Minnesota Coalition for the HomelessProtect Our Homes Update

Protect Our Homes

Protect Our Homes (POH) is a federal campaign to protect programs at the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and increase investments at HUD will be meeting again this summer.

Last summer POH was started in response to proposed cuts to important programs at HUD. Participants of the campaign engaged Minnesota’s Congressional delegation through in-district tours, group conversations, letters and social media outreach and ultimately helped protect proven resources which help vulnerable Minnesotans find and maintain affordable housing.

Over the past several months proposals aiming to increase the cost of rent for people accessing Section 8, adjust the HUD requirements gross income limit for participation, impose work requirement for Section 8 participants, harmful budget resolutions and cuts to housing benefits have surfaced. As we move through the 2019 budget process more proposals that undermine the dignity and worth of under-resourced and marginalized communities are expected. POH will be meeting on the following day to strategize and respond to continued changes.

POH’s next meeting will be:

Date: Wednesday, July 18th
Time: 10am-11:30am
Call-In Option: 515-604-9790 Access Code: 918495#
Location: Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless
555 Wabasha Street North
St. Paul, MN 55102

Brief Update

The House voted and passed a bill that maintains the 10% increase in HUD funding that advocates and congressional champions secured in FY18, with modest additional increases for FY19. This funding was a clear rejection of the president’s call to drastically cut housing investments. The bill provides more than $11 billion above the presidents FY19 request, rejects the harmful rent increases, rigid work requirements, and unofficial time limits proposed by the president in his FY19 budget request and by subsequent legislation. Despite the new resources and overall increased funding available to HUD, the amounts provided in the House bill are likely not enough to renew all existing Housing Choice Vouchers and project-based rental assistance contracts.

In addition, the Senate Appropriations Committee has begun its process for setting FY19 funding levels for affordable housing and community development programs at HUD.

The Senate rejected a recession package which included cuts to affordable housing, by a 48-50 vote, the “The Spending Cuts to Expired and Unnecessary Programs Act” on June 20. The bill would have cut $15 billion in previously approved funding, including cuts of almost $40 million from public housing, $40 million from rural rental assistance, and $141 million from the Capital Magnet Fund.

It is critical that any final bill passed during this budget cycle increases funding levels to ensure HUD programs can renew all housing assistance contracts.

If you would like to be added to the Protect Our Homes email list, email eden@mnhomelesscoalition.org.

Hope to see you at the meeting.