off the charts
POLICY INSIGHT
BEYOND THE NUMBERS
BEYOND THE NUMBERS
Why the Ryan Plan Should Worry Those Who Are Concerned About the Affordable Housing Crisis, Part 1
A centerpiece of House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s poverty plan is the proposal to consolidate 11 safety net programs — including four housing assistance programs — into a single, flexible block grant to states. Among its downsides, this proposal threatens to lead to reductions in funding that provides housing assistance to millions of low-income families and individuals.
My colleagues have already set out some of the reasons to be concerned by Chairman Ryan’s proposal:
- Block grants have proven to be easy targets for funding cuts, in part because their inherent flexibility makes it difficult to demonstrate how cuts would affect needy families and communities.
- Total funding to assist low-income families — from federal, state, and local sources combined — likely would also decline, because broad block grants afford states opportunities to use block grant funds to replace state and local funds now going for similar services.
- Ryan’s proposal would make it more likely that some families would receive additional services only if other needy individuals and families receive significantly less assistance.
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