creating a minimum 4 percent Housing Credit rate for acquisition and Housing Bond-financed properties
Allowing income averaging in Housing Credit properties
Providing a 50 percent basis boost for developments serving extremely low-income households
Simplifying the student rule

14. The ACTION Campaign
Over 2,000 national, state and local organizations and businesses calling on Congress to expand and strengthen the Housing Credit
Campaign Strategy
Legislative advocacy
Local outreach and Housing Credit property events
Targeted media
Data and research

15. Tax Reform & United for Homes
Reform the mortgage interest deduction to better serve low and moderate income homeowners and to reinvest the savings into affordable rental homes for lowest income people:
Lower the cap on the size of a mortgage that is eligible for MID from $1 million to the first $500,000—impacting 6% of homeowners.
Convert the deduction to a credit to give 15 million more homeowners a tax break.
Reinvest the savings—$241 billion over 10 years—into affordable housing solutions, like HTF, rental assistance, a renters’ tax credit, etc.

16. Our Message to Congress: Keep Housing Dollars In Housing!
Republicans want to use the savings from MID reform to pay for lowering tax rates for millionaires and corporations. H.R. 948, the Common Sense Housing Investment Act from Rep. Ellison (D-MN), would reinvest the savings into the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, Housing Trust Fund, resources to repair public housing, and rental assistance solutions.

17. United for Homes Campaign
Join the 2,300 national, state, and local organizations and government officials who have endorsed the campaign!
Endorse the campaign:
Find endorsers in your state: supporters/
Check out the new UFH website: