Public Housing
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Investing Climate Revenues in Subsidized Housing Energy Efficiency Would Cut Emissions and Lower Federal Costs
July 7, 2009
The federal government spends more than $3 billion per year on utility costs in public housing and privately owned subsidized housing. Investments that increase energy efficiency in subsidized developments can lower those expenditures and generate long-term federal savings that would offset much of the up-front cost. Those … -
Testimony: Will Fischer, Senior Policy Analyst, at the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity
June 4, 2009
Thank you for the opportunity to testify. I am Will Fischer, a Senior Policy Analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The Center is an independent, nonprofit policy institute that conducts research and analysis on a range of federal and state policy issues affecting low- and moderate- income families. … -
Decade of Neglect Has Weakened Federal Low-Income Housing Programs
February 25, 2009
A large and growing number of low-income renters face unaffordable housing costs. Federal housing programs have proven effective in enabling millions of low-income households to obtain stable, decent housing, but a funding squeeze and various actions taken by Congress and the Bush Administration have weakened these programs considerably, just when the need is rising.… -
Policy Basics: Introduction to Public Housing
December 18, 2008
What Is Public Housing? Public housing, one of the nation’s primary housing assistance programs, provides homes to 2.3 million low-income Americans. Nearly two-thirds of public housing families have members who are elderly or have a disability. Public housing is separate from the Section 8 housing voucher program, which … -
Recession Could Cause Large Increases in Poverty and Push Millions into Deep Poverty
November 24, 2008
[T]he current downturn is likely to cause significant increases both in the number of Americans who are poor and the number living in "deep poverty," with incomes below half of the poverty line...There are a series of steps that federal and state policymakers could take to soften the recession’s harshest impacts and limit the extent of the increases in deep poverty, destitution, and homelessness.
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Preserving Safe, High Quality Public Housing Should Be a Priority of Federal Housing Policy
Revised October 8, 2008
This report, based on significant new research, examines the state of public housing in the United States today and discusses federal policy changes that have greatly improved public housing over the past decade, as well as the deteriorating funding situation that is undermining this progress. It then outlines several policy … -
HUD Budget Contains Major Funding Shortfalls
May 5, 2008
Last year, Congress rejected deep cuts the Administration proposed in affordable housing and community development programs and funded the Department of Housing and Urban Development at $2.1 billion above the Administration’s budget request for 2008. For 2009, Congress will have to provide a substantially larger increase — totaling … -
Testimony: Enhancing Affordable Housing Opportunities: Reforming the Housing Voucher Program"
April 16, 2008
I am Barbara Sard, Director of Housing Policy for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The Center is an independent, nonprofit policy institute that conducts research and analysis on a range of federal and state policy issues, with particular emphasis on fiscal policies and policies affecting low and moderate-income families. We receive no government … -
Senate Bill Would Update And Streamline Housing Voucher Program
March 10, 2008
On March 3, 2008, Senate Banking Committee Chair Chris Dodd, Senate Housing Subcommittee Chair Charles Schumer, and several other Senators introduced S. 2684, the Section 8 Voucher Reform Act (SEVRA). SEVRA would make significant changes to the “Section 8” Housing Choice Voucher program and related changes in other … -
House Bill Makes Significant Improvements In “Hope Vi” Public Housing Revitalization Program
Revised January 30, 2008
On January 17, the House of Representatives approved H.R. 3524, the HOPE VI Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2007, by a vote of 271 – 130. The bill reauthorizes the program for 7 years, while making a number of important improvements. Historically, HOPE VI — which provides grants to public housing agencies to … -
Preliminary Analysis of the HUD Provisions of the Omnibus Appropriations Bill for FY 2008
Revised January 4, 2008
Here is a preliminary assessment of the HUD provisions of H.R. 2764, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2008 (or “omnibus”), which includes funding for programs administered by HUD and every other federal agency outside of Defense. The bill was approved by Congress on December 19 and signed into law by the President on … -
HUD Bill Avoids Deep Cuts in 2008
Revised November 16, 2007
Executive Summary Congress is expected to approve soon an appropriations bill (H.R. 3074) to fund programs administered by the Departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Transportation, and a few smaller agencies. The President has threatened to veto this and other domestic appropriations bills that do not contain the level of … -
Bipartisan Legislation Would Build on Housing Voucher Program's Success
Revised July 26, 2007
On July 12, 2007, the House of Representatives approved H.R. 1851, the Section 8 Voucher Reform Act (SEVRA) by a bipartisan vote of 333-83. SEVRA would make significant changes to the housing voucher program and also institute related changes in laws governing other housing assistance programs. Similar legislation is expected to be … -
Congress Should Increase HUD’s Budget to Prevent Families from Losing Assistance and Address Growing Needs
Revised June 1, 2007
The President’s budget for fiscal year 2008 proposes to cut $2 billion (5 percent) from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), compared to the 2007 funding level, adjusted for inflation.[1] The deepest cuts would be made in housing for the elderly and disabled (a 29 percent cut), Community Development Block Grants (a … -
Testimony: Barbara Sard, Director of Housing Policy, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
March 9, 2007
I appreciate the opportunity to testify concerning the proposed Section 8 Voucher Reform Act. I am Barbara Sard, director of housing policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The Center is an independent, nonprofit policy institute that conducts research and analysis on a range of federal and state policy issues, with … -
The Effects of the Federal Budget Squeeze on Low-Income Housing Assistance
February 1, 2007
Executive Summary Federal housing assistance programs for low-income families face growing budget challenges. Housing costs have grown faster than most families’ incomes in recent years, and a growing number of low-income families — including many working-poorfamilies — face housing costs that are unaffordably high. Yet … -
Public Housing Squeezed Between Higher Utility Costs and Stagnant Funding
October 11, 2006
The nation’s public housing units provide affordable homes to about 1.1 million low-income households, approximately half of which are headed by people who are elderly or have disabilities. The local housing agencies that administer these units are required by federal law to rent them to low-income families at rents the families can afford. Those rents are often inadequate to … -
Bipartisan Bill in House Would Make Marked Improvements in Housing Voucher Program
Revised August 16, 2006
Executive Summary On May 22, 2006, a bipartisan group of leaders of the House Financial Services Committee introduced the Section 8 Voucher Reform Act (SEVRA), which would make a series of changes in the housing voucher program and other housing assistance programs. The bill (H.R. 5443), which the Housing and Community … -
Rent Changes In Housing Bill Will Help Many Tenants
Revised August 1, 2006
On June 14, 2006 the House Financial Services Committee passed H.R. 5443, the Section 8 Voucher Reform Act (SEVRA). The bill would alter the rules for setting rents for tenants in public housing and project-based Section 8 units, as well as for voucher holders. [1] The full House will likely consider the bill in the … -
Inspector General Reports on HUD’s Moving To Work Demonstration Raise Serious Questions
July 13, 2006
A series of reports by HUD’s Inspector General have found serious flaws in the implementation of the Moving to Work (MTW) housing demonstration, including ineffective oversight by HUD and poor use of funds by some local housing agencies. These findings, considered together with other risks posed by MTW, suggest that … -
Administration Housing Proposal Lays Groundwork for Planned Funding Reductions
May 9, 2005
An Administration proposal, recently introduced in Congress as the “State and Local Housing Flexibility Act,” would make fundamental changes to two of the nation’s primary low-income housing assistance programs — the housing choice voucher program and public housing. [1] The proposal would lay the groundwork for … -
Newly Proposed Housing Legislation Would Leave Public Housing Agencies Vulnerable to Substantial Funding Cuts and Shifting HUD Mandates
May 3, 2005
The State and Local Housing Flexibility Act of 2005, proposed by HUD and introduced in Congress in April, [1] would make sweeping changes in federal housing policy. Among other things, the proposed legislation would convert the Section 8 housing voucher program into a block grant, eliminate the requirement that rents be … -
The Family Self-Sufficiency Program
Revised March 28, 2001
What is the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program? FSS is a program designed to promote employment and increase savings among families receiving Section 8 vouchers or certificates or living in public housing. There are two main features to FSS: an escrow account and case management. …
