Victory for Housing Advocates during JCPA-Bnai Brith Affordable Housing Month!
Earlier this month, Jewish communities across the country celebrated Sukkot, a holiday that reminds us not to take shelter and stability for granted.
At a time when sub-prime mortgages are collapsing, 1.35 million children are homeless on America’s streets, and every single congressional district faces an affordable housing crisis, Sukkot’s message is particularly poignant.
Today, however, anti-poverty advocates got some good news.
Earlier this afternoon, the House of Representatives passed HR2895, The National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2007 by a vote of 264-148. This bill would establish dedicated sources of funding for the production, preservation and rehabilitation of 1.5 million affordable housing units in 10 years, with 75 percent of the funds for extremely low-income households.
JCPA has been working with the National Housing Trust Fund Campaign, coordinated by the National Low Income Housing Coalition to achieve passage for several years and today marked a milestone in the struggle to get the legislation signed into law.
The House has already passed legislation authorizing funding sources that would provide $800 million-$1 billion a year, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The money would come from Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as the expansion of the Federal Housing Administration’s (FHA) home equity conversion mortgage produce.
The Senate is expected to introduce a bill sometime in November or early December.
Sheila Crowley, President of the National Low-Income Housing Coalition stated today, “Housing is the foundation of thriving communities. In the United States of America, we should not tolerate a housing shortage of the magnitude we now face. HR2895 asserts that this housing shortage is unacceptable and that we as a nation intend to correct this failing at long last.”
The passage of HR2895 occurs in the midst of JCPA and B’nai B’rith International’s Affordable Housing Month, part of JCPA’s national anti-poverty campaign, “There Shall Be No Needy Among You.” Together with B’nai B’rith we are committed to providing you with advocacy and service opportunities that address America’s affordable housing crisis throughout October. Our partnership is based on our shared Jewish tradition:
“If a community lacked a synagogue and a shelter for the poor; it was first obligated to build a shelter for the poor” (Seder Hasidim).
Today, less than one week after the end of Sukkot, we have moved one step closer to an America where all communities have sufficient safe and affordable housing.
To get more information on JCPA’s anti-poverty campaign, “There shall be no needy among you”, click here or contact Melissa Boteach at mboteach@thejcpa.org or 202-212-6039.
