National Housing Trust Fund Update

In addition to what we reported in December about the House passing funding for the Housing Trust Fund the following is happening in the Senate.

In a "Dear Colleague" letter initiated by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), 25 U.S. Senators wrote to Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senators Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Byron Dorgan (D-ND) on January 21 to request that $1 billion to capitalize the National Housing Trust Fund and $65 million for project-based vouchers to be coupled with NHTF grants be included in the "jobs" bill that the three Senate leaders are expected to make public next week.  The request mirrors what was included in the House "Jobs for Main Street Act, 2010" that passed the House at the end of December.

The letter cited the number of jobs that would be created with this level of investment, using data supplied by the National Low Income Housing Coalition.

In addition to Senator Reed, the letter was signed by Senators Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Robert Casey (D-PA), Russ Feingold (D-WI), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Arlen Specter (D-PA), Tom Udall (D-NM), Roland Burris (D-IL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Ted Kaufman (D-DE), Charles Schumer (D-NY), John Kerry (D-MA), Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Carl Levin (D-MI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mark Begich (D-AK), and Robert Menendez (D-NJ).

Reprinted with permission of National Low Income Housing Coalition