The U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD), released their fiscal year (FY) 2019 budget proposal that is mostly in line with budget requests Prosperity Indiana urged legislators to support, but there are some areas of concern for members to be aware of that we plan to focus advocacy on before the bill comes before the full Committee in the coming weeks.
Overall, the bill maintains the omnibus funding levels which represented a 10 percent increase in funding housing programs compared to the prior fiscal year which is an important victory for affordable housing advocates. Additionally, the bill is $11 billion above the Administration’s request and does not include the rent increases or work requirements proposed by Secretary Carson. As outlined below, many programs would receive level funding or modest increases, but this bill does have some concerns for our members.
Proposed cuts or shortfalls include $162 million less for the HOME Investment Partnerships program compared to FY18 and funding for Project-Based Rental Assistance and Housing Choice Vouchers that is not sufficient to cover contract renewals.
Programs that received level funding include Public Housing Operating and Capital Funds and Community Development Block Grants. Additionally, funding is provided for 811, Housing for People with Disabilities and 202, Housing for the Elderly, at levels to renew contracts.
There were modest increases for Housing for Persons with AIDS, Homeless Assistance Grants, HUD Policy Research and Development, and new funding for a mobility voucher demonstration for families with young children to assist in moving to areas of opportunity.
The THUD Appropriations Subcommittee will vote on the draft today without any amendments. In the next few weeks, full Appropriations Committee will mark up the bill and amendments will be considered. Stay tuned for updates! A full chart of budget updates can be found here: http://nlihc.org/sites/default/files/NLIHC_HUD-USDA_Budget-Chart.pdf
