Reps. Morgan McGarvey and Suzanne Bonamici Lead Effort to Improve Family Access to Housing Assistance
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 13, 2023) – Today Congressman Morgan McGarvey (KY-03) and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) led 25 of their colleagues in drawing attention to the decline in federal housing assistance programs for families with children.
Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers and the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit are two of the largest federal housing programs that can help prevent homelessness. Unfortunately, data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Section 8 vouchers shows that families with children have received a smaller share of voucher recipients over the last decade.
“The Biden Administration has shown historic dedication to improving opportunities for homeownership and increasing protections for families who rent,” the Representatives wrote. “Unfortunately, the number of families experiencing homelessness is on the rise nationally. We write to request information from your agencies so we can work together to improve federal programs to better serve vulnerable families.”
In 2009, households with children received 42 percent of the benefits from subsidized HUD programs. By 2022, that percentage had declined to 33 percent. This includes Section 8 choice vouchers, public housing, and project-based vouchers.
The letter requests HUD and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) provide information on policies to enhance support for families and youth at risk of homelessness, including:
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Data on how many new families are being accepted in federal housing programs;
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A breakdown of information about families’ access to developments subsidized by the Low Income Housing Tax Credit and Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers;
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Confirmation of the downward trend of families with children accessing federally subsidized housing and details on what may be the potential causes;
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Information on initiatives HUD and IRS are undertaking to promote housing stability for families
The letter is supported by First Focus Campaign for Children and SchoolHouse Connection.
“Access to safe and affordable housing is critical for healthy child development, yet publicly available data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development shows that over the past decade, families with children are a declining share of subsidized housing recipients,” said Bruce Lesley, President, First Focus Campaign for Children. “First Focus Campaign for Children applauds Reps. Bonamici, McGarvey, and the rest of the signers for prioritizing children by sending this letter to HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge and IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel to inquire about this concerning trend, as well as ask for more information about actions taken by HUD and the IRS to increase support for families and youth experiencing homelessness and housing instability.”
In addition to Reps. Bonamici and McGarvey, the letter was signed by 25 of their colleagues, including Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Dwight Evans (D-PA), John Garamendi (D-CA), Sylvia Garcia (D-TX), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Doris Matsui (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Scott Peters (D-CA), Delia Ramirez (D-IL), Deborah Ross (D-NC), Andrea Salinas (D-OR), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Shri Thanedar (D-MI), David Trone (D-MD), Juan Vargas (D-CA), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), and Nikema Williams (D-GA).
Reps. Bonamici and McGarvey lead the bipartisan, bicameral Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act together.
The full text of the letter can be found below.
Dear Secretary Fudge and Commissioner Werfel,
We write today to inquire about efforts to safeguard affordable housing for families in the United States. The Biden Administration has shown historic dedication to improving opportunities for homeownership and increasing protections for families who rent. Unfortunately, the number of families experiencing homelessness is on the rise nationally.] We write to request information from your agencies so we can work together to improve federal programs to better serve vulnerable families.
The Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) and Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers are our largest programs to secure housing stability for vulnerable Americans. It is essential that all our federal housing programs, but especially LIHTC and Section 8, directly serve the needs of low-income families. There is a potentially concerning trend of fewer families with children accessing stable housing through federal assistance, especially LIHTC and Section 8 vouchers. The database on the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s website shows that the percent of people with children in subsidized housing nationally has fallen to 33 percent, which is the lowest percentage in a decade and an overall decline of eight percent from 2010. According to research from the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, the number of families receiving rent assistance fell by 250,000 or 13 percent from 2004 to 2016.
Although Congress has not provided needed investments to expand federal housing programs to fully meet the demands of our housing crisis, we remain concerned about fewer and fewer families with children being served by these programs. We ask that you provide responses to the following questions:
1. Do your agencies have data showing how many new families are being accepted in federal housing programs?
a. Please provide a breakdown of information about families’ access to developments subsidized by the Low Income Housing Tax Credit and Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers.
2. Does data available to your agencies reflect a downward trend of families with children accessing federally subsidized housing? If so, please detail the cause of this trend, including whether it is related to any or a combination of the following:
a. Prioritization of people other than families with children by housing developers or local and state housing agencies;
b. Rehabilitation and construction of units that are not accessible to families with children;
c. Children in families who entered housing developments moving out and the rest of their family staying, which in turn keeps these units off the market;
d. Discrimination based on source of income or familial status by landlords against vouchers or other screening practices that disproportionately harm low-income families with children; and,
e. Lack of accessible units for families with children because of limited appropriations for housing programs.
3. What initiatives is HUD taking to promote housing stability for families?
a. What resources are needed to fully meet the mission of the Family Unification Program?
b. When does HUD anticipate publishing guidance to better integrate services with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in response to the 2021 report, GAO-21-540?
c. How will family housing stability be integrated into the LGBTQI+ Youth Homelessness Initiative?
The need for expanded resources to address housing and houselessness is clear. As demonstrated by the Emergency Rental Assistance Program created during the COVID-19 pandemic, dedicated federal resources prevent evictions, improve wellbeing and financial security, and fill gaps to mitigate housing cost increases. We remain committed to addressing underinvestment in housing and making housing and homeownership affordable and achievable for all Americans. It is essential that Congress addresses this important issue and our effort must be coupled with policies that remove barriers to family access and enhance coordination of the full spectrum of services for people at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
Thank you again for your dedication to making affordable housing attainable for all Americans. We look forward to your answers and opportunities to partner with you to deliver the resources needed so everyone has a safe and affordable place to call home.
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