Jenny Kye: Hello, everybody. Thanks for becoming a member of us for in the present day’s webinar on Federal Housing Updates for Growing old Advocates. My identify is Jenny Kye. I’m the director of Federal Housing Advocacy with Justice in Growing old. Additionally presenting in the present day is Chantelle Wilkinson, who’s the vice chairman for Strategic Partnerships and Campaigns with the Nationwide Low Revenue Housing Coalition.
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If you happen to’re not already acquainted with Justice in Growing old, we’re a nationwide authorized advocacy group that makes use of the ability of legislation to combat senior poverty by securing entry to inexpensive well being care, housing, financial safety, and the courts for older adults with restricted sources. And we focus our efforts totally on individuals who have been marginalized and excluded from justice resembling girls, individuals of colour, LGBTQ+ people, and folks with restricted English proficiency. Our dedication to justice is central to what we do, and we imagine that to advance justice in growing old, everybody ought to have entry to what they want as they age with out discrimination.
If you happen to’re not already on our electronic mail listing, we encourage you to affix our community so to obtain all of our supplies. You possibly can enroll by going to our web site, which is justiceinaging.org, or you may as well ship an electronic mail to information@justiceinaging.org.
We do have a visitor presenter in the present day. Chantelle Wilkinson is becoming a member of us from the Nationwide Low Revenue Housing Coalition. Chantelle is the coalition’s vice chairman of Strategic Partnerships and Campaigns. Earlier than this function, Chantelle served because the coalition’s Alternative Begins at Residence multi-sector marketing campaign director, and Chantelle got here to the NLIHC from New York the place she labored as a finances analyst for the state legislature and helped enact housing and transportation insurance policies. So thanks, Chantelle, for becoming a member of us in the present day.
For in the present day’s agenda, first we’ll speak about some background data and why federal rental help is necessary for older adults. After which we’ll present a high-level overview of some coverage developments, and we’ll speak about each administrative advocacy and congressional advocacy alternatives. After which Chantelle will share concerning the Nationwide Low Revenue Housing Coalition’s Alternative Begins at Residence Marketing campaign, which is a multi-sector marketing campaign to advance federal housing options for low-income renters. Our general aim for in the present day’s webinar is to present you a high-level overview of some key federal housing updates and methods to get entangled with federal housing advocacy.
First, we’ll speak about federal rental help. Federal rental help is basically extra necessary than ever for older adults, and it is because older adults are the fastest-growing group amongst individuals experiencing homelessness. And older adults are additionally considerably overrepresented amongst extraordinarily low-income renters who’re the almost certainly to expertise housing instability. A significant purpose for it is because quite a lot of older adults reside on mounted incomes like SSI or social safety advantages, and these advantages haven’t been maintaining with rents, which have risen fairly dramatically.
On this slide, I’ve included some figures concerning the most federal SSI profit and the typical social safety retirement profit. These numbers are from January of this 12 months, so that they’ve probably modified by now. However the backside line is that for older adults who’re dwelling on SSI, they’re actually priced out of each rental market within the nation. Even for older adults who’re dwelling on Social Safety retirement, these retirement advantages are actually very modest. Somebody who’s getting the typical Social Safety retirement verify must spend virtually 80% of that verify with a purpose to pay the lease for a median one-bedroom house.
We’ll be speaking so much about federal rental help in the present day. And once we say federal rental help, we, for functions of this presentation, are referring to a set of various applications, together with the Division of Housing and City Improvement’s housing and homeless help applications. So some examples of those are the Housing Selection Voucher Program. These are additionally generally referred to as Part 8 vouchers, Part 202 senior housing, and everlasting supportive housing for individuals experiencing homelessness. HUD administers the overwhelming majority of federal rental help, however the U.S. Division of Agriculture, additionally they have rural rental help. The widespread theme amongst all of those applications is they supply deep housing subsidies to assist individuals pay their lease and afford housing. These applications serve households who’re extraordinarily low revenue or low revenue, and households in these applications, they often pay about 30% of their family revenue in the direction of lease. After which the housing subsidy covers the remainder of rental prices up till a sure restrict.
Federal rental help serves a big variety of older adults. These applications, they assist over two million older adults. For reference, that is about the identical variety of older adults who’re served by the SSI program. Over 40% of households throughout HUD’s main rental help applications are headed by older adults age 62 and over. I believe lots of people intuitively perceive that federal rental help improves housing safety, however I believe generally individuals overlook its impression on financial safety. This impression is especially necessary for older adults as a result of federal rental help lifts extra older adults above the poverty line than every other authorities program moreover Social Safety. The anti-poverty impact of federal rental help is definitely the best for older adults when in comparison with different age teams.
So despite the fact that federal rental help is vital and efficient, sadly there’s simply not sufficient federal rental help to fulfill the necessity. It’s because federal rental help has been chronically underfunded. Not like quite a lot of different public profit applications, federal rental help applications, these will not be entitlement applications. So in different phrases, not everybody who’s eligible can obtain help. Amongst older adults, solely about one in three older adults who wants federal rental help receives it. And in a nationwide survey of Space Businesses on Growing old, over 70% of the respondents reported that the shortage of federal rental help was a significant problem for older adults. I am positive lots of you’re acquainted with the fact that when older adults apply for backed housing, they’re often taking a look at actually lengthy wait lists and ready for years, or generally wait lists are simply closed altogether as a result of there are simply so many candidates. So it is actually very important that finally sooner or later we develop federal rental help to fulfill the necessity. Nevertheless it’s additionally vital that for now we, no less than, at a minimal, protect present ranges of help.
In order that was some background, and now we’ll transfer on to speaking extra about coverage developments that will have an effect on entry to federal rental help. We’ll speak about administrative advocacy alternatives first. We predict to see a number of guidelines or proposed guidelines from HUD within the coming months, as a result of HUD shall be doing quite a lot of rulemaking. After we speak about rulemaking, we’re speaking about HUD making modifications or proposing modifications to its laws that govern varied HUD housing and homeless help applications. One caveat is that we do not know the precise content material of those guidelines as a result of they have not been printed but, and we additionally do not know precisely when they are going to be launched. However what we do know is that these guidelines are within the pipeline, and in addition a few of them are based mostly on proposals that the Trump administration tried to enact throughout its first time period years in the past.
With all of this rulemaking, HUD shall be soliciting feedback on these proposals from the general public. Submitting feedback is necessary for quite a lot of causes. One, and the most important purpose, after all, is to guarantee that we oppose dangerous modifications. Nevertheless it’s additionally actually necessary that HUD hears from all kinds of stakeholders together with growing old and incapacity advocates. So lots of you’ve gotten actually necessary on the bottom experiences and information that HUD might not hear about except you remark. So we wished to speak about these proposals in the present day to get them in your radar, in order that hopefully you possibly can take into consideration submitting feedback sooner or later.
One motion that we predict from HUD is for HUD to attempt to revoke its 30-day discover rule. It is a rule that the Biden administration finalized on the finish of final 12 months. This rule is necessary as a result of it strengthens eviction protections in HUD-assisted housing. It does this by giving tenants extra time to resolve non-payment instances earlier than a landlord recordsdata for eviction. So in different phrases, in instances the place somebody is behind on their lease and vulnerable to eviction, this rule provides them no less than 30 days to attempt to work out an settlement with the owner or get authorized help or different help to hopefully keep away from eviction. However we predict for HUD to difficulty what’s referred to as an interim remaining rule, or an IFR, to attempt to revoke this rule. Even with an IFR, there’s often a chance to submit feedback, and it will be necessary to oppose HUD making an attempt to revoke this rule as a result of tenant protections are actually vital for stopping homelessness. That is very true within the context of backed housing, as a result of if persons are evicted from backed housing, they often not solely lose their residence, but additionally their subsidy as properly.
We’re additionally anticipating HUD to attempt to weaken its equal entry rule. It is a rule that ensures equal entry to HUD applications together with HUD-funded shelters for LGBTQ+ people, together with people who find themselves transgender. However we predict to see a future proposed rule that may probably enable shelter suppliers to discriminate towards people who find themselves transgender and deny them entry to shelters, as a result of generally these shelters are single-sex services which have shared sleeping areas and shared bogs. We do not know precisely when this proposed rule will come out. It has been within the works for some time, however when it does come out, Justice in Growing old, we can have template feedback accessible for growing old and incapacity organizations. And that’s one thing that we’re at present engaged on.
As you most likely know, immigrants have additionally been an enormous goal of the Trump administration. So we predict to see a proposal from HUD to remove HUD housing help from blended standing households. Blended standing households are households that embrace individuals with completely different immigration statuses and no less than one individual whose standing makes them not eligible for HUD housing help. However at present, blended standing households, they’ll nonetheless obtain HUD housing help for the eligible members on a prorated foundation. However we’re prone to see a proposed rule from HUD that may prohibit blended standing households from dwelling in HUD-subsidized housing. This might put these households, which embrace intergenerational households, vulnerable to eviction and homelessness. We additionally suppose that the proposed rule would require individuals to offer extra paperwork to confirm their citizenship and immigration standing. These new documentation necessities will probably be notably burdensome for older adults and folks with disabilities who usually have a tougher time navigating crimson tape and all of those administrative boundaries.
After which lastly, we’re additionally anticipating HUD to attempt to impose work necessities and cut-off dates in HUD housing help applications. At the moment, there are usually no work necessities and cut-off dates with a purpose to get HUD housing help, however we predict to see a proposed rule from HUD that may probably give public housing authorities and HUD-assisted property house owners the discretion to impose work necessities and/or cut-off dates, which we predict shall be two years. We’re prone to see within the proposed rule exemptions for individuals 62 and over and folks with disabilities. However we all know that even with exemptions, many older adults and folks with disabilities are prone to lose their housing help beneath this kind of rule as a result of, once more, this simply creates quite a lot of new administrative boundaries and crimson tape. We have additionally seen how work necessities play out in different contexts like Medicaid, and it simply all the time ends in individuals shedding their help.
So if you need to remain up to date on commenting alternatives, once more, encourage you to join our electronic mail listing. Now we have a weekly e-newsletter, referred to as From DC, that goes out each Friday, and we offer updates about what is going on on on the federal stage throughout all of our difficulty areas. From DC can be accessible on our web site as a weblog. After which we additionally periodically ship out alerts to our community about necessary advocacy alternatives. In order these proposals and different proposals are launched, we’ll be offering extra particulars to our community.
Now, we’ll shift to speaking about congressional advocacy alternatives and funding for federal rental help. Federal rental help is funded by way of an annual appropriations course of in Congress, and federal rental help was not a part of the reconciliation invoice that just lately handed in Congress. So all the choices round funding for federal rental help for subsequent 12 months are going down proper now as a result of Congress is negotiating fiscal 12 months 26 spending payments proper now. So it is an necessary time to contact Congress, should you’re capable of, to induce them to offer funding for federal rental help. It is necessary that members of Congress hear from their constituents, and they need to be accountable to their constituents.
After which, once more, so lots of you’ve gotten necessary on-the-ground experiences and tales you possibly can share about older adults who’re struggling to afford housing or tales about how essential federal rental help is for retaining older adults housed. These sorts of tales are notably compelling and persuasive for members of Congress. Generally we hear that members of Congress are extra serious about listening to about all these tales than they is perhaps in listening to about analysis or knowledge. After which, after all, it is necessary to remind Congress that federal rental help is necessary for older adults and folks with disabilities, and that federal rental help is a part of the security web for seniors.
We can’t get into all the weedy particulars concerning the present proposals in Congress, however the large image is that the present proposals don’t present sufficient funding for federal rental help. They might basically reduce funding, and this is able to lead to fewer households receiving federal rental help. I additionally wished to notice that with a purpose to keep the identical ranges of help, the applications really need extra funding yearly simply to maintain up with inflation and growing rents. After which, after all, the proposals come amidst the huge cuts to Medicaid and SNAP meals help that Congress just lately enacted by way of the reconciliation invoice, or H.R.1. And we all know that these huge cuts to these applications will simply improve poverty and homelessness. So I believe federal rental help goes to turn into much more necessary for low-income households as a result of many will find yourself shedding different helps like their Medicaid and their SNAP advantages. So we have to do what we are able to to forestall related cuts to federal rental help.
I simply wished to focus on just a few applications particularly. The Housing Selection Voucher Program is the nation’s largest federal rental help program, and its serves extra older adults than every other federal rental help program, about 800,000 older grownup households. However proper now, the proposals in Congress don’t present sufficient funding to keep up present ranges of help. These cuts would have an effect on as much as 71,000 older adults and 106,000 individuals with disabilities, together with older adults with disabilities. The Middle on Finances and Coverage Priorities, they’ve an incredible useful resource that I’ve linked to on this slide, and this useful resource features a state-by-state breakdown of how these cuts would have an effect on individuals in every state. So, encourage you to verify that out.
I additionally wished to focus on the risk to Emergency Housing Vouchers. The Emergency Housing Voucher Program was created in the course of the pandemic, particularly to offer vouchers for individuals vulnerable to or experiencing homelessness, and plenty of communities focused Emergency Housing Vouchers to older adults and folks with disabilities. This program was speculated to final till 2030, however this system has run out of cash early. So it’s set to expire of funding subsequent 12 months. However the present proposals in Congress don’t renew funding for this program. It is a drawback as a result of virtually 60,000 households are nonetheless utilizing these vouchers, and if Congress would not present extra funding, then all of those households will lose their vouchers after which almost certainly lose their housing as properly. At the moment, the estimates are that if this occurs, then, in some states, homelessness might improve by as much as 20%.
After which lastly, I wished to focus on HUD’s Honest Housing applications, and particularly, its Honest Housing Initiatives Program or FIHP program. This isn’t a federal rental help program, however truthful housing is vital for making certain equitable entry to federal rental help and to housing on the whole. HUD’s FIHP program offers funding to frontline nonprofits doing truthful housing work. So for instance, authorized help organizations, safety and advocacy businesses, different standalone truthful housing organizations. These FIHP applications, they supply authorized illustration or different sorts of help to individuals experiencing housing discrimination. However sadly, the Trump administration and the Home, they’re making an attempt to get rid of this program altogether. And that is a part of the Trump administration’s broader assaults on truthful housing. However it’s actually vital that we protect the FIHP program as a result of the FIHP applications, they actually do nearly all of truthful housing work throughout the Nation. These nonprofits, they deal with over 75% of all truthful housing complaints. Annually, nearly all of truthful housing complaints contain incapacity discrimination, which is a matter typically confronted by older adults.
When it comes to a timeline, the present spending invoice in Congress expires on the finish of September. So Congress shall be making an attempt to barter new spending payments. Till then, Congress might move short-term extensions of funding and extensions of this 12 months’s funding. Some of these extensions are referred to as persevering with resolutions, or CRs. This might basically give lawmakers extra time to attempt to negotiate spending payments for subsequent 12 months. Or we may even see a authorities shutdown if Congress cannot come to any form of settlement on the finish of this month. So nobody actually is aware of what’s going to occur. However till Congress does move spending payments for subsequent 12 months, it will be necessary to contact Congress and to induce Congress to reject cuts to federal rental help and to offer the very best ranges of funding attainable for all of those applications.
We have included some instruments right here on this slide that will help you contact Congress. Once more, it is actually necessary that Congress hears from growing old and incapacity advocates and to remind Congress that older adults and folks with disabilities depend on all of those applications that we have highlighted in the present day, and to allow them to know that any cuts to those applications will hurt older adults. I believe generally there is a false impression that so long as Congress funds Part 202 senior housing, then older adults are taken care of. However that is not true. Congress actually must fund all the housing and homeless help applications in the event that they care about older adults.
In order that was all I had. Now I’ll hand issues off to Chantelle who will speak about extra methods to get entangled with federal housing advocacy by way of the Alternative Begins at Residence Marketing campaign.
Chantelle Wilkinson: Thanks, Jenny. Howdy, everybody. Good afternoon. I am actually excited to be right here in the present day to speak about how growing old advocates can be part of the housing motion. As Jenny talked about, older adults are dealing with a rising risk of growing old into housing instability and homelessness, and for terribly low-income older grownup renters, that is much more of a risk. So I simply need to double down on the purpose that Jenny shared round federal sources actually not assembly the necessity, and solely a fraction of those who want the help truly get entry to that help. That is precisely the rationale why we have come collectively as advocates by way of the Alternative Begins at Residence Marketing campaign to advance inexpensive housing insurance policies.
Now, hundreds of thousands of extraordinarily low-income renters are priced out of housing, or just cannot entry inexpensive housing. Our analysis exhibits that seniors, older adults make up greater than a 3rd of extraordinarily low-income renters. So when housing is unaffordable, renters are sometimes severely price burdened. That signifies that they spend greater than half of their revenue on housing. You are selecting between lease. You are selecting between wholesome meals and medicine and so many different important issues. That is actually typically missed when individuals speak about these which are experiencing housing instability. Many are older adults which have contributed considerably over your lifetime and have met so many contributions in your group. So if you’re met with restricted sources, as you proceed to age and lead the workforce, we’ve this hole in housing that actually must be addressed by the federal government, by the federal authorities. That is what we advocate for. So, simply need to simply herald among the phrases of our companions right here at Justice in Growing old: the nation’s lack of inexpensive housing is the first driver of homelessness amongst older adults.
Can we go to the following slide? We are able to simply soar into what the Alternative Begins at Residence Marketing campaign is all about. Again in 2018, a bunch of us got here collectively. Actually, the mission round this marketing campaign is to construct a motion with stakeholders from many sectors to generate widespread assist for federal insurance policies that appropriate long-standing racial inequities and financial injustices by making certain high quality housing for individuals with low incomes. If we are able to go to the following slide to speak about why these partnerships are necessary.
One is that there is substantial analysis that helps the intersections of our points, and we’ll share quite a lot of that sources, quite a lot of our many various sources in the direction of the tip of this presentation, so to check out them. You too can use these sources to advocate. So there was many years of analysis that exhibits that whether or not we’re speaking about well being or training, whether or not we’re speaking about fairness, whether or not we’re speaking about financial mobility, whether or not we focus it in several populations like older adults, like veterans, we see that housing is especially necessary to so many various issues, completely different those who we care about, completely different necessities that we care about and have in our group. In order that’s one.
Two is that having a multi-sector coalition the place advocates are various, you’ve gotten advocates from all completely different sectors be part of into one coalition, then it actually simply enriches our content material throughout the board. We are able to herald analysis from completely different sectors. You all go to speak and advocate to policymakers in several ways in which herald all the completely different sectors and why housing is so vital. So throughout the board, we discover that our companions are exchanging data, we’re creating an area for companions to speak to one another in order that we are able to each advance our objectives and priorities. And that is why it is so necessary for us to return collectively.
And that third level, which I talked about just a bit bit there, was round piquing the curiosity of policymakers that might not be very serious about speaking about housing. So once we can go to a policymaker that is possibly very serious about training or well being or, once more, a inhabitants, we are able to go there and we are able to discuss to that policymaker and say, “Nicely, should you actually need to advance this laws and you actually really feel like it could make an impression, that is how housing would actually get you there.” One thing that we might say within the marketing campaign is that our companions actually understood that housing grew to become not only a nice-to-have for his or her mission, however actually a necessity for his or her mission and important in order that their mission could possibly be achieved. And that is actually why our companions have joined Alternatives Begins at Residence. We are able to go to the following slide and speak about how we do that work.
Alternative Begins at Residence has a coalition now of over 140 nationwide companions which are a part of our marketing campaign. If you happen to take a look at the display screen right here, you will see quite a lot of the members which are a part of our steering committee, which is our core group of parents which are engaged within the marketing campaign. You may see that so lots of the teams which are listed below are not bread and butter housing organizations. You’ve the Meals Analysis & Motion Middle, the Nationwide Girls’s Regulation Middle, Youngsters’s Protection Fund, Catholic Charities USA, the Nationwide Sources Protection Council, the Nationwide League of Cities, nationwide Schooling Affiliation. Simply actually taking a look at this listing of parents, there’s 20 teams which are on the steering committee, which we see as our governance board. However these teams actually do present how we’re not displaying up as housing advocates alone, that we’re carrying all these completely different hats with our companions within the room.
So lots of our companions be part of us on this advocacy, in altering the narrative throughout the nation to, once more, actually double down on the truth that housing actually impacts a lot of what we care about. After which we even have a bigger desk, our roundtable. Our roundtable consists of over 120 nationwide teams which are a part of the motion. That is the versatile entry level that we have created for thus many teams to only be part of the work that we do. One thing that we might name for the variety of people which are on this name, that if you’re part of a nationwide group and you have an interest in being part of the marketing campaign, please contact us. We’re all the time searching for new nationwide teams to convey into the fold.
After which the opposite a part of the marketing campaign that is actually important is our state companions that work to construct state-level multi-sector coalitions, and so they use these coalitions to affect federal coverage in addition to state coverage. So possibly you are not capable of interact on the nationwide stage, we are able to join state companions to the state companions that we’ve within the marketing campaign. We are able to even join people who’re serious about being a part of the coalition to our state companions too to only achieve extra data, to all the time keep up to date, to all the time know what the advocacy alternatives are the place you reside. In order that’s our actually large coalition constructing that we have executed within the marketing campaign since 2018. If we are able to go to the following slide.
I need to speak about how this exhibits up. You’ve got heard me discuss now about displaying up with policymakers. Generally that appears like sign-on letters, and generally that appears like occasions like this one. It is a congressional briefing that we did in partnership with Justice in Growing old and in addition our companions on the Nationwide Alliance to Finish Homelessness, the place we featured a movie No Place to Develop Outdated that actually highlights precisely what we’re speaking about in the present day: older adults experiencing homelessness. And we actually use this briefing to essentially urge policymakers to do one thing about this difficulty, to enact efficient insurance policies that might handle this rising risk to older adults. We had been capable of present a small clip of the movie in addition to have a panel dialogue the place we talked about this vital difficulty, sharing the analysis, sharing the narrative, and actually sharing with Congress what they should do about it. We are able to go to the following slide.
You heard so much from Jenny concerning the insurance policies, so I will not take too lengthy to speak concerning the insurance policies, however simply need to share what we’re doing by way of the marketing campaign. The marketing campaign actually focuses on a really broad stage to convey as many companions as we are able to to this area. As housing advocates, we need to keep centered, and we keep the specialists in housing coverage. However as we’re bringing educators alongside and medical doctors alongside and social staff alongside, simply every other sector you possibly can consider, we actually do shoulder quite a lot of the capability to push among the insurance policies throughout our community. So you will see that our insurance policies are very broad, however quite a lot of what Jenny talked about, a few of these insurance policies fall inside the agenda as properly.
Our long-term aim is, by way of federal housing insurance policies that develop sources and proper long-standing structural and racial inequities, we’ll be sure that individuals with the bottom incomes can afford a very good residence, which provides to their high quality of life by way of higher well being, better instructional attainment, and stronger earnings. After which we’ve three buckets by which we try this work. If we are able to go to the following slide.
The primary is how we bridge the hole. So we are saying that that is the demand aspect of the problem that we have a tendency to speak about and actually give attention to concentrating on. So bridging the hole between rents and incomes by way of rental help. Rental help subsidies are wanted at scale to make sure items are inexpensive for low-income renters. So the place there are locations in our nation the place there’s inexpensive housing, we need to guarantee that individuals can entry that housing. We’re speaking about vouchers or a renter’s tax credit score. Federal help is basically wanted to bridge the hole between rents and incomes for older adults, as a result of the necessity is rising. There was 5.9 million renters over the age of 62 that had been eligible for housing help in 2021, and that was almost a double quantity from what we noticed in 2011. So once we’re saying that we actually see a rise within the want for older adults to have rental help, that is the sort of stuff that we’re speaking about and the sort of stuff that is displaying up within the knowledge and the analysis.
The opposite piece of the agenda is to develop the inventory of deeply inexpensive housing. So growing the provision of deeply inexpensive housing in markets mandatory the place there are vacancies. So in locations the place we have to construct housing, we’re advocating to construct, and to construct deeply inexpensive housing, in order that these which are extraordinarily low incomes, they’ll entry that inexpensive housing. Generally you will see applications goal possibly 50% space medium revenue, 80% space medium revenue, however we actually advocate for 30% space medium revenue. In order that’s trying on the incomes throughout a selected space. And should you fall inside that 30% of the medium quantity of revenue in that space, that is actually what we’re concentrating on. These individuals have a tendency to essentially be struggling to afford housing. So we’re actually speaking about people that I wish to say that is not likely dwelling paycheck to paycheck, that does not actually paint that image, however people are actually simply paying what they’ll, the place they’ll.
After which the final piece of the agenda is basically round our emergency help, so to stabilize households by offering emergency help to avert housing instability and homelessness. This bucket would actually present short-term help to stabilize households experiencing a significant financial shock that might in any other case make them spiral in needing intensive or extended housing help. One thing to notice is that this marketing campaign is so highly effective that earlier than, in 2019, we had a invoice that we have advocated for, and it is nonetheless a part of the marketing campaign, referred to as the Evictions Disaster Act.
This was even earlier than the pandemic the place we bought emergency help when it was mandatory as a result of we had been in a pandemic. However even earlier than then, we had been advocating for a nationwide program that might actually give people that short-term one-time monetary help that might assist them, as a result of we all know that you may get a medical invoice, there could possibly be a damaged down automobile, possibly only a large expense that you weren’t anticipating, that now, should you’re already competing with the necessities in your family, can actually create a scenario by which you’re spiraling into needing extra help. So even earlier than emergency help was talked about on a nationwide stage, we had been bringing it up by way of this invoice and supporting this invoice, serving to to draft that invoice, as a result of we noticed an incredible want that we have to handle the demand aspect of the problem, the provision aspect of the problem, however we additionally wanted to guarantee that we had been stopping the problem as properly. If we are able to go to the following slide.
Simply speaking about how housing actually touches all that we care about. We all know that the scholars in our communities do higher, that everybody is more healthy, that there is extra fairness and extra alternatives. And for older adults, we see higher well being outcomes, stability, and actually the assist wanted to stay fulfilled lives. So we’ve that wheel that we wish to share typically by way of the marketing campaign simply to indicate how housing is on the heart to all these completely different areas that we care about. You possibly can go to our web site, it is opportunityhome.org, the place you will discover a sector web page with all these truth sheets that we have created with specialists in several sectors to essentially compile that analysis. And we see this as a vital useful resource for advocates when you are going to discuss to policymakers, if you’re contacting these places of work to essentially make the most of that as some extra speaking factors once we’re making an attempt to advance inexpensive housing coverage. In order that’s accessible. And once more, we’ll share another sources simply in a second.
However I need to go to our subsequent slide to speak concerning the methods that you may get entangled within the marketing campaign. One is to advance the OSAH coverage agenda. If you happen to go on our web site, opportunityhome.org, you will additionally see that there is a Take Motion tab. In that tab, you will see particular motion gadgets that you may take as a person advocate to ship letters to Congress in assist of among the payments that we assist by way of the marketing campaign. After which there’s different methods of simply sharing that coverage agenda in your conferences in your group as properly. So you possibly can go to our web site, you would print the agenda out, you possibly can share it and disperse it within the locations that you just discover vital.
Be part of the roundtable. Once more, if you’re a nationwide group that’s trying to be part of a broader coalition with an emphasis on housing, we undoubtedly need you to affix us. All you need to do is simply sort of attain out to us, and we might arrange a gathering. We often do a name simply to guarantee that there’s areas of collaboration for us or get an concept of the place your group is perhaps with housing coverage. After which we take it from there.
The opposite factor I need to speak about by way of being part of the roundtable, and simply part of the coalition on the whole too, is simply completely different ways in which people can faucet in. So I share the congressional briefing, but additionally we’ve a podcast that we work on too. That is why you see that, that is that graphic on this slide as properly. So should you go to SoundCloud or iTunes or Spotify, you will see the Alternative Begins at Residence podcast, the place we’re sharing once more that analysis, doing a deeper dive within the analysis that we’ve round housing for people to entry as properly. And there are such a lot of sources on our web site from quite a few completely different articles, from the actual fact sheet to sharing the work that our state companions are doing, sharing the various analysis that we discover. And it is steady. So even should you see some issues on the actual fact sheet, we do that each one 12 months spherical the place we’re all the time making an attempt to guarantee that we’re tapped into the brand new analysis that is accessible to us, in order that we are able to use it in our advocacy.
One other factor for people to get entangled, as I discussed too, is to attach your state associates to our state associates. In case you are part of a state group and also you need to get entangled within the state stage, we are able to additionally make that connection as properly with our state companions. And we are able to additionally join you to our state companions in case you have questions, if you’re desirous to search for extra direct help in your specific space. Once more, you possibly can function us in conferences and conferences and publications and webinars. We’re all the time accessible to return and converse to any group concerning the marketing campaign to affix the marketing campaign. If you happen to simply want extra details about the marketing campaign, we’re accessible. There’s podcast collaborations that we do with individuals, that in case you have the analysis, should you’re conducting analysis and also you want it on a platform that connects housing and one other sector, we might platform that. Now we have the actual fact sheets, as I discussed.
After which the opposite factor of simply becoming a member of the Listserv and receiving our month-to-month e-newsletter, that is our method of tapping into our community. So anytime there’s an advocacy alternative, anytime one thing new comes out of the marketing campaign, we faucet into our community by way of that month-to-month e-newsletter. Simply retaining people in group, and updates, and what is going on on on this housing area on the very least. We are able to transfer to the following slide and simply discuss concerning the sources that we’ve if you wish to be taught a bit extra.
So there’s Inside Attain, which is our coverage agenda. So what I sort of went by way of to in the present day, you will discover that. Once more, you will discover that on our web site. Out of Attain appears on the disparity between wages and rents throughout the nation. That comes out of the Nationwide Low Revenue Housing Coalition. It is an annual report that you would discover on nlihc.org, the web site of the coalition. The Hole can be one other annual report that comes out of the Nationwide Low Revenue Housing Coalition that appears on the housing scarcity throughout the nation because it pertains to extraordinarily low-income renters. So once more, one thing else that you could find on nlihc.org. I imagine these slides shall be accessible, so that you would possibly simply have the ability to faucet into the hyperlink, however should you wished to learn it now, simply sending you the place to go.
Now we have an Growing old Advocates and Housing Advocates truth sheet that we labored on with our companions to only compile the analysis. That is a type of fast sources that we discover that advocates, particularly should you’re participating in any advocacy days or something like that, you possibly can take that useful resource with you. When you’ve got conferences, assembly additionally, these are very fast sources. They’re solely about two pages or so, back and front, and it has quite a few completely different stats that you may pull from and simply share with others. In case you are serious about seeing the briefing that we did with our companions, we do have it recorded so to faucet into that as properly. I imagine there’s yet another slide with sources, proper, Jenny, earlier than we go into Q&A? Sure. I believe a few of these already hit on. So yeah, I am going to flip it again to you, Jenny.
Jenny Kye: Thanks, Chantelle. Sure, so listed below are some extra sources. Some are from Justice in Growing old and a few are from the Alternative Begins at Residence Marketing campaign. So now I believe we’ll transfer into questions. I did need to word that any questions that we do not get to on in the present day’s webinar, we’ll comply with up with by electronic mail. Additionally, after all, you are additionally welcome to electronic mail me or Chantelle.
The primary query we’ll speak about, we bought some questions on accessible housing, whether or not there are any threats to accessible housing, and commenting on addressing the necessity for accessible housing. So I wished to once more spotlight the significance of truthful housing applications and that FIHP program that funds non-profits doing truthful housing work, as a result of quite a lot of the work they do and quite a lot of housing discrimination and truthful housing instances contain the necessity for accessible housing, and older adults who want residence modifications or a ramp put in and wish authorized help with a purpose to get these issues. Additionally, these organizations, they do truthful housing testing. So what they do is they may examine completely different properties to guarantee that these properties are adhering to completely different legal guidelines round accessibility. So these organizations actually do quite a lot of work round accessible housing, which is simply another excuse why it is actually necessary that we fund that program and ensure these organizations can proceed doing their work.
Chantelle, are you able to discuss extra about how advocates can join with OSAH’s state companions and share extra examples of what the state multi-sector campaigns appear to be and what they do?
Chantelle Wilkinson: Sure, comfortable to. The OSAH’s state companions, let’s begin with, we’ve 31 state companions now. We do not have a state companion in each single state. That’s the aim. We fund our state companions. In order we get extra funding by way of the coalition, we’re capable of fund extra state companions, and we have been capable of actually develop that in a short time within the final seven years. So we actually have a aim the following couple of years to essentially guarantee that we are able to obtain our aim of getting a state companion in each state. What the state companions do, we give them quite a lot of flexibility to create their very own sorts of coalitions. Some state companions, they’ve a coalition that displays ours the place they’ve possibly a steering committee, they’ve one other desk of parents that interact, after which they’re additionally simply bringing in several people from different areas.
Now we have some state companions that possibly do some sub-grants to another teams that aren’t housing teams, in order that they arrive collectively as one, main housing coalition group, and so they do the work that method. We have additionally seen our companions possibly collaborate with one different companion, one housing companion, and possibly one other companion in a special area. After which they turn into the core staff that is going out to construct the coalition within the state. Every one of many states are tasked with constructing out the coalition within the state. So irrespective of how they constructed possibly their core coalition of companions, that coalition remains to be working to make sure that the multi-sector nature of the marketing campaign is mirrored. In order that they’re bringing in different teams it doesn’t matter what. They only might do it in a different way, might have a special mannequin than we’ve from the nationwide marketing campaign. However the greatest aim that they’ve is to construct a multi-sector coalition.
A few of them discover that completely different sectors are a bit simpler. I believe throughout the board, well being tends to be a neater area for us to construct partnerships with as a result of quite a lot of them discuss concerning the social determinants of well being, and that is one thing that is actually acknowledged of their sectors. After which some discover that different sectors are a bit of tougher to convey alongside, however they do quite a lot of work to coach and attempt to convey them alongside in very versatile methods. So people who find themselves serious about connecting with our states, one is, if you’re a state companion in that state, you possibly can turn into part of the coalition within the state.
After which should you’re a person, we are able to nonetheless join you to our state companion. That method they’ll let you know the way they’re retaining their companions related with the work that is occurring within the coalition, so you will get a nationwide replace that comes from us. However quite a lot of them are additionally doing their very own communications the place they’re sharing with their communities updates round housing. And that turns into possibly much more useful for you as you’re… It’s nice to have the nationwide updates and know what’s taking place on the federal stage the place we focus, however our state companions additionally guarantee that we’re bringing in that state stage knowledge and knowledge too that sort of helps with each distinctive location. So these are two methods to get entangled with the states.
If you wish to simply be taught extra about our state partnerships on the whole, should you went to our web site, opportunityhome.org, you will hit the tab that claims organizations, and you will see the place you could find all of the state companions. They’re all listed there. If you happen to click on on the icons, you could find extra details about every one of many state companions on our web site. After which we have additionally compiled the data from The Hole report and Out of Attain report. In order that’s one other useful resource should you’re trying to actually do advocacy across the coalitions, is that this data that we take from The Hole, from Out of Attain, we additionally use in places of work to advocate for housing. And what we have executed by way of the marketing campaign is taken that state knowledge and put it into infographics in order that our state companions can use for advocacy, however people can definitely use that very same knowledge for advocacy as properly.
Jenny Kye: Thanks, Chantelle. We bought a query concerning the loss by way of the Housing Selection Vouchers and the funding shortfall. Would that have an effect on present voucher holders or future candidates? So for Housing Selection Vouchers or Part 8 vouchers, the cuts would primarily have an effect on future candidates. However by way of Emergency Housing Vouchers, the loss in funding for Emergency Housing Vouchers would have an effect on the present voucher holders, and they might lose their vouchers subsequent 12 months if Congress would not present extra funding.
Chantelle Wilkinson: I’d simply add to that. Once more, that stat that I believe we have referenced possibly twice all through the presentation, that actually solely, I believe Jenny mentioned a 3rd of older adults that want rental help do not obtain it. I believe we are saying, in a broader sense, with all the parents that want eligibility, that’s one out of 4. However mainly saying that actually the necessity just isn’t being met as is. So if we’re slicing sources, you then’re actually chipping away from a useful resource that is not even accessible to most individuals that want it. So simply wished to double down on that truth.
Jenny Kye: Somebody requested about simply sources about present and future housing coverage as insurance policies shift. The Nationwide Revenue Housing Coalition and the Alternative Begins at Residence Marketing campaign, these are definitely nice sources. And within the varied slides, I believe we have linked to the web sites. After which additionally at Justice in Growing old, as these insurance policies roll out, we’ll be offering extra particulars and evaluation about how these insurance policies extra particularly have an effect on older adults and folks with disabilities. So once more, encourage you to join our electronic mail lists and go to our web sites for extra sources.
After which, Chantelle, one query is, do advocates need to have experience in housing or homelessness to be a part of the OSAH Marketing campaign?
Chantelle Wilkinson: No, you do not. You do not. What we all the time say is, if you wish to be a person advocate, if you’re a corporation that is represented, a corporation that want to be part of the marketing campaign, then we’re actually simply asking that you just want to cross-sector collaborate, that you just’d similar to to be part of the coalition. So lots of our companions, particularly these with Justice in Growing old, there’s quite a lot of connection right here as a result of additionally they keep on high of quite a lot of the housing coverage that is being executed, and in addition simply sort of actually helps to bridge our information round the way it particularly impacts older adults and seniors too. However with different teams that won’t have any experience in housing in any respect, they arrive again to the coalition, whether or not it is by way of the marketing campaign or whether or not we are able to join you to our coverage staff, our subject staff that may simply share much more data so to turn into housing advocates, and you should use that language time and again, develop the abilities in speaking about how housing impacts so many various issues.
So no, you do not have to be an professional. We actually have compiled a lot data for people in order that they’ll really feel empowered to make use of it in ways in which they’re already doing their advocacy. However we’re additionally actually right here to assist. One thing that is core to the marketing campaign is that there’s devoted workers to do that work. So in areas the place possibly capability is a matter, it isn’t a problem for us as a result of that is our day by day work. That is what we do day in and day trip, is coalition, constructing by way of the marketing campaign and thru different partnerships. So no, you do not want the experience. Simply contact us, and we’re keen to assist wherever we are able to.
Jenny Kye: Nice. So I believe that’s all we’ve time for in the present day. Once more, we’ll comply with up on different questions by electronic mail. Thanks a lot, Chantelle, for being a part of in the present day’s webinar, and thanks to all of you for taking the time to tune in. We hope this webinar was useful.
Chantelle Wilkinson: Thanks a lot.
