August Advocacy, Week 2: Fight for Families!

Congress may have abdicated its responsibility to legislate, but that does not mean your voice is silenced. It is now more important than ever to tell Washington to take quick, bold action on rental assistance and affordable housing: reach out to your lawmakers now during NAHRO’s August Advocacy Week 2.

During week 2 of August recess, reach out to your lawmakers to tell them to take immediate action to provide short-term rental assistance to families in need and fully fund the HCV program to avoid future crises. Additionally, keep sending daily letters to Congress and the White House to put pressure on them to finalize a COVID-19 relief package.

Though August is typically a slow time of year in the nation’s capital, much like everything else about 2020, this year is different. Negotiations over additional COVID-19 relief broke down late last week, leaving many families without assistance when they need it the most. Immediate rental assistance is needed to ensure families are not evicted from their homes and public housing agencies are best equipped and are ready to provide this assistance.

Full funding of the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program could have prevented millions of families from being in this situation. Prior to the pandemic, only 1 in 5 families eligible for housing assistance received it. Our next economic recovery should be equitable; the HCV program needs to be expanded so it can assist every eligible family.