Homelessness and Housing First
National League of Cities Releases Brief on Housing First
The National League of Cities (NLC) released a brief, “ An Overview of the Housing First Approach for City Leaders.” The brief provides an overview of Housing First, examines the evidence supporting the approach, and spotlights the ways communities have used Housing First to address homelessness effectively, equitably, and compassionately. In addition to the Housing First brief, NLC released a tool to help local leaders identify federal funding sources that are available to local governments for addressing homelessness.
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Recap of 2/21 Homelessness and Housing First Webinar
More than 9,700 people registered for the Homelessness and Housing First webinar hosted by NLIHC, the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH), and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) on February 21! The webinar, “Housing First Promotes Health,” provided an overview of the research on Housing First and health, the important role state governments can have in bringing housing and supportive services together, and the opportunities and challenges for implementing Housing First for people with significant health challenges. The next webinar will be held on Monday, March 20, from 2:30 to 4 pm ET. Register for the series at: https://bit.ly/3vIbn5o
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Register for Framework for an Equitable Homelessness Response Webinar on Reimagining Interim Housing on March 8
The Framework for an Equitable Homelessness Response (Framework) will host a webinar, “Reimagining Interim Housing: Transforming Our Approaches to Sheltering People,” on Wednesday, March 8, from 3 to 4:30 pm ET. Register here to join the webinar.
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HoUSed Campaign for Universal, Stable, Affordable Homes
Join Today’s (February 27) National HoUSed Campaign Call for Universal, Stable, Affordable Homes
Join today’s (February 27) national HoUSed campaign call from 2:30 to 4 pm ET. Jennifer Sullivan of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities will join the call to discuss the implications of the planned “unwinding” of Medicaid benefits for renters. Jerry Jones of the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH) will present his organization's recent statement of values against the criminalization of homelessness. We will also hear from Andrew Haughwout of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, who will share findings from a report, “ Eviction Expectations in the Post-Pandemic Housing Market.” We will receive updates from the field and more!
Join NLIHC’s Next Policy Advisory Committee Meeting on March 1
NLIHC members are invited to join us on March 1 from 4 to 5 pm ET for NLIHC’s quarterly Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting, a virtual listening session during which NLIHC members can weigh in on issues related to NLIHC’s policy priorities.
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Budget and Appropriations
Bipartisan Policy Center Releases Analysis Showing Government Will Likely Default on Loans in Summer or Early Fall
The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) released an analysis on February 22 finding that, absent congressional action, the federal government will likely default on its loans during the summer or early fall of 2023. In January, U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) Secretary Janet Yellen announced that the federal government had reached its $31.4 trillion debt limit and that the department would begin deploying “extraordinary measures” to continue funding the federal government (see Memo, 1/23).
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HUD
HUD Multifamily Office Issues Notice Explaining Uses of Supportive Services for Section 202 Supportive Housing for Low-Income Elderly Projects with PRACs
HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing Programs (Multifamily) issued Notice H-2023-02 on February 9, explaining the purpose and allowable uses of supportive services funds and the requirements for requesting Multifamily approval to include those funds in the annual operating budget for Section 202 PRAC projects (formerly known as Section 202 Supportive Housing for Low-Income Elderly Capital Advance properties with Project Rental Assistance Contracts (PRACs)). The Notice also reiterates that Section 202 PRAC properties must have a Supportive Services Plan in place that is updated every three years.
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HUD Inspector General Finds Office of Multifamily Programs Did Not Identify Properties with Successive Failing Physical Inspection Scores
HUD’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) issued “Previous Participation Flags in Multifamily’s Active Partner Performance System,” an audit of the Office of Multifamily Programs (Multifamily). The audit is meant to determine whether Multifamily properly “flagged” Project-Based Section 8 Rental Assistance (PBRA) properties that received unacceptable physical inspection scores. The OIG audit, dated February 14, found that 13 of 21 reviewed properties with consecutive Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) scores of less than 60 were missing the required “flags” for unacceptable physical conditions in Multifamily’s Active Partners Performance System (APPS). In six of those 13 instances, the property had more than one missing flag. Flags are considered risk factors that require appropriate mitigation.
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Final Rule Implementing HOTMA Sections 102, 103, and 104 Published in Federal Register
The final rule implementing all but one of the remaining provisions of the “Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016” (HOTMA) was published in the Federal Register on February 14. The publication follows the posting by HUD of a preview version on January 31 (see Memo, 2/6). While other HOTMA provisions had previously been implemented (see Memo, 10/13/20), Sections 102, 103, and 104 still required formal public review and comment prior to implementation. A proposed rule to implement these provisions was published on September 17, 2019 (see Memo, 9/23/19). Most of the provisions will not take effect until January 1, 2024.
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Disaster Housing Recovery
NLIHC-Led DHRC Responds to HUD Request for Information about Long-Term Disaster Recovery Program
HUD issued a historic Request for Information (RFI) regarding both the allocation formula and rules of the agency’s Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program in late 2022. The agency is seeking to create a universal allocation notice to better standardize program requirements, which have become more confusing and complicated with every subsequent allocation of funds due to the CDBG-DR program’s lack of permanent authorization. On February 21, NLIHC filed comments on behalf of its Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) requesting that HUD ensure that disaster assistance can effectively reach those most impacted by disasters in an equitable, transparent, and efficient manner. The comment addressing the specific RFI related to program rules was drafted collaboratively and cosigned by 18 local, state, and national members of the DHRC.
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Disaster Housing Recovery Update – February 27
Congressional and National Updates
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) has a history of pushing for urgent action related to climate change. As the new chair of the powerful Senate Budget Committee, he is expected to continue that focus through a series of hearings.
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Opportunity Starts at Home
Housing Instability Identified as Social Determinant of Heart Disease in New Study
A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association identifies housing instability as a risk factor for heart disease. The study examined 3,100 counties across the U.S. using data released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In addition to finding that residents in rural counties and those with predominately Black residents experience higher rates of cardiovascular disease than residents in urban and predominantly white counties, the study found that housing instability was consistently associated with cardiovascular disease and death. Read an article about the study here.
Research
Housing Supply Constraints Can Impact Adult Homelessness
An article published in Urban Studies by Casey Dawkins, “Homelessness and Housing Supply,” assesses the relationship between housing supply constraints, especially land use regulations, and rates of homelessness among adults. Contrary to previous studies that assumed housing supply constraints only impacted homelessness through higher rents, Dawkins’s study finds that housing supply constraints appear to impact adult homelessness primarily through their influence on eviction rates, while also being associated with unobserved local policies. Dawkins argues that the reformation of land use policies that constrain housing supply could complement other efforts to address homelessness, such as welfare and federal homelessness assistance funding. He also calls for more coordination between homeless services providers and land use planners.
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Many Cities Fail to Connect Restrictive Land Use Policies with Homelessness
A brief published by researchers from Boston University, Cornell University, and Community Solutions, “Cities, Zoning, and the Fragmented Response to Homelessness,” explores the extent to which cities address underlying housing and land use issues in their approaches to solving homelessness. Many cities have in place restrictive zoning policies that hinder or prohibit the development of multifamily housing, including subsidized housing and housing designed for individuals experiencing homelessness. The authors of the brief argue that such policies cause housing shortages that lift rent prices, spurring increases in homelessness. Thus, cities can address homelessness by reforming land use and zoning policies. Yet many municipal governments do not understand the links between homelessness and zoning policies, stymying their efforts to end homelessness.
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Fact of the Week
Adults with HUD Assistance Were More Likely to Have Long COVID Than Adults without HUD Assistance
Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, “Self-Reported Long COVID-19 among HUD-Assisted Adults: Preliminary Findings from the Household Pulse Survey (HPS) Linked with HUD Administrative Data,” February 2023, https://tinyurl.com/4h567nap; NLIHC tabulations of Household Pulse Survey Weeks 46-52: June 2022 to December 2022, U.S. Census Bureau.
From the Field
City of Fort Myers Approves Housing Trust Fund Rental Assistance Program
The City Council of Fort Myers, Florida, approved an ordinance in January to create an Affordable Housing Trust Fund Rental Assistance program that will provide monthly assistance to households with incomes at or below 100% of area median income (AMI). In addition to rental assistance, the Affordable Housing Trust Fund program will provide the city with the means to create homes affordable for renters. Community leaders have noted that the program is only one of many approaches that the municipal government can take in addressing housing affordability challenges in Fort Myers. However, as many emergency rental assistance programs across the country close due to insufficient federal funding, Fort Myers has sought to replace federal dollars with local funds to address the need for affordable housing in the community.
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Housing Policy Forum
Learn about Housing and Climate Change at NLIHC’s 2023 Housing Policy Forum
NLIHC’s Housing Policy Forum 2023: Onward to Housing Justice, taking place on March 21-23 at the Hilton Washington DC Capitol Hill Hotel in Washington, D.C., will feature a number of breakout sessions, including a session led by NLIHC Senior Policy Analyst Noah Patton on housing and climate change. Learn more about this session and the other panels and speakers at the 2023 Forum by exploring the agenda, and then register to attend the 2023 Housing Policy Forum!
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NLIHC Encourages Advocates to Participate in Capitol Hill Day
NLIHC invites advocates to participate in our hybrid Capitol Hill Day on Thursday, March 23. Participants will have the opportunity to meet with their members of Congress to urge them to oppose funding cuts to affordable housing and homelessness programs, expand resources for these vital programs, advance anti-racist policies, and support legislation that would improve the lives of millions of low-income people. Advocates can register to attend a February 28 webinar that will help prepare for Capitol Hill Day advocacy here. Capitol Hill Day is part of NLIHC’s Housing Policy Forum 2023: Onward to Housing Justice, which will take place on March 21-23 at the Hilton Capitol Hill Hotel in Washington, D.C. Register for the Forum at: bit.ly/3Yfba5R
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Leadership Awards Ceremony
NLIHC to Honor Rep. Cori Bush at Housing Leadership Awards Ceremony on March 22
NLIHC will honor Congresswoman Cori Bush (D-MO) at our 41st Annual Housing Leadership Awards Celebration on Wednesday, March 22, from 6:30 to 8 pm at the Hilton Washington DC Capitol Hill Hotel in Washington, D.C. Congresswoman Bush will receive the 2023 Edward W. Brooke Housing Leadership Award for leading a movement to guarantee housing for all. In her first term in Congress, she introduced legislation to end homelessness by 2025, led a demonstration on the steps of the U.S. Capitol that successfully called on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to extend the eviction moratorium, and introduced legislation to permanently implement an eviction moratorium throughout the pandemic. The Brooke award is named for Senator Edward Brooke (R-MA), who as a U.S. senator and later as chair of the NLIHC board of directors championed low-income housing. The celebration will also honor John Parvensky and the organization Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico. Donate to NLIHC in these leaders’ honor as an individual or as an organization.
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NLIHC in the News
NLIHC in the News for the Week of February 19
The following are some of the news stories to which NLIHC contributed during the week of February 19:
- “Nonprofit Hospitals Can Improve Community Health Through Housing Investments” American Progress, February 21 at: http://bit.ly/3m3WHvy
- “Vice President Kamala Harris, HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge to Announce Federal Housing Initiative in Bowie on Wednesday” Baltimore Sun, February 17 at: http://bit.ly/3Ijuo3C
- “NJ Public Housing Secures $94 million for Fixes. That’s not Nearly Enough, Advocates Say” USA Today, February 20 at: http://bit.ly/3EA94pz
NLIHC News
NLIHC Welcomes Mackenzie Pish as Research Analyst
NLIHC is pleased to welcome Mackenzie Pish as a research analyst. Mackenzie will help the Coalition document and report the housing needs of low-income community members across the U.S.
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Where to Find Us – February 27
- National Alliance to End Homelessness, “Innovations and Solutions for Ending Unsheltered Homelessness” – March 1-3, Oakland, CA (Diane Yentel)
- National Housing Conference, “Solutions for Housing Communications” – March 15, Washington, D.C. (Sarah Saadian)
- New Jersey Housing Collaborative Workgroup – Virtual, March 29 (Lindsay Duvall)
- South Dakota Housing for the Homeless Consortium, Annual Homeless Summit – Pierre, South Dakota, June 13-14 (Diane Yentel and Courtney Cooperman)
Lilly Amechi, Policy Intern
Andrew Aurand, Senior Vice President for Research, x245
Sidney Betancourt, Housing Advocacy Organizer, x200
Victoria Bourret, ERASE Senior Project Coordinator x244
Jen Butler, Vice President of Media Relations and Communications, x239
Alayna Calabro, Senior Policy Analyst, x252
Matthew Clarke, Writer/Editor, x207
Courtney Cooperman, Housing Advocacy Organizer, x263
Bairy Diakite, Director of Operations, x254
Lindsay Duvall, Senior Organizer for Housing Advocacy, x206
Dan Emmanuel, Senior Research Analyst, x316
David Foster, Field Intern
Ed Gramlich, Senior Advisor, x314
Sarah Gallagher, Senior Director, ERASE Project, x220
Jordan Goldstein, Communications/Graphic Design Intern
Danita Humphries, Senior Executive Assistant, x226
Nada Hussein, ERASE Project Coordinator, x264
Kendra Johnson, Chief Operating Officer, x232
Kim Johnson, Public Policy Manager, x243
Mike Koprowski, OSAH Campaign Director, x317
Kayla Laywell, Housing Policy Analyst, x231
Mayerline Louis-Juste, Senior Communications Specialist, x201
Khulud Mohammed, Communications/Graphic Design Intern
Steve Moore Sanchez, Development Coordinator, x209
Neetu Nair, Research Analyst, x291
Khara Norris, Senior Director of Administration, x242
Noah Patton, Senior Housing Policy Analyst, x227
Mackenzie Pish, Research Analyst
Ikra Rafi, Creative Services Manager, x246
Benja Reilly, Development Specialist, x234
Gabrielle Ross, Housing Advocacy Organizer, x208
Sarah Saadian, Senior Vice President for Public Policy and Field Organizing, x228
Brooke Schipporeit, Manager of Field Organizing x233
Sophie Siebach-Glover, Research Analyst, x205
Lauren Steimle, Web/Graphic Design Specialist, x246
Leslie Villegas, ERASE Intern
Chantelle Wilkinson, OSAH Campaign Manager, x230
Renee Willis, Senior Vice President for Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, x247
Rebecca Yae, Senior Research Analyst, x256
Diane Yentel, President and CEO, x225
Zak Zethner, Research Intern
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